Little Ringed Plover second breeding attempt, PART 1

Shortly after their first, unsuccessful breeding attempt, the pair of Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius) moved to another dried-out irrigation pond in Las Martelas (Los Llanos de Aridane).

Here is the post describing their first attempt, and below is a photograph of the new breeding site:

This second location is very similar to the first one. In both cases these are abandoned irrigation ponds in which small amounts of rainwater accumulate. A tiny puddle is just visible at the far end, and a layer of sand in the central area.

These ponds are privately owned but are freely accessible. Some have been converted into lorry parks, workshops, or even skateboard parks. Most, like the pond chosen by the pair of Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius) have simply fallen into disuse, with no wildlife conservation laws to protect them.

Pair of Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius)

The female is slightly larger, generally paler in colour, with less white above the eye.

I first observed the breeding pair in their new location on May 22. The images above date from May 27. By the end of May there were already 1-2 eggs in the nest, and on June 4, I photographed the full clutch of 4, visible in the centre of the following image:

I have deliberately left this image uncropped, to give a better idea of how well camouflaged the eggs are.

Both birds took turns incubating and defending the nest. Below is a picture of the female, taken on June 4:

Female Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius)  sitting on the nest

Another itinerant Osprey

 

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

Followers of this blog may recall the longish stopover on La Palma of a ringed Osprey from the north of Scotland last year. Here's the link to the corresponding post:

http://lapalmabirds.blogspot.com/2020/12/osprey-kl9-brief-summary.html

This morning, July 22, I discovered another itinerant bird in the same area. It was devouring a freshly-caught fish on top of the same utility pole used by its predecessor, not far from the Dos Pinos reservoir (Los Llanos de Aridane).

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

This once lifeless irrigation reservoir is now teeming with easy-to-catch Tilapia fish, whose precise origin is unknown. Theories range from deliberate introduction, to accidental escape from other ponds via pipelines and channels, all in connection with an unsuccessful aquiculture project. Motives, dates, and other details are hard to uncover.

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

 

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

The bird eventually took flight when a couple of youths, who had been angling only about 70 metres away, inadvertently came too close. The Osprey had difficulty freeing itself from its prey, and flew off with part of the fish still hanging from its talons.

Glossy Ibis

I found this solitary Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) in an irrigation pond near the Dos Pinos reservoir (Los Llanos de Aridane) this evening, July 19. The bird was feeding in the shallows.

There are previous records of this species on La Palma, including a couple of my own, but it is regarded as a vagrant or rare visitor.

"Rare Birds of the Canary Islands" (Eduardo García-del-Rey/Francisco Javier García Vargas, Lynx Edicions 2013) lists only 17 records for the whole of the Canaries, mostly of solitary birds, of which several made longish stopovers. 

Most sightings have been in September and October, but others include one from May 23 to July 17 2003 on El Hierro, one in March 2010 and another from July 6 to August 12 2008 on Tenerife, and two longish winter stopovers on Gran Canaria: one individual from Dec 23 2000 to March 16 2001, and two individuals from Dec 27 2003 to Feb 14 2004.

As always, it needs to be noted that the real figures may be considerably higher: many migrant bird species go unreported on the islands due to low numbers of serious birdwatchers and casual observers alike. The recent proliferation of independent recording sites doesn't help matters.

I found this individual in the irrigation pond shown below:

This is one of the few ponds in the area which has not fallen into disuse and subsequently dried out. Depending on varying water levels it may be suitable for birds accustomed to wading.

This Glossy Ibis (Pleagadis falcinellus) appears to be an adult from its blue lores. It is an extremely jittery individual, taking flight at the slightest sign of danger. It was present yesterday morning (20/07) and again today (21/07), when I managed to get the following images:

Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)

Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)