70 SPECIES SEEN: HONEY BUZZARD INVASION HAS STARTED: BONELLI'S EAGLES HAVE A CHICK!!! EGYPTIAN VULTURES AT CRESTELLINA
What another fantastic day, it can't go on like this! can it?? Perfect weather and tons of birds with several new birds for the year and couple of nice discoveries!
I met Jane, my client for the day, at Casares at 8:30am and we drove the short distance to the track that leads down to the Rio Genal. I decided to go this route because 3 Rollers had been seen there this week, the Roller is a 'good' bird for our area, but we didn't see one. Before we had got very far down the track we saw a single Honey Buzzard circling over a ridge not too far from the road, we had great views of it. Several Woodchat Shrikes were perched on the top of bushes and a couple of Corn buntings were on the wires.
Northern Wheatear at the Rio Genal
We stopped at a view point that overlooked the valley and the river, lots of Bee-eaters were flying over and we had many species in the open fields and bushes. A Sardinian Warbler was song-flighting and this drew our attention to a Melodious Warbler which quickly lead on to a Subalpine Warbler. There were many Linnets, Goldfinches, Serins, Crested larks and Stonechats flitting about.
Rio Genal
We stopped at the river and fun began, first one then two then five then twenty Honey Buzzards came up out of the woods and begin climbing on the thermals. They were joined by Booted Eagles, Black Kites and a few Griffon Vultures, a single Hobby flew over our heads and on up the valley. Inb the meantime the river was alive with bird song; Common Nightingale, Cetti's Warbler, Cirl Bunting and lots of finches. We saw Little Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper and Green Sandpiper onthe river along with White Wagtail. Three Turlte Doves sat onthe wires and another large flock of Bee-eaters flew over.
Further down the valley we stopped on anumber of occasions and found Kingfisher, Willow Warbler, Garden Warbler and many more Nightingales, Cetti's Warblers and Serins. Other species found included Spotted Flycatcher, Short-toed Eagle (5), Common Buzzard, Sparrowhawk & lots of Griffon Vultures.
Stonechat
Pied Flycatcher
The laguna at Torreguadiaro produced a lot of species, the water level was very low and areas of mud is now exposed this attracted waders, the first for a long time. Black-winged Stilt (6), Redshank, Curlew Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper (3) , but the best sightings we of Little Bittern, Glossy Ibis ( 1 feeding in the laguna and 22 flying over), Purple Swamphen (3) and many common species.
We also saw the usual Crested Larks, Nightingales in the tamarisk, a Little Owl and Lesser Kestrel on the ruined tower.
A quick stop at the beach near Manilva produced our first Whinchat of the year and 6 Woodchat Shrikes on one small length of fencing!
Lastly we stopped at Sierra Crestellina where many Griffon vutlures could be seen circling over the mountain ridge. We scopped the Bonelli's Eagle's nest and found a chick sitting there, then a parent bird flew and and began to feed it, what a great sight. Next we found two Egyptain Vultures circling the mountain, they landed in the distance but could be clearly seen in the scope, another great find! The last tick for Jane was a Cirl Bunting, seen as it sat on a wire delivering its short trill and calling it a song!!
That completed another superb day out in southern Spain, it is great birding here, you should try it!!
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