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Gibraltar joins European birdwatch
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Report by Albert Yome/GONHS
The Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural History Society (GONHS), is pleased with the outcome of this year's EuroBirdwatch, an event held across Europe under the auspices of BirdLife International, of which GONHS is the Partner for Gibraltar.
Eurobirdwatch, an annual birdwatching event in Europe, works to raise awareness of the issues relating to bird migration, and promotes efforts needed to save threatened bird species and their habitats.
In Gibraltar, GONHS held various events centred around the Alameda Botanic Gardens, which as a location offers the ideal combination of natural surroundings and accessibility for the general public.
The first event of the day, a bird ringing demonstration led by Ray Marsh, got off to an early start. By 8am several mist nets had been erected, with these being checked regularly for birds.
Several migratory species were caught, including Willow warbler, Reed warbler, Pied Flycatcher, Redstart and Chiffchaff. The birds were then ringed, weighed and measured before being released. Several children were given the unique opportunity of holding birds before releasing them.
Also at the gardens Jill Yeoman ran a temporary observatory from the Guiseppe Codali Bridge, whilst Charlie Perez and Albert Yome led a birding walk through the gardens. These yielded several other species, including Grey wagtail, some newly arrived Robins, Garden warbler, Spotted flycatcher and overhead a late Honey buzzard and a Sparrowhawk.
Also ringed or observed were several species which are resident in Gibraltar. These included Great tit, Blue tit, Blackcap, Blackbird, Sardinian warbler, Spotless starling, Collared dove, Peregrine falcon and a Barbary partridge, which was heard from the gardens.
Later on in the morning, Vincent Robba and his Raptor Rehabilitation Unit set up a bird of prey display. These always prove a huge success with visitors, as it's not every day that you can see birds such as the Bonelli's eagle, Booted eagle, Peregrine, Harris hawk, Gyrfalcon and even a Golden eagle at such close quarters. Some lucky visitors were allowed to hold the birds using a gauntlet - a great photo opportunity.
Further up the gardens, the Alameda Wildlife Park held its open day, held in conjunction with EuroBirdwatch but also marking World Animal Day.
Seabird Spectacular:
The afternoon seabird watch was a great success. The unfortunate protagonists were shoals of Flying fish (Exocoetidae), a type of fish that has evolved elongated pectoral fins that allow them to escape predators, such as sea bass or tuna.
From the Europa Point Marine Observatory, GONHS observers and visitors were fascinated by the spectacle of hundreds of Cory's shearwaters splash diving or plucking the hapless fish out of the air. The Cory's were joined by the endangered Balearic shearwater and a couple of Sooty shearwaters, which are considered rare in Gibraltar waters. A number of large Northern gannets were also diving in, with our resident Yellow-legged gulls completing the picture. Terns and other gulls, such as Audouin's gulls were also recorded.
Looking Forward to 2009:
GONHS is already looking forward to next year's event, which will be held during the first weekend in October. Not content on resting on its laurels, the Society will be working to attract a greater number of participants, particularly children to this event.
Young Gibraltarians are the future custodians of our natural heritage, and GONHS sees fostering interest and concern in Gibraltar's rich fauna and flora among young people as a top priority.
To this end, GONHS will once again be reaching out to educational and youth-related establishments with a view to encouraging young people to take up an interest in Gibraltar's wildlife.
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