Spain january 2009 (1 Viewer)

Just got back from a week in Andalusia. Had to go for a meeting, but extended the trip to take in some of my favourite haunts in the south.
Wednesday 7th flew in to Malaga late morning, and soon found myself down at the mouth of the Rio Guadalhorce. (via the obligatory coffee stop in San Julian) As often happens in winter, the access along the beach onto the reserve is cut by the river flowing out into the sea in a deep channel. Did see a Sandwich Tern and a Turnstone down here, along with Little Grebe on the river. Plenty of Yellow-legged Gulls out on the sea. Several Crested Larks behind the beach. So I drove up to the north of the reserve, where the footbridge crosses the river, about 200 metres south of the Motorway. A huge flock of Serins were feeding on the weeds on the embankment. Also saw the first of many Black Redstarts. In the river were about 20 Pochardand a similar number of Coot. I walked down to the new hide overlooking the ponds at the west side of the reserve, and saw about 20 White-headed Ducks, a few Little Egrets, several Grey Herons, a Greenshank. 2 Black-necked Grebes diving around the islands. Loads of Cormorants, some Mallard and Shoveler. A distant bird of prey resolved into an unexpected Dark-phase Booted Eagle! I was also surprised (and delighted) when a Hoopoe flew over the water towards me. A female Marsh Harrier quartered the reeds. Chiffchaffs chased insects by the paths, as I walked up to the northern hide, meeting 3 other birders looking at about 8 Crag Martins. Unforunately no sign of the Purple Swamphen that has been seen recently. Compensation is in the form of an Osprey flying in from the north with a large fish. It has also been around for several weeks, apparently. As I have lots of miles to cover I head over to the east river , and look into the ponds on that side. Little Egrets hunt the shallow pools. Near the beach a Blue Rock Thrush(!) A small (20) flock of Sanderling wing in to a nearby sand bar, and another Black-necked Grebe out on the sea. A pale phase Booted Eagle now drifts over.
Now I head out onto the motorway north to the plains of Antequera, and on westwards, to the Laguna de Fuente de Piedra. There has been lots of rain in Spain this winter, and many of the fields around the entry near the visitor centre are flooded and seem to be providing great habitat for both Shoveler and Coot. Another pond has Common Sandpiper and Water Pipit. The visitor centre is closed but I walk around it to look out over the Laguneta where mostly Gulls (Yellow-legged and Black-headed) but also a Lapwing, 4 Black-tailed Godwits, 8 Snipe and another Black-necked Grebe. Out on the main lake there are countless Gulls. a few each of Avocet and Black-winged Stilt along with single Little Stint and Grey Plover. Very distantly a few hundred Greater Flamingos. The first of several Southern Grey Shrikes today hunts around the vistor centre. A few years ago I saw a couple of hundred Stone Curlew in a ploughed field here, but this year, sadly, none. Driving around the laguna in an anti-clockwise direction, I stopped briefly at the first layby but it's still not close enough to get a good look at the distant Gulls. Onwards and aftera few kilometres, I find a small group of 10 Cranes near the road. Some fly off, and join the main flock over the road - approx 375! Further on another 140. Then I find a new watchpoint has been developed which allows stunning views over both the laguna and the surrounding countryside. The Flamingos are mostly just roosting in a couple of large groups, but some close by are moving and a few are seen in flight. A small flock of Golden Plover also fly by. I decide this is enough time spent here, so head off south onto the road to the Teba Gorge. Unfortunately (well not actually!) the small Laguna Dulce just east of Campillos is still dry, but I stop to count another Crane flock, bringing the day total up to 650. A flock of large(ish) birds fly in, exhibiting much white in the wings. LITTLE BUSTARDS! about 150 of them, they fly out to the centre of the dry laguna, and land in the dry vegetation and promptly disappear! There are lots of Lapwing in the surrounding fields, and a Hare and a Fox are out in the lake bed too. On to Teba, where Choughs, Rock Doves and Grey Wagtails are present. I complet e the drive to Jimena de la Frontera via Ronda in time to visit the nearby farms at Sambana and see a White Stork and a Little Owl before darkness falls. 65 species seen.
More to follow....

Jon

.... and more to look forward to then, Jon! I very pleased to hear that it's been a wet winter at last!

Winter birding

Jon

Enjoying the read so keep it coming - winter is my favourite time. How many days were you there birding?

John - the rain last autumn swelled the Rio Hozgarganta, which flows around Jimena by over 3 metres in places, it must have been an impressive sight. Not sure where all the Terrapins go when this sort of calamity happens. I suppose they just hide under rocks.
Steve - I managed a week. So good I'm going back on 1st of February for 2 more!
Thursday 8th January
Up after dawn, and after watching both Blackcap and Sardinian Warbler in my tiny garden, I head off out to Sambana - a few Corn Buntings, but not in flocks. Not much else, and disappointingly no sign of Black-shouldered Kite, which has been regular here on my last few visits. A biggish flock of European Starlings. So, head out along the back track to San Pablo where there are lots more Corn Buntings and Cattle Egrets. Then off up by way of Gaucin and Cortes de la Frontera to Montejaque. In the valley above the village, a pair of Cirl Buntings dart off into the scrub.The cliff up on the right is too far away to see much from the car so I walk right up to it! Still cold. High up several Black Redstarts, Chiffchaffs, Song Thrushes, Stonechats, and Blue Rock Thrushes. Higher still a couple of Black Wheatears. But no sign of the star bird... As the sun comes out, about 35 Griffons appear above the cliffs, and vapour about. Then a very aggressive Bonelli’s Eagle grapples with one and they become more circumspect. After a couple of hours scouring the cliff face for any movement, I head down and drive up the valley, almost running over Rock Buntings all the way! Many stops to look at all the high cliffs. More Black Wheatears, Black Redstarts, Linnets, Spotless Starlings, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs. It’s not until I pass the farm in the valley that Rock Sparrows appear - in quite good numbers. I drive a short way into the woods, and listen. No song but Chiffchaffs and Black Redstarts, both present, then, bizarrely I see another Hoopoe! I'm surprised to find one at high altitude such as this (it was near freezing this morning) A Mistle Thrush heads up into the tree cover. I decide to head back counting Rock Buntings (16) Plenty of Meadow Pipits, and a few Thekla Larks. 3 or 4 Ravens over the crags. I'm disappointed to have missed the Wallcreeper, but it doesn't seem to have been seen recently. I really must contact Black Wheatear for better directions. Species list up to 79.

Jon

winter birding

Jon Hi

Well it sounds like you enjoy birding in winter as much as I do. We seem to have an influx on Snowfinch at the moment and I'm reveling in several visits up to the Pyrenees already so far this year.

We had a few Alpine Accentor amongst them on Sunday, along with a crazy Wallcreeper on a snowy rockface, dive bombing, 'flycatching', the lot.

Then whilst I was snapping away on the digiscope, I got this chap (see photo). A Snow Bunting, average sighting in Catalonia, less than one per year apparently. Back up with another tour on Saturday to see if it's hung around for me!

Looking forward to the next day - of yours that is.

All the best

I am afraid better directions would not have helped Jon. I've paid a few visits there and the Wallcreeper remained undedected. Still, there are so many likely cliffs and crags, that it could be anywhere! Shame you dipped on Alpine Accentor, they around in good numbers and so too are Ring Ouzel. Can't win 'um all, so hope you revisit in February (I am away with a group in Costa Rica, someone has to do these things). Shame I will miss you. You should also try to visit the area Indiana on the Rio Guadiaro. Leave Benaojan for Ronda and when you pass over the 2nd bridge take the track immediately on the left. It follows the river and can be very good.

Peter

Sorry for delay in adding to the thread, I got a lift to the Snowy Owl yesterday, and didn't get back til late - pathetic excuse really!
Friday 9th January
Walked up through the town and down into the river valley, which was stunningly quiet and calm. 40+ Blackcaps, Blue Tit, Sparrowhawk and Great Tit new, a few Black Redstarts, both White and Grey Wagtails Greenfinches, Raven. The river is very full still, with evidence of how much rain came down. Over to Sambana, where a ringtail Hen Harrier is up over the hill with lots of Griffons. It swoops down and feints at a perched Buzzard. 6 Red-legged Partridge whizz by. Over to the Rio Guadiaro, where both dams have been washed away! (they block the river for water for their crops). A Little Egret, but nought else. So off south to Sotogrande, and the reserve at the mouth of the Guadiaro, where there are 8 Purple Swamphens and several Coots, one Little Grebe. Along the beach, several hundred Yellow-legged Gulls washing in the river, a Gannet offshore. 2 Grey Plover and a Sanderling on the beach. Back at the hide, a close look at two Sparrows reveal that they are 2 Spanish Sparrows. Some small ducks fly by along the beach, could only have been Teal. Finally here, a walk on the boardwalk is once again disappointing.
Common Sandpiper on the river. On west to Palmones. The Gull roost is all Black-headed and Yellow-legged, with some Sandwich Terns. Over in the saltmarsh 2 Spoonbills, Then a Whimbrel calls, and draws my attention to the sandbar where there are 6 Grey Plover, some Ringed Plover, and Kentish Plover. After a short sleep (oops!), I look again, the tide has dropped and other birds have joined in: Redshank, Spotted Redshank, a fine Caspian Tern 2/3 Whimbrel. Scanning around also shows another Osprey! A female Marsh Harrier disturbs it and it flies with its fish to another perch. Loads of Grey Herons. Head off up towards Jimena, counting occupied White Stork nests in the rail yards at San Roque - 31. Decide on a trip up the road to Castellar, where a Venta half way to the village often has Hawfinch. Not today. A stop on the way back in the Cork oak forest reveals a small Tit flock with several Crested Tits. Over at Sambana, I think I have Black-shouldered Kite, but on closer inspection it’s a lovely male Hen Harrier, with 2 Ringtails. Corn Bunting completes the list for the day. Trip list now 96.

Steve: Snowfinch - bah Humbug.... One of these days I'll drive down to Spain, and stop in the Pyrenees for those birds I've never seen..... Nice to have something to Look forward to!

Peter, thanks, we're coming back out on 1st Feb for 2 1/2 weeks and will probably spend some time over in Morocco. Not all birding by any means.

Jon

Saturday 10th January
Local day today, so I head up into the hills to the west of Jimena, up into the cork oak forest, and then further up into the gorse/heather zone. Not far above the river, a walk in the woods produces.... lots of Blackcaps and Song Thrushes, and plenty of Blue Tits. hmmm I can see these in my garden in England. Further up a small group of Cirl Buntings but nothing new. I stop at a few places, but the forest seems ominously quiet. Out of the woods and into the gorse/heather slopes I find 2 Dartford Warblers, which I'm pleased with as I had thought they might be altitudinal migrants and it is near freezing at the time so hooray. There's some pine woods at the top of the hills but unlike previous years when lots of finches (including Brambling) have been here, today - nada! On the way back down I eventually track down a few Short-toed Treecreepers, The odd Nuthatch, and Great-spotted Woodpecker. Then a tiny call reveals a lovely Firecrest without having to get out of the car. 100th species. It's been disappointing not to find any Hawfinches, which can be quite easy here. Also no sight or sound of Jay, another common resident. At the bottom of the hill I try some of the the tracks near the river - Green Sandpiper, Grey Heron, 2 White Storks, and a Little Egret. On reflection, I think the flock of finches I saw near the sewage farm were Siskins. Amazing how high the river got, after the floods back in October! Lots of Chaffinches everywhere. Further on some Corn Buntings bathing and drinking in the puddles. So out to Marchenilla, where a field full of sheep (with two sleeping guard dogs) has hundreds of White Wagtails, a few Crested Larks, House Sparrows and some Spanish Sparrows. 6 Ravens. Then a panic as a Peregrine stoops in and feints at something before heading off over the hill. Cattle Egrets abound. On round to Sambana. I see a Grey Heron in the alafalfa. Finches, Pipits, Sparrows, Still no Kite! Stop to watch the finch flock and find a Brambling! Nearby are 5 Lapwing. A ringtail Hen Harrier drifts very low over the grass.
Back into Jimena to find a couple of friends having a drink outside one of the bars, so I join them!
Species list 104

Sunday 11th January
After our annual community of owners meeting head over to La Janda with Nigel, one of the other owners. Count 36 occupied Storks nests this time, and several extra Storks on pylons, lights and in nearby fields. One pair is even mating on their nest. One Griffon over the hills near the viewpoint. The beach at Tarifa (where the lagoons are) has 20+ Audouin’s Gulls, and 3 Caspian Tern, along with a very high tide. There are about a dozen Crag Martins near the car park behind the beach. No time to delay, so off to La Janda, after entering by the Venta Retina, we quickly start counting Purple Swamphens eventually seeing 20 or so. A very distant Great White Egret, a female-type Marsh Harrier. Lots of White Storks and four Spoonbills, the adult has several colour rings on: Pale green over red on left leg, red over yellow flag over blue right leg. (I think this is Dutch-ringed bird). Cranes abound - mostly in one huge loose trumpeting flock, we reckon 750 in all. Beautiful. A wet field has 20/30 Black-winged Stilt, we see lots of Lapwing but only one each of Common & Green Sandpiper. Further on I see a small bird on a thistle down by the canal and through the bins it’s a summer plumage Bluethroat - first I’ve seen in sum plum! It's getting dark and quite a drive home so we head off.
Species list up to 107.

Jon

Interesting to read about La Janda as I hope to be out there in four weeks - I'd particularly like to catch up with some decent sized flocks of Crane as the most I've seen there only amount to about 80 birds!

John, I've just booked to go out again from 1st - 18th Feb, may catch up with you then!
Jon

Your'e on Jon! I'll be out in Alcala with a couple of birding friends 12th-19th February. If you PM me let's sort something out,

Monday 12th January
Went back up to Montejaque again today with Nigel, and we stare at cliffs until it becomes obvious that the Wallcreeper (if it’s here) isn’t going to be seen. All the dew ponds are frozen and the frost is quite heavy. Can’t find Alpine Accentor either. 7 Rock Buntings, plenty of Black Redstarts. Lots of Griffons and 2 Bonelli’s Eagles seen. A few Rock Doves. One Southern Grey Shrike. We head on out to the Ronda road and left to Zahara and a long winding drive up to the viewpoint above Grazalema. Sadly, there are no Alpine Accentors here either! A large, noisy flock of Choughs flies high overhead, and a few Griffons also vapour about. We drive back out to the Ronda road, and checkout the cliffs for Eagle Owl, but it's not there. 2 Ibex at the top of the cliff. It's a long drive home. At Sambana, a Hen Harrier again.
Tuesday 13th January
Up at 5.30 nice day for ringing but frosty. Glad to have scarf hat & gloves! Arrive 6.45, and help Richard (tchagra) put up 6 nets. First round is 3 retrap Blackbirds and a couple of Blackcaps and retrap Blackcaps, Cetti’s and Sardinian Warbler. However it gets much better - loads of Blackcaps and a handsome male Spanish Sparrow then it drizzles so we close some nets at 11.30, then after a last round take all down by 1.30. Just before the rain arrives. One Griffon over, Sparrowhawk through early on. Up to a dozen Crag Martins hawking insects over the river. Little Egret, Green Sandpiper, Grey Heron, Cormorants and Yellow-legged Gulls generally about. On the way home Corn Bunting an excellent male Hen Harrier. Kestrel 1 Buzzard 1. But, it’s raining in earnest now, so that’s about it.
Ringed 43 Blackcaps, 2 Sardinian Warblers, 2 Robins, and one each of Blackbird, Goldfinch and Spanish Sparrow. (I have some close-up pictures of it, but I'm not sure about posting pics of birds in the hand??)
Only one addition to the list - Cetti's Warbler so the list ends at 108.
We're now booked to go out again from the 1st - 18th Feb, so expect some more in due course.

Jon

waiting for wallcreeper

Jon Turner said:

we stare at cliffs until it becomes obvious that the Wallcreeper (if it’s here) isn’t going to be seen.

Click to expand...

Jon

Interesting and very common perspective on waiting for birds, and Wallcreeper in particular. Funny isn't it, how we decide often quite illogically, that something just isn't going to turn up.

I had a client last Christmas who wanted to leave the cold and wet next to a windy coastal cliff-face in the Garraf (can't imagine why) because 'it didn't look like it was going to turn up'. Not sure on what evidence we base this kind of assumption but I get people saying this to me all the time.

Admittedly it's not the same, as in your case it seems, when you're not sure a bird is there in the first place. It took us several cups of coffee, a flask of soup and almost 90 minutes before it turned up.

The longer you wait of course the more you appreciate the bird and he was the only person I've ever seem actually jumping up and down at finally getting this elusive lifer (and he was from India where of course Wallcreepers also frequent).

All the best

Steve,

We looked at every cliff face for ages, and it was all in the shade, so sub-zero, and we reasoned that the bird had proably flown over the top to the sunny side. Not an option for us - which way to go?

I'll persevere in February, by which time I would expect a few early migrants to be moving. Tchagra had Swallow, Slender-billed Gull and Marbled Duck (amongst others!) up by the Guadalqivir last weekend, so I'll try a day or two up there too.

Jon

ps we tried the flask of coffee technique too!

coffee

Jon

Was it real coffee though? Not instant, not decaffeinated? They don't work.

I wasn't criticising by the way, I do it my self when birding alone on many occasions.

all the best

Been back in Jimena since 1st Feb . .. rain, thunder and lightning, floods, hail.....

But yesterday 8 House Martins, 2 Swallows, and re-found Black-shouldered Kite near the village.

This morning, 15+ Black Kites going over the castle headed north. Must have come over today, I guess.

Jon