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EGYPTIAN VULTURE

EGYPTIAN VULTURES ARE SADLY ON THE WAY OUT. Currently listed as 'endangered' by BirdLife International owing to a rapidly declining population they are definitely birds to watch while we still can. We were lucky to be able to visit the state-of-the-art raptor flight photo hide at Lleras near Tremp again this year and as well as some very close birds there were lots of opportunities to shoot these attractive little vultures in the air as well as on the ground. I remember the skies around the Taj Mahal being filled by them 20 years ago and now you are lucky to see one or two there. The decline has also been seen across Africa and although there are some pockets where their numbers are stable (presumably where they are not blighted by the veterinary drug diclofenac), like Oman and Socotra, the prospects for their long term survival look very bleak. Unbelievably the same horrible drug has recently been authorised for use in Spain, which will probably mean the end for this and most other vultures there. Judging from their actions most present governments absolutely do not care about wildlife. I wonder when the backlash from those that do will come?

Egyptian Vulture, adult

Egyptian Vulture, immature

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BAD TO THE BONE

HIGH IN CATALONIA'S SERRA DE BOUMORT (= 'mountain of the dead cow' on account of the cows that got their legs stuck in or were fatally injured in the rocky landscape) we enjoyed probably our best photo session so far for Lammergeiers. They are notoriously shy creatures and take some time to come down for a free meal, circling for ages and thoroughly checking the surrounding area for danger before risking a landing. The local population of these truly amazing birds continues to flourish, thanks to the regular supply of carrion put out for the last 30 years at several feeding stations in this part of the Pre-Pyrenees range. Here they are 'bone-swallowers' rather than 'bone-breakers', thanks to the ideally-sized sheep's limbs provided for them. As usual we saw all four regular Spanish vultures from the hide including an insane frenzy of griffons but the Lammers stole the show, also as usual. They have the look of a missing link about them and would not be out of place in such as Avatar with their striking plumage, beard (or rather moustache) and just under three meters wingspan! PH1 stomach acid allows the vultures to digest bone inside 24 hours - I have seen them swallow two sheep legs at one sitting previously.

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EASTER MONDAY

Pendle Hill at dawn from the A59 near Clitheroe

ANOTHER DAY OF HIKING on Pendle Hill and later around Ribchester added a few more newly arrived migrants. On the hill the Grasshopper Warbler was still present reeling from a bed of rushes on the lower slopes, where two male stonechats were staking their territories, a couple of golden plovers were in the mist at the summit and two more redpolls flew north calling. My usual circuit at Ribchester added four new migrants - Common Sandpiper on the river at Osbaldeston Hall, three House Martins flying north over fields near Boat House, a Common Whitethroat singing near Parsonage Farm and two singing Willow Warblers along the stream north of there, taking me over 70 species for the year and still plenty of quite easy ones left to see. However, the biggest surprise was a couple of Noctule Bats hunting insects with the hirundines along the River Ribble in the sunshine just after midday. I have never seen this before but Bill Aspin tells me it is not uncommon at Brockholes just downstream. There were quite a few butterflies around today, almost all Peacocks and Small Tortoiseshells but also a couple of Speckled Woods at the Willow Warbler site.

Noctule Bat hunting in midday sunshine at Ribchester

Willow Warbler singing on breeding territory in response to a rival singing bird, Eurasian Wren singing and Great Tit calling in the background.

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BLEAK EASTER PENDLE

The mournful sound of a golden plover's songflight in a blasting easterly wind on Pendle

PENDLE HILL WAS EVIL TODAY in a blasting, cold easterly wind that was so strong at times I could hardly stand up at the summit. Consequently there were few birds, just a couple of local breeding wheatears and a flock of 15 golden plovers. I recorded the distant songflight of one yesterday as it struggled into a strong head-wind. Their mournful call is one of the sounds of my childhood birding walks on the moors near my grandparents' home in Weardale. There have not been any more dotterels yet but it is surely only a matter of time and it is weather like today's that produced a ringed plover on the summit a few years ago. It was interesting to note that the Christian fundamentalists who attached a wooden cross to the trig point took it down today, Easter Sunday. It wasn't a very impressive feat to carry such a small cross up the hill either, so small it was suitable only for crucifying a small child or a squirrel but I suppose it is the thought that counts.

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