Mark Etheridge
Bird Shooter (With A Camera)
Well that's my pre-Xmas week over, back home tomorrow with a grand total of 128 species icluding 2 "lifers" - Black-bellied Sandgrouse and Short-toed Treecreeper. :t:
For my final day, I asked Graham Critchell to show me the location for possible Alpine Accentors in the Sierra Espuna park - well there weren't any AAs up there, and nothing else either! Although the sun was shining, the wind was howling across the tops, and the temperature felt about minus 10, no wonder the birds weren't showing...:C
In the forested slopes we had excellent views of the STC and a very obliging Crested Tit, with plenty of Crossbills, Jays, Chaffinches and Coal Tits in evidence as well.
Finally it was on to the plains around Guadalentin, where we picked up a pair of very distant Black-bellied Sandgrouse and a Water Pipit. Unfortunately this good site for the Sandgrouse and also Little Bustard which have been seen in the area is under a lot of agricultural development which is destroying the habitat for these birds :C
A final note for Barred Wobbler - the situation on the Vistabella Road at the moment is that the work stops over the weekend and access is possible to the hide along that road. The bad news is that the hide is being rebuilt, when I was there yesterday the hut had just been completed and creosoted, but there were no windows or seats in place yet. The good news is that this has happened during the last week, so by the time you're there in January the work should be finished both on the hide and on the new drainage system. :t:
It will be interesting to see how things have developed by next month - I should be back out here in March or early April!
For my final day, I asked Graham Critchell to show me the location for possible Alpine Accentors in the Sierra Espuna park - well there weren't any AAs up there, and nothing else either! Although the sun was shining, the wind was howling across the tops, and the temperature felt about minus 10, no wonder the birds weren't showing...:C
In the forested slopes we had excellent views of the STC and a very obliging Crested Tit, with plenty of Crossbills, Jays, Chaffinches and Coal Tits in evidence as well.
Finally it was on to the plains around Guadalentin, where we picked up a pair of very distant Black-bellied Sandgrouse and a Water Pipit. Unfortunately this good site for the Sandgrouse and also Little Bustard which have been seen in the area is under a lot of agricultural development which is destroying the habitat for these birds :C
A final note for Barred Wobbler - the situation on the Vistabella Road at the moment is that the work stops over the weekend and access is possible to the hide along that road. The bad news is that the hide is being rebuilt, when I was there yesterday the hut had just been completed and creosoted, but there were no windows or seats in place yet. The good news is that this has happened during the last week, so by the time you're there in January the work should be finished both on the hide and on the new drainage system. :t:
It will be interesting to see how things have developed by next month - I should be back out here in March or early April!