Birder of the Month Interview: Daniel Barber shares experience at Spoonbill Project in Chiclana

Today I drove to Chiclana to join the volunteers of the Limes Platalea Project, hoping to see some Spoonbills on their migration flight to Africa. We all met at the Torre del Puerco (Pig's Tower, named after an area where wild pigs used to live). One of the volunteers is Daniel, our birder of the Month. While we were staring at the initially overcast sky, we had the chance to have an interesting chat with him.

We started observing the sky next to the tower that overlooks the Barrosa beach and then moved to the roof terrace of the Cuartel del Mar restaurant, where the staff are used to receiving birdwatchers on a daily basis in summer.

Thanks for having us here today, Daniel! Where are you from?

I'm from Britain! I have lived in various countries, like Mexico and France. But for the last twenty years I have lived in Spain. In Britain I always lived around London.

Daniel trying to spot the incoming Spoonbills

How long have you been birdwatching?

Since I was a little boy, I have loved nature in general. I didn't have a pair of binoculars, but every year I used to go on holiday with my grandparents, who had a caravan, to a village called Blakeney, a famous place on the east coast of Norfolk. I remember seeing the Oystercatchers and other seabirds!

I was inspired by Gerald Durrell, a British naturalist, who was one of the first people to open a zoo for conservation purposes. And David Attenborough, of course. We had the Really Wild Show on the BBC, a very exciting TV program for kids. One of the presenters was Chris Packham, now one of Britain's leading conservationists. He might have been my number one inspiration.

In Britain it is quite common to find people who are interested in birds and have at least some basic knowledge, as so many people there have a garden.

One of the Crested Larks we spotted around our meeting point

What do you like about birdwatching?

For me it's a whole mixture of things. It's the science, it's the being out in nature, it's a way into understanding ecology. Whether you like fish or insects or birds, it doesn't matter, you're gonna be interested in everything because everything is connected. You can learn and read as much as you want, you will never know everything, you're only scratching the surface. And of course there is also the social side of it, it's always nice to meet new people with the same passion.

Do you know how many different species you have observed so far?

I don't really keep track of that, but I have a list which is probably not complete. On that list there are about 80 species, but I'm sure I have seen more, probably around one hundred.

One single Bee-eater graced the sky during our interview

What equipment do you have?

I have a pair of Nikon 10x42 binoculars and a cheap telescope which does a very good job, together with a light tripod and rucksack.

Highly remarkable weather vane

Do you have a professional connection with birdwatching?

No, but probably like a lot of people who are into birds or nature, if I could change it, I'd go back and become a biologist or a zoologist. When I was a teenager, I wanted to become a marine photographer.

But what happened?

That's a good question, my dad's asked me that too. I was good at science but I guess I was a bit bored. I just thought I was going to end up in some laboratory testing food or something dull like that (laughs).

The direction in which we were looking to see some incoming Spoonbills

Do you have a favourite location?

I was very influenced by a book I read about a guy who had depression and took up birdwatching as a therapy. He talked about his local patch. I know many birders go to different places to spot new species, but I liked the idea of knowing a single place very well and having that intimacy. My local patch is in Los Toruños in El Puerto de Santa Maria.

Do you remember anything remarkable that happened while you were birdwatching?

I helped with the English translation of a book about the Spoonbills, called Sinagote. The book was originally written in Dutch. One day I met the author, Theunis Piersma, a world expert on Spoonbills.

Do you have a favourite bird?

That must be the Red-rumped Swallow. First of all I think they're very beautiful birds. I see them at home here, in my garden. In Britain, I didn't see them, so they're exotic to me. They seem to be very happy birds, they spend a lot of time playing in the sky.

We saw many of Daniel's favourite species flying around

Which bird would you like to see?

I'd love to see the Bar-tailed Godwit. It has the world record for the longest distance migrating from Alaska to New-Zealand. Quite an incredible idea that this small bird can just flap non-stop and cover such a distance. Seabirds like Shearwaters and Gannets don't depend on the land, they get to know the world. They go on the most incredible voyages.

I'm sure with a bit of luck you will spot one here soon! Daniel, thanks for your time, it was nice meeting you!

Thank you too, we'll meet again soon!

Literally five minutes before we said goodbye, we spotted a group of twelve Spoonbills racing southwards, flying over the sea close to the coast.

Flock of twelve Spoonbills flying south

Spoonbills flying close together

A beautiful apotheosis of an interesting morning! To anyone wanting to learn more about the Spoonbill Project we recommend checking out the Limes Platalea Website.