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.
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
