Canal cruise (14-5-18)

Reservoir Ducks II

The two freshwater ponds at the University of Aveiro are currently packed with ducks, of which many are still undergoing their annual moult. Among about 360 Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) at least 21 were carrying a nasal saddle, all of which could be read.




Also present were about nine Shovelers (Anas clypeata), one of which was marked. All of the marked ducks have previously been captured, marked and released at the Sao Jacinto dune reserve (David Rodrigues/www.pt-ducks.com).

As in the reserve, in these ponds the ducks should be relatively safe from hunting (the hunting season recently started, I believe starts September 6), but they’ll have to deal with regular disturbance by dogs and people (just as in the reserve..?).

Patos and more at the São Jacinto reserve (September 1 - 3, 2014)

The pateira got occupied by a few hundred Mallards Anas platyrhynchos and about 70 Common Teals Anas crecca. We also observed a single Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina and a single…




… Garganey Anas querquedula, which ended up in our captures and got marked.




Several of the female Mallards in our captures were still undergoing their moult. These birds are temporarily incapable of flying. Too bad for the ducks outside of the reserve that the hunting season will start in only a few days from now. Moulting female Mallards will not be able to find a place to shelter, away from one of Portugal’s most nasty habits.




Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis in front of the blind.




Eurasian wryneck Jynx torquilla




Nice to see that many of the acorns that we sowed at the reserve last winter managed to germinate and survive the summer. An update on ‘Projecto Sobreiro’ will appear on this blog in the near future.

Reservoir ducks, cormorants and a daytime bat in Matsuyama, Japan

On December 2 a few freshwater reservoirs on a hill a few kilometers north of our place in Matsuyama were visited, in the hopes of finding some new duck species. The first bird to get my attention there was an adult Cormorant (the bird on the left of the two above) that managed to catch a big Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus), a North American freshwater fish. I’m not sure whether this is a Temminck’s or a Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax capillatus/P. carbo. Its white facial patch is not as pronounced as I’d expect from a Temminck’s. The bird on the right is an immature Temminck’s.












While scoping out the cormorants’ successful catch, there was a bat foraging above the same pond. For about half an hour it appeared to be catching prey from the water surface, possibly with its hind legs, as the third photo shows. In between foraging flights it regularly perched against the side of a concrete wall adjacent to the water.










There were plenty of ducks present at two of the four reservoirs. Besides 17 Eurasian Teals Anas crecca and a single Mallard Anas platyrhynchos, I recorded 11 Common Pochards Aythya ferina, 17 Tufted Ducks Aythya fuligula, 30 Northern Shovelers Anas clypeata and (the highlight of my visit) a single Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata male.














Red-eared slider Trachemys scripta elegans. Native to the southern United States and northern Mexico, but also present in impressive numbers in all freshwaters I’ve seen in Japan thus far.




My borrowed bike.

Reserva Natural das Dunas de São Jacinto

During September 4 – 6 I’ve spent my time in the ‘Reserva Natural das Dunas de São Jacinto’, helping out David Rodrigues and his student Luis with the duck captures. For me only one day was dedicated to the captures, the remaining time I spent resighting duck saddles and inspecting the results of a project I initiated there last year, possibly further described in a following post. The ducks at the ponds are finishing their moult and fall migration has not started up quite yet, meaning the majority of the ducks present and all that we captured were local Mallards.

Many hands make light work...

During the resightings, which are conducted from one of several blinds present around the ponds, I always find some time for some ‘general birding’... Loads of birds, here a few 'common ones':

One of several Common Kingfishers Alcedo atthis that were foraging at the ponds.

 

The Little Grebes Tachybaptus ruficollis appeared to have had a successful breeding season. At least two pairs and two generations of their young were loudly present.

Grey Heron Ardea cinerea, catching tiny fish.

Common Wood Pigeons Columba palumbus. Relatively common compared to my other visits to the park. It’s too early for their fall migration, but I believe the pigeon and dove hunting is well on its way in this country at the moment. A good reason for them to find shelter in the refuge for a while, where hunting is not allowed. 

  

Common Buzzard Buteo buteo.  Don’t worry, enough saddles were read, if not all of the 150+ of the marked Mallards that were present during those days?

European tree frog Hyla arborea, of unknown subspecies (this photo was taken elsewhere, on the opposite site of the Ria de Aveiro). It was the first time I found this frog to occur in São Jacinto. David informed me he found one on his rearview mirror while driving through the park a few days earlier (which may have been the same individual as the one I found), though he also had not observed it before. I’m curious whether there are older records for this species in São Jacinto. As far as I know tree frogs don’t disperse very far, so it’s quite remarkable it managed to find its way down south through the >15 km dry peninsula, so I suspect it has been accidentally (by car?) or purposely introduced.