eddy the eagle
Well-known member
John,just a thought if you arriving at Malaga there are normally some white headed duck at the Guadalhorce reserve near the aiport,but beware of car thieves.....Eddy
Apparently there's a Citrine Wagtail on La Janda (per Facebook) today and sightings of a 'strange Short-toed Eagle' - could it be the Beaudouin's Snake Eagle (Circaetus beaudouini) reported from Portugal last week?
Hi John,
Not heard from you for some time hope your keeping well.
Regarding the possible Beaudouin's Snake Eagle, I remain sceptical although it is not entirely impossible, given other species south of the Sahara have appeared, e.g. Bateleur Eagle. We see so many aberrant STE's in May / June that would be hard to distinguish adults from one species or the other. However, Juveniles seem to be quite different but not a lot can be deduced from the single out-of-focus image here http://on.fb.me/17eTpXh and the possibility of Cirtensis Long-legged Buzzard has been suggested which is also possible and certainly cannot be discounted. Seeing the bird in the field makes a big difference with regards to flight action, as Circaetus sp. have a very different flight to Buteo sp.
With regards the Citrine Wag, any idea where in the La Janda its supposed to be lingering I may go 2morrow and have a look.
Regards.
Hi there just got onto this,the citrine wagtail was seen in the uncut rice paddy just past the bridge on the left side,past the paddies with the water.As far as I know the possible Beaudouins was seen along the Jara valley near to Kilometre 9 but that was yesterday 23rd and I have no other info re today although the birder was Ed Hunter,the same who found the citrine,the rosefinch and the yellow browed warbler so if he thought it was a strange short toed there might be something in it.I don't know if he managed a photo and of course the bird could have crossed the Straits.For what it's worth.....Eddy
Hi, good to hear from you too - pity we've yet to meet up in the field - should be out in the spring so do come up to see 'our' LKs from the terrace. As I understand it the Beaudouin's was seen by experienced birders unlikely to confuse a STE type bird with a buteo ... but who knows? Sorry to say that @'ve no more info on the Citrine than 'La Janda',
Hi Andy,I've looked at the various photos and I am not convinced it is not an errant STE but again I'm not an expert so what I am trying to say is that if there is photo evidence of the bird seen in Santuario it would be nice to compare with the bird seen in Portugal.I am not in direct contact with Ed so I will try and find out if there is a photo or not and post back the answer.I forgot to say re the citrine that there is a stick and can marker at the spot where it was last seen.I cannot get out at the moment so the best of luck,cheers ....Eddy
I was at the observatory El Cabrito from 1300 to 1600 this afternoon and saw a total of approx,800 griffon vultures.The weather was sunny with a light northwestern wind and the birds were circling above and then attempting to cross the Straits.They appeared to be going in a direct line but then they would circle again and return in land.After about an hour and a half they climbed again and then made their way out to sea until they could no longer be seen due to the hazy conditions on the other side.
Seen also 2 black storks,4 short toed eagles,three booted eagles,a sparrowhawk and a red kite.Regards to all ....Eddy
A handy tip Eddy. I might give it a call next time I'm that way. I like a good steakNo John,El Nene,is the name of a bullfighter, the restaurant has a bullfighter theme and includes toro brava steaks and Jabili meat on the menu....Eddy
Hi there just got onto this,the citrine wagtail was seen in the uncut rice paddy just past the bridge on the left side,past the paddies with the water.As far as I know the possible Beaudouins was seen along the Jara valley near to Kilometre 9 but that was yesterday 23rd and I have no other info re today although the birder was Ed Hunter,the same who found the citrine,the rosefinch and the yellow browed warbler so if he thought it was a strange short toed there might be something in it.I don't know if he managed a photo and of course the bird could have crossed the Straits.For what it's worth.....Eddy
I am trying to contact Mr.Hunter and if he is reading this could he please PM me.....Eddy
I am trying to contact Mr.Hunter and if he is reading this could he please PM me.....Eddy
Me too - I've lost my last few hundred emails and no longer have contact.
Note to Martin - from the little that he mentioned to me his bird didn't sound like ours. I suggested he should contact Rui as he requested photos of the bird in Portugal.