Overview

• SEO/BirdLife marked the Oct. 11 observance by underscoring Spain’s position between Europe and Africa, where the country serves as destination, stopover and winter refuge for millions of migrants.
• The group flagged five seasonal arrivals—common crane, European robin, starling, red kite and common pochard—while noting threats that include H5N1 mortality events, climate-driven shifts, habitat loss, electrocutions and poisoning.
• A recent field outing at the Umia‑O Grove intertidal complex organized with SEO Pontevedra recorded 61 bird species and two otters, with notable sightings such as an osprey hunting and a wide range of waterfowl and waders.
• SEO/BirdLife called for emissions cuts in line with the Paris goals, restoration of key ecosystems and greener urban design, and urged tighter protections for vulnerable waterfowl including listing the common pochard to halt hunting.
• Regional coverage in Argentina spotlighted emblematic Bahía Blanca species such as the vulnerable crab‑eating gull, loica pampeana and Chilean flamingo, alongside Aves Argentinas’ push to grow birdwatching tourism with an estimated 78 million global birders and about 30,000 annual visitors to the country.