I must admit that among all the birds are small passerine birds which attract me most. And it is also true that within this broad group emberícidos and finches are the most of my weaknesses. Perhaps all this is because my forays children with binoculars in hand, or a wrong shortcut along which my younger days the hand of a relative (happily grinding), but in any case, it is. They are my darling.
why I was glad to-back in 1998 - when Congress das Aves de Galicia held that year in a paper read Nigrán Xabier Vázquez Puma partner in coming to be revealed playing for the first time in our land , two species of finches: the bunting serrano (Carduelis citrinella ) and Siskin (Carduelis spinus ). The records, obtained both in the Serra do Xistral, were the first for both species in Galicia. In the same conference is presented, at the time, another paper highlighting confirmed breeding Carduelis spinus in different parts of the Sierra da Capelada.
Macho O Carduelis citrinella Xistral.
Over the years, new cases were certifying breeding of both species, all in the mountains of northern Iraq. Curiously
reviewing the literature gives a somewhat paradoxical fact, which is that no data were available for observations of birds building nests, even in nests of chicks, but sightings almost exclusively males, couples or family groups best areas and dates for playback. In this regard it should be noted that if memory serves me, the only cases of location of nests were those presented in A Capelada for Siskin (Carduelis spinus ) in 1998.
all this comes to holy days that last 03/06/2010, the partner Ricardo Hevia and a server located a couple of greenfinches serrano (Carduelis citrinella ) with apparent territorial behavior in the Serra do Xistral Lugo. For lack of light and other vicissitudes we left the area without checking more than interesting presence of this species in an apparently optimal for breeding.
days later (06/17/2010) José Luis Salaverri and I returned to the area after a few hours of patience and make sure the birds were trying to reproduce a few hundred yards beyond where we had first seen. In fact we saw a couple (apparently the same) contributed material to the nest, almost finished now. While the female small blades of grass intertwined it was difficult to enjoy the bold claims of the male, usually perched on a nearby conifer canopy ...
Carduelis citrinella.
Between trips of birds, and using the telescope from a very safe distance, we could (not without effort) to find the small platform reproductive. Distance and its mimicry between rich needles made it almost imperceptible. A picture is worth a thousand words ...
Bottom view (and distant) of a nest of Carduelis citrinella between needles
13/07/2010 Yesterday, I was able to verify that that couple ran the nest. After an hour guard, and various observations of the male singing in the tree crown next, I could see the female left the nest for a few minutes to eat. Everything seems to indicate that they are carrying out the incubation or that a few hours the chicks were born.
During my wait I was fortunate to see a new pair feeding on trees and a male singer Siskin (Carduelis spinus ), apparently marking territory.
Photo nearest male mountain bunting.
All images were obtained earlier in the day yesterday by digiscoping and, as you can see, the lighting was terrible (except the photo of the nest, I took a lost sunshine to come out something.) The fog closed and power orballo exceedingly difficult photographic record of birds. In fact, the photos could only take them out of the male when the animal was pleased to get a little to my car because it was customary to follow it with the telescope at about 70-80 meters in the fog. And as the Lugano approach would not, because no photo ...
In any case, I believe that the presence of these birds is great news for Ornithology Galicia.
