Blue Rock Thrush - monticola solitarius
A sunny day for a change and we awoke to the beautiful song of the Blue Rock Thrush, one of a resident pair that serenades us every Spring. Our urbanisation is built along a ridge overlooking a valley that sweeps down towards the sea, and many of the houses remain unoccupied for months at a time, so they provide an attractive "Rock face" for this species to live and breed.
This morning I took a walk along the riverbed in nearby Torrox Costa, looking for Dartford Warblers which a friend David Jefferson had been photographing there recently. Unfortunately I did not see any today but will try again soon,. There were however quite a few Woodchat Shrikes around which somewhat made up for the lack of Dartfords. Throw in a Sardinian Warbler or two and it was not so bad after all.
This morning I took a walk along the riverbed in nearby Torrox Costa, looking for Dartford Warblers which a friend David Jefferson had been photographing there recently. Unfortunately I did not see any today but will try again soon,. There were however quite a few Woodchat Shrikes around which somewhat made up for the lack of Dartfords. Throw in a Sardinian Warbler or two and it was not so bad after all.
 Woodchat Shrike - lanius senator I have never walked this stretch before and was pleasantly surprised at how peaceful and rural it is. One could easily forget it nestles between the built-up areas of Torrox Pueblo, Park and Costa. This is a scene from the fields alongside the river, no sign of the urban conurbation here. |  Woodchat Shrike - lanius senator  Sardinian warbler - sylvia melanocephala |
Torrox Riverside Scene
