Sunday looked like Spring at last, bright and sunny with no rain in the forecast, so Elena and I set off for Fuente de Piedra, a Natural Reserve set around a large inland lagoon, famous for Flamingos and wintering Common Cranes. Sometimes the flamingos are so numerous they look from a distance like pink froth on the lagoon, but not today. The water is too deep so just a few flamingos were clustered in the shallows around the edge. I could however make out a good variety of waders and wildfowl and bird of the day must go to the solitary Garganey, which was unfortunately just out of good camera range, but lovely to see nonetheless. I won´t list everything but other species of note included Red-crested Pochard, Wood Sandpiper, Ruff and Curlew Sandpiper, with some of the latter males already in full brick-red Summer plumage.
As we walked across the boardwalk we were enveloped in clouds of mosquitoes, unpleasant but strangely docile, showing no interest in our blood today. I sometimes wonder what the Almighty was thinking of when he created mosquitos? they rank along with, say leeches and ringworm, utterly without virtue, except perhaps that they are food for swallows, and after all we would certainly miss the their grace and beauty. The Barn Swallows today were not much concerned by my presence as I photographed them by on the reeds with the sun catching their irridescent blues nicely.
As we walked across the boardwalk we were enveloped in clouds of mosquitoes, unpleasant but strangely docile, showing no interest in our blood today. I sometimes wonder what the Almighty was thinking of when he created mosquitos? they rank along with, say leeches and ringworm, utterly without virtue, except perhaps that they are food for swallows, and after all we would certainly miss the their grace and beauty. The Barn Swallows today were not much concerned by my presence as I photographed them by on the reeds with the sun catching their irridescent blues nicely.
Wood sandpiper - tringa gareola
Garganey - anas querquedula
Gull-billed Tern - gelochelidon nilotica
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Ruff - philomachus pugnax
Curlew Sandpiper - calidris ferruginea
Take Off
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Subalpine Warbler - sylvia cantillans
From Fuente we took a detour on the way home to look at El Torcal. It was up here that I finally caught up with my latest target bird, a Subalpine Warbler, moving around in a dense thicket. I had to set the exposure manually to capture the little bird inside a dark bush, but it worked.
Other small birds quite numerous up here were Rock Buntings and Black Redstarts, this one with legs almost completely covered in "Bling". Do bird ringers ever consider the effects of shackling small creatures like this, who knows how it might affect their breeding chances, hamper them or harbor parasites, ah well, it´s all in the name of science of course!
Other small birds quite numerous up here were Rock Buntings and Black Redstarts, this one with legs almost completely covered in "Bling". Do bird ringers ever consider the effects of shackling small creatures like this, who knows how it might affect their breeding chances, hamper them or harbor parasites, ah well, it´s all in the name of science of course!
Rock Bunting - emberiza cia
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Black Redstart - phoenicurus ochruros
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