Galapagos Dove

The Galapagos Dove (Zenaida galapagoensis) is one of the many endemisms on the islands. The majority of its populations belong to the nominal race, but the ones from Darwin and Wolf islands are considered to be a separate subspecies (Z. g. exsul), with a notable larger size.

It occupies drier lowlands, being found singly or in small groups. Its diet varies with the availability of different resources throughout the seasons, ranging from caterpillars to flowers and seeds. It is a non threatened (LC) and fairly common species.

Today we upload three videos, showing adult and immature plumages, as well as a clip sowing a small group foraging.

Swallow-tailed Gull

Today we add four clips of the Swallow-tailed Gull from Genovesa Island, showing two adults, a juvenile and one more video showing two adults next to a dead Yellow-crowned Night-Heron.

Great Frigatebird from Genovesa

Today we continue with Videoaves trip to the Galapagos Islands, with several videos of the Great Frigatebird  (Fregata minor), showing a close-up of an adult male, an adult female with its nestling and an open view of a nest site with a beautiful female preening on it.

As you could notice from our previous post, we have returned from Norway, with many good shots of alcids and other characteristic northern species, which we will be uploading during the following days and weeks, together with the rest of the Galapagos material and the videos filmed during our trip to The Gambia in last december.

Birds of Norway in video

Short-eared Owl and more from Genovesa

Continuing with our visit to Genovesa island, today we add several videos showing some species already available in the guide, as this Great Blue Heron and this Brown Pelican resting in the beach, showing this coastal habitat, or the Blue-footed Booby plunging to fish. From the interior of the island, we upload this Galapagos Mockingbird foraging and the most interesting of today’s ones, the Short-eared Owl hunting Wedge-rumped Storm-Petrels at their breeding colony.

Genovesa island: Nazca Booby

We continue with our Galapagos Islands trip and we arrive to Genovesa, one of the most interesting islands for birding. After a long and rough night on board, we spent a day in this small island, where we could film several species, as the Nazca Booby we add today, with 10 videos showing adults, different aged nestlings and a juvenile.

Depending on the taxonomical source, this species is considered apart or as race granti belonging to the Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra). We follow Clements taxonomy, which separates it in an endemic species breeding in the Galapagos and off Mexico.

Black-eared Wheatear

Today we present the Black-eared Wheatear, one of the three Iberian ones. This migratory passerine, belonging to Turdidae or Muscicapidae depending on the taxonomical source, has two recognized subspecies. The nominal hispanica breeds in Spain and spends the wintering months mostly in Mauritania and Mali. It occupies stony slopes and foothills up to 1200 m, preferably with low vegetation and large proportion of bare ground, feeding on invertebrates, seeds and berries.

del Hoyo, J., Elliot, A. and Christie, D.A. eds (2005). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 10. Cockoo-shrikes to Thrushes. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.

Eurasian Nuthatch building the nest

Spring has started at the Alto Tajo Natural Park, Guadalajara, Spain. Yesterday we could film this female Eurasian Nuthatch building its nest by plastering an old Great Spotted Woodpecker’s hole.

Nuthatches are cavity-nesters, using holes in trees in most of the cases. A minority of them are self-excavated, being most of the nests placed in a pre-existing natural cavity or in another species’ old nest, frequently a woodpecker’s one. As they need a smaller entrance size to minimize predation risk, most of the species do a plastering with mud, reducing the hole to their optimal diameter.

As the rest of the family members, the Eurasian Nuthatch is monogamous and territorial, laying the eggs from april to may. Females choose the final breeding hole and do the plastering, which can last from 2 to 4 weeks, rarely assisted by the male. The clutch usually consists of 5-9 eggs, incubated by female during 13-18 days. Chicks are fed by both parents and nesting period lasts from 20 to 26 days, being independent after around 10 days. Juveniles carry out short dispersive movements, establishing their territory not far from where they were hatched.

del Hoyo, J., Elliot, A. & Christie, D.A. eds (2008). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 13. Penduline-tits to Shrikes. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.

Galapagos Mockingbird and others

Today we upload several new videos, including 3 new species for Videoaves. The first one is a Galapagos endemism, one of the mimidae occurring in the islands, the Galapagos Mockingbird, with this two videos showing the general features of the bird and an individual singing. We also add to our species list the Swallow-tailed Gull, showing both adult and an immature plumages, and the Wandering Tattler, with its non-breeding plumage. Finally, we add one more video of the endemic Galapagos Flycatcher, which was already available in the guide.

With these videos we leave North Seymour island and depart to Genovesa, our next destination aboard the Archipell II.

Great and Magnificent Frigatebirds

Today we continue our visit to North Seymour island and we reach the Great and Magnificent Frigatebirds breeding colonies. We have just uploaded 10 videos showing the different plumages of these very similar species: males, females and juveniles. Also, videos showing the amazing display of these birds, when the males inflate their gular pouches.

North Seymour is a tiny island in the north of Santa Cruz, very good for birds because of the breeding colonies of the Bobbies and Frigatebirds, although it was very windy during our visit we manage to take some good shots.