DAY 3 - 10 DAYS IN ANDALUCIA - GUADIARO VALLEY

The superb weather continues! Another 20c day with unbroken sunshine. Penny, Chris and I set off at 8:30am and headed northward to Cortes de la Frontera. We stopped at the Estacion de Cortes and took a walk along the river. the mist was still rising from the water as we arrived but the sun soon broke through.

A misty start at the river Guadiaro near Estacion de Cortes

We soon started birds along the track, Chaffinches and Blackcaps were in full song as was Cetti's Warbler and Serin. We could also hear Mistle Thrush singing but failed to find one. Over a couple of hours we had many good sightings which included Firecrest (2), Rock Sparrow (2), Cirl Bunting, Grey Wagtail, Serin, mnay Stonechats and lots of Chiffchaffs. We found a couple of Long-tailed tits collecting nesting material and later we found them at their nest adding the finishing touches.

Next we stopped at a mirador just before Benaojan village, from there we saw Red-billed chough (20+), Short-toed Eagle, Griffon Vulture, Blue Rock Thrush, Sardinian Warbler and the ubiquitous Stoenchat.

Just above Montejaque we turned onto to a track that overlooked a wide valley with a laguna at its base. We found several Black Wheatears, Blue Rock Thrush and Linnets, but the real highlight was over 150 griffon Vultures! the vultures arrived from all directions and dropped down behind a small hillock out of site, there was obviuosly something very dead there, they came in their droves, quite a spectacle. As we wathced the vultures circling above we found Peregrine Falcon (2) and Raven.

We ate our lunch and then drove the short distance to Puerta de Tabniza, just the other of the valley from where we were. A walk produced a lot of butterflies as well as Spanish Ibex, more Ravens, Black Wheaters and Thekla Larks.


Spanish Ibex


The butterfly list included: Provance Hairstreak, Cleopatra, Brimstone, Spanish Festoon, Gatekeeper, Speckled Wood, Long-tailed Blue, Red Admiral, Bath White, Large & Small Whites and Swallowtail.
Spanish Festoon


lastly we visited a cork oak wood where we found Nuthtach, Firecrest, Chaffinch and we heard Wood Lark and Mistle Thrush singing. In the fields near where we parked we found Mistle Thrush (4), Corn Bunting, Black Redstart and Stonechat. A Short-toed Eagle flew over giving us our best views yet of this species, they are migrants and our sightings of 3 in 3 days must represent early migrating birds.