Another Catalonia Trip

30th September 2015

Our visits to Barcelona are mainly to family and this was the first opportunity to meet our new granddaughter - Alba - a common name in Spain and Catalonia meaning Dawn, but which has obvious scottish connotations. At two months old she is too young to go twitching but the local hotspots at Llogrebrat are always worth a visit. A day trip up the coast to Aguamolls was probably spoilt because of low water levels. Despite restricted time I managed to find some 83 species, no 'lifers' but I added a few to my Catalonia list which now stands at 208. A constant stream of migrants moves along the coast at Barcelona spending time in the cover at Llogrebat and Common Redstarts and Pied Flycatchers were present every day and I managed to find Reed Warbler, Blackcap, Garden Warbler and Willow Warbler. Two juvenile Red-backed Shrikes were a bonus and amongst the other highlights were Purple Heron, Little Bittern, Penduline Tit, Goshawk, Alpine Swift and a nice male Hen Harrier. The local hides are excellent for photography and there is a selection of images in the 'overseas' section of the Gallery.

Bob

THE BOOK

"A glorious little gem"

AMAZON

"A book such as this has to look backwards and the author does so succinctly, looking at the work of several of the pioneering naturalists before picking out the publications of JA Harvie-Brown and the Rev. Hugh Macpherson. I know this book fills a real gap in the information available for the Isle of Skye and it will surely sell well at local bookshops."

Andrew Currie Miscellany West Highland Free Press

"A total of 238 species have been recorded, with 14 of those 'red listed' as of high conservation concern ... another innovation has been the inclusion of Gaelic names for some birds. While this is not uncommon in a few other books, the addition of some regional Gaelic names is very unusual and very welcome."

Ray Collier Country Diary 'Up in the Skye' The Guardian

"Illustrated with beautiful photographs of current birdlife on the island, the publication also features sketches by Jean Thomas of The Little Gallery, Portnalong, stimulating the reader's interest further and allowing them to identify species they encounter on Skye."

The Hebridean