Doc.B's Nature Blog

A few days ago I received a mail from our ringing group coordinator sharing a news/statement from SEO BIRDLIFE regarding the critical situation we are experiencing due to avian flu.,which is severley impacting the European population of Common Cranes and other waterfowl.We all know how the UK has suffered recently with large nos.of Gannets and other seabirds dying from this virus.

At the moment we are not prohibited from ringing birds,but it is very possible that we could temporarily be prohibited from ringing passerines!! As ringers we all have to be aware of this situation and must use hand sanitizer before during and after handling birds on our ringing days.

It is also very important we do not collect the birds in dirty bags.We must always use clean bags individually for all our captures and wash all used bags before the next ringing session.

Not much good news these days. not the only problem down here either.I believe I read somewhere on the net that a number of Vespa orientalis Oriental Hornet had escapes from a container in a French port.As this species likes hot weather they somehow made their way down to S.Spain.Last year I noted a lot of them flying along our balcony and inside our urbanisation.I found a few in my moth traps over last Autumn when they appeared the most active.Bit of a shock having picked up a broken egg box and looking underneath expecting to find a moth and only to be confronted by 1 of these insects.Luckily all the ones I found we docile at the early time I emptied my traps so they all ended up in the freezer in plastic containers,dead.

This year the problem appears worse with large numbers on our golf course and along local water courses.You may or may not know that they are an extreme threat to the local apiarists,as once they find a bee hive they kill all the bees,so a big threat to the honey production as well to the poor unsuspecting bees.

Even worse the Asian Hornet for which UK has a growing problem has also been found down here.These Hornets have a different coloration and are bigger and are extremely aggressive and have been known to kill human beings.These Hornets must not be confused with the non aggressive European Hornet which is the smallest of the 3 .All 3 have distinct colors ,so take a look on the net as there are plenty of pictures of them out there.

So all in all DONT PANIC (YET) !!

Not much to report yesterday on bird front as had head in the laptop working with the moth data.On the odd occasion that I ventured on to my balcony for a coffee break noted 10+ Spotless Starlings a mix of adults plus the spotted juveniles,a couple of Crag Martins,2 White Wagtails on the putting green below,1 male Stonechat,a lonesome Griffon Vulture drifting over the golf course,a Blackbird and House Sparrows having a good bath in the bird baths on my inner balcony,2 Black Redstarts,a Collared Dove,and a Blue Rock Thrush (Migrant).Last but not least heard at dusk a Little Owl calling from the urbanisation opposite

Seem to be seeing less and less of these super owls.I ticked a pair on Jan.1st this year opposite at Duquesa Village and actually have not seen them there since.