Wild About Spain Blog

The Story of O's

9/13/2017

After a long, hot August with family visitors we finally got back some birding. We joined Derek and Barbara Etherton at their local patch in Zapata and along the Rio Grande, followed by Teba Rock and Fuente de Piedra. Although the latter was very dry we had a surprisingly successful morning.

Honey Buzzard - pernus apivcornus

For example we spotted eight different raptors, Honey Buzzard, Montagu's Harrier, Short-toed and Booted Eagles, Peregrine, Common Buzzard, Kestrel and Griffon Vulture.

Peregrine Falcon - falco peregrinus

The most unusual of these was the Montagu's Harrier, well done to Barbara for spotting it, I thought Elena was a good spotter but Barbara really does have hawk-eyes.

Montagu's Harrier - circus pygargus

Kestrel - falco tinnunculus

The biggest surprise of the day for me were the nine Black Storks on the Rio Grande. I normally associate this bird with Central & South West of Spain. These nine birds apparently were here from Poland, one did have a ring and I expect they had been identified from that.

Black Storks - ciconia nigra

In total we picked up 66 species which I thought was quite outstanding given the time of year and how dry it had been recently.

Woodchat Shrike - lanius senator

Fuente de Piedra for example has very little water and is quite sad at the moment. We were very pleased though to pick up both Bonellis and Olivaceous Warblers in the shrubs near the Visitor Centre. Very nice sightings.

Olivaceous Warbler - iduna pallida

Waders were very few apart from the ubiquitous Flamingos. The scrape on the left of the entrance driveway is bone dry unfortunately, due to a dispute with a local olive farmer who claims it floods and damages his adjacent olive trees. It seems that farmers always get their own way, often to the detriment of the environment and wildlife. I would suggest the reserve advises him to plant something else which might benefit from free irrigation & continue to keep the scrape wet to attract more birds. That is after all what they are there for..

Greater Flamingo - phoenicopterus roseus

100 species "Birdathon"
After such a good morning and having seen 66 different species quite easily I expressed an interest in one of Derek's "Birdathons". That is to try to reach 100 species or more in a single day. So about a week later, Derek, Barbara, Bob Wright and I stood in a moonlit glade up in the Montes de Malaga listening to a noisy Tawny Owl calling from a tree right next to us. As dawn slowly crept up we heard and saw more, including Green Woodpecker, Jay, Blackcap, Hawfinch and Crossbill. However Derek made the observation that we were about ten birds short of what he had hoped for and had picked up on past attempts here.

After a very hearty breakfast we moved on to El Torcal where it was already busy with tourist buses. Again we dipped on a number of expected birds here such as Rock and Cirl Buntings but the unexpected Rock Thrush was a bonus. Well done Barbara again for spotting it.

Rock Thrush - monticola saxitilis

Other birds here included Blue Rock Thrush, Black Redstart, Griffon Vulture, Black Wheatear, Sardinian and two excellent sightings - Subalpine and Spectacled Warblers.

Subalpine Warbler - silvia cantillans

Our list was building slowly but it became increasingly obvious that we were not getting the numbers we had hoped for. For one thing it was too hot today. In such heat birds are less active, prefering to stay cool and conserve energy. If we were to have any chance of reaching our target we would need to extend our search area. So it was off to Fuente de Piedra to make up for the lack of bird numbers seen.

Greater Flamingos - phoenicopterus roseus

Flamingo and Lapwing were easy. Olivaceous Warbler took a bit longer but it was still flitting around in the same bush as last week. A few waders were present including Snipe, Green Sandpiper and Black-winged Stilt. Linnets and Serins were seen and finally we started seeing all the Hirundines that had eluded us until now, Barn and Red-Rumped Swallows & House Martin.

Serin - serinus serinus

Linnet - carduelis cannabina

From Fuente we drove across country to Teba Rock, picking up along the way a beautiful Common Redstart, probably the best looking bird of the day. I did not have my camera ready unfortunately, this was not a day for photography, it was all about seeing as many birds as we could in 24 hours. We also picked up Northern Wheatear and a couple more Lark species, Raven, Common Buzzard and a Kestrel finally put in appearances and things were looking up.

By the time we reached the Rio Grande however we were still a long way short of our target and it was now the hottest time of the day so all pretty quiet on the birding front and not a Black Stork to be seen. We did pick up a couple of Wagtails and Egrets before moving on to Zapata. Perhaps to make up for the lack of Black Storks a lone White Stork gave us a flypast, and a solitary Black Kite made an appearance. We also added Little Grebe and Turtle Dove, but we were still 28 species short of 100. Our only hope was to proceed on to the Guadalhorce and hope for the best.

As we entered the reserve the first birds we saw were some noisy Monk Parakeets. Another tick. A Cormorant in the riverside trees and both Common and Pallid Swifts and the deficit was coming down. We were all delighted to see a Pied Flycatcher, the first of the year for all of us. From the main hide we picked up some new birds, Kentish Plover, Greenshank, Black-headed and Mediterranean Gulls and best of all a magnificent Osprey eating its fish in a tree on the far side.

Mediterranean Gull - larus melanocephalus

We moved on to the Laguna Escondida and found White Headed Duck, Shoveler, Pochard and had excellent views of a Kingfisher.

Kingfisher - alcedo atthis

On the way to Laguna Casillas we spotted a Booted Eagle overhead. This left us needing another 14 birds and Derek identified an overhead Short-toed Lark, I found the first of several Whitethroats and with a Blue-headed Wagtail we were down to a target of 11. At the Wader Hide we picked out a Wood Sandpiper and a Sanderling and finally a small flock of Jackdaws, incredibly the first of the day. Just nine to go and on the "Old River" was a large gull roost within which the telescope revealed a pair of Caspian Terns, a couple of Slender-billed Gulls and at least one Audouins Gull. Only six required now and I called the others to check out a Warbler I had been following in the bushes on the other side of the track, we finally all had excellent views of a lovely Orphean Warbler. Bird of the day for me as it was a "Lifer". Pity I wasn't carrying a camera.

Audouins Gull - larus audouinii

More scoping on the Old River revealed a couple of Little Stints, and then a small flock of Curlew Sandpipers flew in. Just two to go and although we were all very tired at this point we trecked down to the seawatch in the hope of perhaps a Tern, Gannet or Turnstone. As it happened the first bird we saw was a Balearic Shearwater flying quite close in, shortly followed by many more. Then another shearwater appeared but much smaller. The others agreed it must be a Yelkuan Shearwater. I acceded to their superior knowledge gratefully as I had no idea and was delighted to have reached 100 at last. We then retreated to a bar in SanJulien to celebrate with a long, cool drink. As it happened our recorders had forgotten to write down Ringed Plover so our final total was 101 species.

I decided to name this blog The Story of "O"s because we made double O, and three of the best birds of the day were the Olivaceous and Orphean Warblers plus the magnificent Osprey. I have been told The Story of O has other connotations. I wouldn't know.

100+ Day Tally – 12 September 2017-09-14
Montes de Malaga, El Torcal, Fuente de Piedra, Teba Rock, Rio Grande North, Zapata and Guadalhorce

Bee-eater
Blackbird
Blackcap
Bluetit
Buzzard -Common
Chaffinch
Chiffchaff
Coot
Cormorant
Corn Bunting
Crossbill
Dove - Collared
Dove - Turtle
Duck - White-headed
Dunlin
Eagle -Booted
Egret - Cattle
Egret - Little
Flamingo - Greater
Flycatcher - Pied
Flycatcher - Spotted
Goldfinch
Grebe - Black-necked
Grebe - Great Crested
Grebe - Little
Greenfinch
Greenshank
Gull - Audouin's
Gull - Black-headed
Gull - Lesser Black-backed
Gull - Mediterranean
Gull - Slender-billed
Gull - Yellow-legged
Hawfinch
Heron - Grey
Hoopoe
Jackdaw
Jay
Kestrel - Common
Kingfisher
Kite - Black
Lapwing
Lark - Crested
Lark - Short-toed
Lark - Thekla
Linnet
Little Stint
Mallard
Martin - Crag
Martin - House
Moorhen
Osprey
Owl - Tawny
Parakeet - Monk
Pigeon - Wood
Plover - Kentish
Plover - Litte-ringed
Plover - Ringed
Pochard
Raven
Redstart - Black
Redstart - Common
Rockthrush - Blue
Rockthrush - Rufous Tailed
Sanderling
Sandpiper - Common
Sandpiper - Curlew
Sandpiper - Green
Sandpiper - Wood
Serin
Shearwater - Balearic
Shearwater - Yelkouan
Shoveler
Shrike - Woodchat
Snipe
Sparrow - House
Starling - Spotless
Stilt - Black-winged
Stonechat
Stork - White
Swallow - Barn
Swallow - Red-rumped
Swift - Common
Swift - Pallid
Tern - Caspian
Vulture - Griffon
Wagtail - Grey
Wagtail - White
Wagtail - Yellow
Warbler - Cetti's
Warbler - Olivaceous
Warbler - Orphean
Warbler - Sardinian
Warbler - Spectacled
Warbler - Subalpine
Warbler - Willow
Wheatear - Black
Wheatear - Northern
Whitethroat
Woodpecker - Green
Zitting Cisticola

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Perfect Light

7/17/2017

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It is not often that a bird photographer gets an opportunity to photograph a desired subject in absolutely perfect light and conditions, but I was lucky enough to have one of those rare occasions this week at the Charca de Suarez.

Kingfisher - alcedo atthis

There is a perch in front of the main hide which has featured in quite a few of my photographs over the years. On this occasion we had a Kingfisher looking out for fish, and a Turtle Dove enjoying the evening sun while preening its superb plumage.

Turtle Dove - streptopelia turtur

Here are a couple of shots of each bird, just two each of the many I took because there is little to choose between them.

Kingfisher - alcedo atthis

There was a group of Spanish photographers in the hide who were intent on photographing the Kingfisher. They did not seem interested in the Turtle Dove. Personally I prefer the more subtle colours and textures of the Dove, less ostentatious than the brilliant kingfisher, but just as beautiful, if not more.

Turtle Dove - streptopelia turtur

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The Isle of May 4. Summary

6/25/2017

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Our week on the Isle of May was like an oasis of calm in an otherwise frantic world. No traffic, pollution, television or stuff-to-do. Just a few like-minded friends, the natural environment and the birds. Very refreshing.

Shag - phalacrocorax aristotelis

Puffins and Terns may have been the stars of the avian show, but here are a few of the other breeding species. I like the Shag's green eyes. It is smaller and less reptilian in appearance than its larger cousin the Cormorant. It is red listed as vulnerable because over half the population is found at fewer than 10 sites, one of which is here. They do not stray too far from home usually, which is why it was a pleasure to see one at Cabo de Gata in Spain last year.

Eurasian Oystercatcher - haematopodidae ostralegus

Oystercatchers are very common birds in Scotland, inland as well as on the coast. They are quite photogenic in black, white and red.

Razorbill - alca torda

The Island hosts large numbers of Razorbills. They generally stick to the steepest cliff faces and are usually in company with another of the auk family, the Guillemot. One particularly large, steep cliff face on the Island is known as "Seabird City". One can pass a very pleasant hour or two watching the hundreds of nesting birds coming and going here.

Seabird City

Razorbill - alca torda

Common Guillemots - Uria aalge

Guillemot, Bridled Form

Eiders nest all round the island, choosing flat sites often some distance away from any water. One female was incubating eggs on the stone patio outside the door of our accommodation at "Low Light". They show no fear of us at all. Males do not appear to participate in the incubation of eggs or rearing of young. Very few males were evident on the Island, but there were many females with chicks.

Male Eider - somateria mollissima

Eiders are Britain's heaviest and fastest flying Ducks. They eat molluscs, mainly mussels which makes them unpopular with mussel farmers.

Female Eiders - somateria mollissima

Rock Pipits are the only really resident small birds on the Island. Many other small species make appearances, Pied Wagtails and a few Barn Swallows may nest here, but the Rock Pipit is quite numerous.

Rock Pipit - anthus petrosus

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The Isle of May 3. Kittiwakes and Gulls et al.

6/23/2017

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At least 285 bird species have been recorded on the Island, many of them rarities which mostly turn up during the migration periods of Spring and Autumn. There are several Heligoland Traps and and ringers use mist nets to capture, record and ring birds. In June though very few vagrants are expected. During our week a Grasshopper Warbler, a Chiffchaff and a Spotted Flycatcher were ringed but that was about it as I recall. I spotted a solitary Curlew, there were resident Barn Swallows, a few Sandwich Terns and Cormorants were nesting, otherwise the only birds were those in considerable numbers that I write about and post here.

Isle of May main Light

Kittiwakes nest on tiny ledges clinging to sheer cliff faces which looks extremely precarious. particularly for the chicks, but there always appears to be a parent bird present to protect them from falling.

Kittiwake - rissa tridactyla

They make a fine sight as they tumble aerobatically up and down the vertical cliff faces, using the updrafts to act as an elevator.

Kittiwake - rissa tridactyla

Unlike gull chicks, which wander about at a very young age, Kittiwake chicks instinctively remain still to avoid falling. It is apparently instinctive, but one look at the sheer drop below would make me sit still too, perhaps they are just too terrified to move.

Kittiwakes - rissa tridactyla

Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls are very numerous. They nest on the grassy hillsides amongst the Puffin burrows. Puffins are left alone except when they return from a fishing expedition, when they are at great risk of being robbed. Gulls will not follow a Puffin down a burrow, which is narrow and over a metre in length. In there they would be at a severe disadvantage, susceptible to being bitten by a big, brightly coloured bill.

Lesser Black-backed Gull - larus fuscus

Herring Gull - larus argentatus

Here's a pair of Lesser Black-backed Gulls engaged in a tug-of-war, no idea why but they seemed to enjoy it. Perhaps a trial of strength.

Lesser Black-backed Gull - larus fuscus, Tug-of-war

Lesser Black-backed Gulls - larus fuscus

Greater Black-backed Gulls are at the top of the food chain on the Island, the apex predator. Elena was quite upset by the sight of a G B B Gull brandishing a herring gull chick at the raucous mob of gulls around it, before swallowing the chick whole. It is the largest Gull in the World. The only predators that routinely take them are large Eagles and Killer Whales, none of which are present here. In spite of their physical superiority there are far fewer of them on the Island than the other gull species.

Greater Black-backed Gulls - larus marinus

The Fulmar Petrel is not related to the gulls even though it resembles them in appearance. It is in a group with other tubenoses, the Petrels and Shearwaters which are all allied to Albatrosses.

Northern Fulmar - fulmarus glacialis

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The Isle of May 2. - Arctic terns

6/23/2017

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The Island hosts large colonies of nesting Arctic Terns. This amazing bird made a great impression on me and it has become one of my firm favourites.

The Isle of May "South Horn"

The Arctic Tern was once known as the "Sea Swallow", describing its slender shape as it swoops over the water with extreme grace and speed. It is very beautiful. But there is much more to admire about this species. It is very feisty, showing no fear in defending its nesting grounds by attacking any perceived intruders, including us.

Attacking Arctic Tern - sterna paradisaea

We stuck to the footpaths which wind through their nesting areas but it's necessary to wear a hat or hold something over your head as they attack quite fearlessly, screaming as they swoop in to peck at your highest point.

Arctic Tern - sterna paradisaea

I discovered that my 500mm lens was quite useless when it came to photographing this bird. Instead I fitted my little extreme wide-angle Sigma 8 - 16 mm lens and held it up as the Terns came in fast and low, firing shots in multiple bursts. It was the only way to capture the action.

Occasionally I would capture on camera the bird's third weapon of attack. Apart from its sharp beak and intimidating screams, it likes to fire streams of excrement at the enemy, me in this case. A waterproof hat and jacket was the best protection.

It was not all feisty aggression however. We witnessed many instances of birds passing fish back and forth between mates, obvious signs of bonding and affection.

Perhaps the most impressive fact to consider about the Arctic Tern, is that this lovely little graceful, elegant bird travels about 90,000 km (56,000 mi) annually, by far the longest migration known in the animal kingdom. The young reared here will, once fledged, fly off to Antarctica for the the Southern Summer, and six months later will set off once again to return. They certainly clock up the air-miles!

Arctic Tern over the Island- sterna paradisaea

Arctic Tern - sterna paradisaea

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Birds of the Isle of May. 1 - Puffins

6/22/2017

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Our friend Mike Martin invited us to spend a week at the Bird Observatory on the Isle of May. The IoM is 5 miles off the coast of Scotland at the mouth of the Firth of Forth. It is owned and managed by Scottish National Heritage as a National Nature Reserve. Most visitors are day trippers but up to six people can stay for one week at a time in very nice accommodation in the "Low Light" (below).

"Low Light" our home on the Isle of May

The Island is a major nesting site for around 200,000 seabirds. mainly Puffin, Arctic Tern, Guillemot, Razorbill, Shag, Kittiwake, Fulmar and Eider, plus three Gull species and numerous resident Rock Pipits.

Atlantic Puffin - fratercula arctica

Instead of a daily account of our activities and sightings I have decided to deal with each major bird species in turn, providing a photographic snapshot of the avian life on the Island in June, the height of the breeding season.

Atlantic Puffin - fratercula arctica

The Atlantic Puffin is perhaps the biggest attraction for visitors. It Spends autumn and winter in the open ocean of the cold northern seas, returning to coastal areas at the start of the breeding season in late spring. It nests in clifftop colonies by digging a burrow in which a single white egg is laid. The chick mostly feeds on whole fish, here primarily sand eels. After about six weeks it is fully fledged and makes its way at night to the sea. It swims away from the shore and does not return to land for several years. Most of those from the IoM will end up in Norwegian waters. Interestingly I once spotted a solitary Puffin off the Spanish coast near Sotogrande, while on a sailing trip out of Gibraltar. They do disperse around coastal waters all over Europe..

Atlantic Puffin - fratercula arctica

There are no natural predators on the Island, raptors are driven away by the Gull population and the only animals present are rabbits. However Puffins returning to their burrows with fish are regularly mugged by marauding Gulls.

Puffin mugging

If a puffin is caught a violent struggle ensues which can last for some time until the weary victim reluctantly gives up its fish in order to escape. The triumphant Gull must grab the fish quickly or it will in turn be mugged by others of its kind.

Puffin mugging

I was impressed at how dertermined the Puffins were to hold on to their fish even under extreme duress. Occasionally they would break free and find safety in a burrow, but usually the much larger Gull would prevail, as in this case shown here.

Puffin mugging

Puffins numbers in some regions have declined quite drastically for various reasons so it is officially listed as threatened, vulnerable to extinction. It is a tribute to the excellent stewardship of the Isle of May that from only five pairs of Puffins breeding here in 1958, twenty years later there were 10,000 pairs and numbers are up again this year. Great news.

Good catches

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Savi's Warbler and Bearded Reedlings

5/28/2017

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I decided to write a separate post about the target birds of this trip. Savi's Warbler and Bearded Reedling would be Spanish firsts for me and lifers for Elena. Mick Richardson had photographed both species here a few days earlier which was the motivation for us to make the four hour drive to get here. It proved to be well worth it.

Savi's Warbler - locustella luscinioides

I was concerned that I wouldn't recognise a Savi's Warbler if we saw one. They are visually so hard to distinguish from a common Reed Warbler. In the event I needn't have worried. We spent at least half an hour watching this guy at close range continuously belting out its strange, rattling/buzzing song. Imagine the sound of a cricket or grasshopper but without pause. That's it. It continues for ages.

Savi's Warbler - locustella luscinioides

Once you hear the song it is relatively easy to find the singer. He likes to sit high up in an exposed position and appears to be so engrossed in making his song as loud as possible that nothing much disturbes him. Superb.

Savi's Warbler - locustella luscinioides

Bearded Reedling - panurus biarmicus

The Bearded Tit has always been a favourite of bird photographers. The adult male is a splendid sight with those black moustaches on each cheek. They are often portrayed straddling two reeds, one foot on each, but here I could not get a bead on them in the reedbed which was too dense. I was lucky enough to grab a few shots of them on some dead bush branches when the birds emerged from their cover.

Bearded Reedling - panurus biarmicus

Scientists have decided it is not actually related to the tit family so it is now known as the Bearded Reedling in a family of its own. I still think of it as the Bearded Tit however and will always know it as that.

Bearded Reedling - panurus biarmicus

It was certainly a pleasure to find them here, the only place I have seen them in Spain. I am pleased to say they seemed to be prolific, we saw mostly juveniles, a very good sign and an indication that the health of the Tablas de Daimiel has been restored from a catastrophic decline in the sixties and seventies. The nearby town of Daimiel has a Centre devoted to the water management of the region and of the National Park in particular. On our next visit I intend to visit it and discover how they managed to reconcile the insatiable thirst for irrigation with water conservancy and protection of this valuable environment. A lesson perhaps for other sensitive areas, notably the Donana.

We did not linger in Daimiel this time, it was a flying visit and we found parking in this small town to be very difficult. Accommodation near the park is non existent so we took the advice of the local restaurant owner and drove to the slightly nearer town of Villarubia de los Ojos. Here we stayed in a quite unique establishment called "La Vista de la Mancha". This is a series of wooden cabins built on very high ground above the town with magnificent views across the surrounding Plains of La Mancha. The cabins are very comfortable and amongst many other birds we had Golden Orioles singing right next to our bedroom in the morning. (Couldn't see them of course). I would advise people thinking of staying overnight to book here in advance, it is a very popular holiday destination for the Spanish. It might be noisy on a Saturday night as the disco will be going until late. There is a restaurant on site and I was a bit peckish so ordered a couple of chicken wings. In the event I was given a huge plate loaded with fourteen deep fried wings and thighs, enough to feed an army. Elena and I had observed that almost everybody around here was overweight, many morbidly obese. It must be the diet and if my deep fried mound was anything to go by it's not surprising.

A chicken snack!

Cabin at la Vista de la Mancha

Reed Warbler - acrocephalus cirpacius

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Tablas de Daimiel

5/28/2017

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Tablas de Daimiel sluice gates

Inspired by Mick Richardson's photos and report from Tablas de Damiel Elena and I drove there on Friday to see for ourselves. I had hesitated before, expecting it to be dried up and over exploited for irrigation, which is the dreary story for most natural water resources in Spain. We were very pleasantly surprised however. It had been virtually destroyed in the 60s & 70s but great efforts have been made since then to restore the water levels and now it is a little wetland paradise for birders.

Roller - coracias garrulus

From a bridge approaching the Visitors Centre we spotted a pair of Rollers nesting in a hole just below an active Storks nest in the same dead tree. Lots of Greylag Geese occupied a flooded area by the road, and a Great Spotted Cuckoo was being closely watched by an attendant Magpie.

Roller - coracias garrulus

Great Spotted Cuckoo - clamator grandarius

From the Visitors Center there are a number of marked trails, yellow, red and blue. They are freely accessible at any time, early morning being the best. The Yellow Trail is particularly productive as it follows a superb boardwalk through the shallow wetland giving superb views of reedbed and ponds with surrounding low trees and bushes. The clear waters are teeming with fish. Purple, Grey and Night Herons are easily seen, as are egrets and a variety of waterfowl, especially Red Crested Pochard and Great Crested Grebe.

Red Crested Pochard - netta rufina

A variety of Raptors can be seen overhead, these include Marsh and Montagu's harrier, Osprey, Common Buzzard and Kestrel. I also spotted a Bonellis Eagle along the road to the Reserve from Daimiel.

Purple Heron - ardea purpurea

Great Egret - casmerodius albus

Night Heron - nyctorax nyctorax

Great Crested Grebe - podiceps cristatus

Great Crested Grebes - podiceps cristatus

A Southern Smooth Snake slithered out of the water and across the wooden debris by the riverside.

Southern Smooth Snake

A young Barn Swallow flexing its wings while perched over the boardwalk along the Yellow Trail.

Young Barn Swallow

Reed Warblers and Great reed Warblers could be heard at all times in the reedbeds. Occasionally they would be visible through the tall grass stems allowing some photography.

Reed Warbler - acrocephalus circaceous

Tablas de Daimiel is a superb little National Park/Reserve and is well worth a visit by birders. get there early and if possible avoid weekends at it can get very busy with busloads of schoolchildren and tourists. In the quiet hours around sunrise it is idyllic.

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More Rock Thrush tales from the Sierra

5/21/2017

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Elena and I enjoyed our visit to the Sierra de Loja so much we decided to go back for another look. The landscape up here is rocky and some might say bleak but we like the wildness, the light and the birds. It is relatively untouched by humankind except for a few grazing sheep and the placement of a number of wind turbines on the highest reaches. The views can be spectacular and I particularly enjoy spending a day without seeing another soul, except for a solitary shepherd and a couple of extremely capable mountain bikers at the very top, I take my hat off to them.

One of the birds we enjoyed seeing so much is the "Common" Rock Thrush. Formerly known as Rufous-tailed it is now officially "Common". I guess it distinguishes it from others such as the Blue Rock Thrush, but it is by no means common. For a start it is only normally found at altitudes above 1500 m. and in warmer climates. So relatively few people ever get to see one.

Common Rock Thrush - monticola saxatilis

Common or not Rock Thrushes are a delight to watch. On our previous trip we strangely only saw males, not that I am complaining because they are by far the most striking to look at, but where were the females? perhaps they are incubating eggs or tending chicks in the nest, who knows? but it was reassuring to finally see a female or two. It was fascinating to watch the couple's behaviour. The male would take up a watchfull higher vantage point as the female foraged on the ground nearby, mainly for nesting material that we observed. Occasionally the pair would be harassed by other males who would chase the female and squabble with the attendant male. This led me to believe there may be a shortage of female birds, sad for all those young and frisky males without partners. Here's a shot of a female gathering nest material.

Common Rock Thrush - monticola saxatilis

Rock Thrush males likes to make vertical flights. They shoot straight up in the air, usually singing loudly, then drop straight down again. It is amusing to watch them appear over a ridge in this manner as if shot up from a gun. I imagine it is some kind of display for the benefit of admiring females.

Common Rock Thrush pair - monticola saxatilis

Common Rock Thrush - monticola saxatilis

Common Rock Thrush female - monticola saxatilis

It was a very pleasant place to spend a few hours in the sun. Five Griffon Vultures were wheeling in a thermal over the ridge, Red-billed Choughs, Linnets, Black redstarts, Rock Buntings, Rock Sparrows, Black and Black-eared Wheatears were moving all around us. Red-legged partridges roamed the rocky terrain and liked to perch on conspicuously high rocks, Groups of Ibex roamed the slopes and I spotted a bright green Ocellated Lizard scurry across the track in front of the car.

Black-eared Wheatear - oenanthe hispanica

Young Mountain Goats (Ibex)

We did see a few Blue Rock Thrushes up here too. I did not manage to get any decent shots unfortunately but here's a couple of archived shots for illustrative purposes.

Blue Rock Thrush - monticola solitarius

Blue Rock Thrush female - monticola solitarius

On the way down from the Sierra I snapped a couple of quick photos of a Stonechat. Now I am not in the habit of photographing such a common bird but something about this one caught my eye. For a start it was perched quite high up in a tree in woodland, not on a low shrub or rock in open ground as usual. Second it did not look quite right, the orange on the breast was more of a central patch than an overall colour, and third the hint of pale feathers behind the eye. This bird did not have quite the same "Jizz" as a normal Stonechat. Looking in Collins Field Guide I see there is an Eastern species, saxicola torquatus maurus that fits this description, and it states that "Stragglers to W. Europe show hints of pale buff eyebrows". Could this be one of those "Eastern Stonechat Straggers"? I like to think so.

Eastern Stonechat? - saxicola torquatus maurus

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Sierra Loja & Guadalhorce May 15t & 17th, 2017

5/18/2017

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A couple of visits to Sierra Loja in Granada Province, and a walk around the Guadalhorce in Malaga produced a few nice birding moments and photographs. Perhaps the highlight was watching Rufous-tailed Rock Thrushes up in the highest part of Sierra Loja.

Rock Thrush - monticola saxatilis

The Rock Thrush is a summer visitor from Sub-Sahara, it inhabits and breeds here on steep rocky mountain slopes and alpine meadows above 1500 meters. Sierra Loja is one such location.

Rock Thrush - monticola saxatilis

The male in Spring is a very handsome bird with a blue/grey head clearly demarcated from the orange breast and belly. Females are supposedly more anonymous in vermiculated and striped browns, but interestingly we observed perhaps four or five pairs, all of which looked like males, strange.

Rock Thrush - monticola saxatilis

I was interested to see a nice male Montagu's Harrier up here, probably the same bird spotted by Kevin Wade and Ricky Owen a few days earlier. This is essentially a lowland species but I suspect the attraction up here is the number of ground nests and in particular Partridges, which are very numerous.

Montagu's Harrier with prey - circus pygargus

This bird seems to have been successful in finding a Red-legged Partridge Chick, easy pickings perhaps for a bird with such amazing eyesight and flying agility.

Montagu's Harrier with prey - circus pygargus

There are a number of other species to be seen in this habitat. Not least the Rock Bunting which is very common. I like this shot of one singing its heart out on a lichen encrusted rock.

Rock Bunting - emberiza cia

We picked up all three species of Wheatear, Black, Northern and Black-eared Wheater. Griffon Vultures were wheeling around overhead, Choughs Jackdaws, Blue Rock Thrush, Rock Sparrow, Black Redstart, Stonechat and Linnet were fairly common in the higher Sierra and I grabbed a quick snap of a passing Peregrine Falcon right at the top.

Lower down we had Whitethroat and Spectacled Warbler , Mistle Thrush and Azure Winged Magpies. Finally the resident Eagle owl was sitting in the rock cavity where they have nested for many years. Very high up and hard to photograph, but I did my best.

Eagle Owl - bubo bubo

The bird below I initially thought was a Spectacled Warbler. Bob Wright who was with us at the time thought Whitethroat. I am still undecided. Bob has more experience than me, so this, plus the relatively low forehead and rather strong legs has persuaded me it's a Whitethroat, but I am not 100% on it.

Whitethroat (or Spectacled Warbler?)

A shopping trip to IKEA gave us the opportunity for a walk around the Guadalhorce Reserve near Malaga Airport. This does not have the variety or number of birds of a few years ago but the exercise was welcome and we did see some nice Kentish Plovers which appeared to be nesting on the beach. This would be unfortunate because here they will be subject to a lot of human and canine disturbance on warm sunny days. How can you tell a bird to stick to their protected area?

Kentish Plover - charadrius alexandrinus

The Sanderling below had me confused. They are normally very active, scurrying around dodging the surf along the waterline in small flocks. This bird was solitary and very passive, it hardly moved. Perhaps it was not well but anyway I really like the beautiful marbled wing and back Spring plumage . I posted it on Facebook as a Little Stint but John Cantelo kindly corrected my error.

Sanderling - calidris alba

Black Winged Stilt & chick - himantopus himantopus

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Retired seafarer living in Frigiliana, a white village in Malaga Province in southern Spain. Married to Elena. Keen bird and wildlife watchers.

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100+ Day Tally – 12 September 2017-09-14 Montes de Malaga, El Torcal, Fuente de Piedra, Teba Rock, Rio Grande North, Zapata and Guadalhorce

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More interesting sitesBirding Axarquia - Bob WrightLoja Wildlife - Mick RichardsonNever Mind The Finnsticks - Stephen DalyBirding the Costa - Andy Paterson

100+ Day Tally – 12 September 2017-09-14
Montes de Malaga, El Torcal, Fuente de Piedra, Teba Rock, Rio Grande North, Zapata and Guadalhorce

More interesting sites
Birding Axarquia - Bob Wright
Loja Wildlife - Mick Richardson
Never Mind The Finnsticks - Stephen Daly
Birding the Costa - Andy Paterson