Yellow-bellied Slider - trachemys scripta A lovely sunny Sunday so Elena and I set off for a spot of birding. First stop the Rio Velez and as usual it threw up a very pleasant surprise. First however I shot this American Yellow-bellied Slider & his pal, taking the sun and gazing up at the sky, plane spotting no doubt.
Most of the usual birds were there today including Ringed, Little Ringed and Kentish Plover, Black-winged Stilt, Little & Cattle Egrets, Grey Heron, Sanderling, Water Pipit, Cettis, Zits, Robin, Monks blah blah, yes you know them all. But! what was this beauty I stumbled upon as I crept round the reedbed? Wow, a stunning Garganey. This has to be the most beautiful Duck. Not gaudy but perfect symmetry with wonderfully textured and patterned plumage. Superb.
Most of the usual birds were there today including Ringed, Little Ringed and Kentish Plover, Black-winged Stilt, Little & Cattle Egrets, Grey Heron, Sanderling, Water Pipit, Cettis, Zits, Robin, Monks blah blah, yes you know them all. But! what was this beauty I stumbled upon as I crept round the reedbed? Wow, a stunning Garganey. This has to be the most beautiful Duck. Not gaudy but perfect symmetry with wonderfully textured and patterned plumage. Superb.
Garganey - anas querquedula
Sanderling - calidris alba After that everything else seemed rather mundane although the wheeling and circling display by a large flock of Sanderling was quite spectacular. Also the sheer number of Yellow Wagtails scurrying around the mudbanks made a pretty picture.
Yellow Wagtail - motacilla flava From Velez we drove up to Zafarraya for a look up the old railway track. Not much to report from here except the Red-billed Choughs gambolling around the cliffs, and a pair of Crag Martins flying through the tunnel & resting in a crack in the rock face. As usual we were observed by a small group of young Ibex who seemed quite frisky today, no doubt enjoying the spell of good weather.
 Crag Martins - ptyonoprogne rupestris  Ibex After a good lunch at the bar in Ventas de Zafarraya we took the circular route to Alcaucin via the picnic sites along the mountain track. The highlight of this section was the single Stone Curlew that Elena spotted close to the road as I drove by. Unfortunately by the time I stopped & backed up it has gone, but I did manage a shot of a Mistle Thrush in a nearby tree. This was to be the end of todays birding as the picnic site above Alcaucin was heaving with homo-sapiens, a species of no interest to us. |  Chough - pyrrocorax pyrrhocorax  Mistle Thrush - turdus viscivorus I can´t resist another look at the bird of the day though, the delightful Garganey, a spectacular and uncommon duck. |
Garganey - anas querquedula
