JUNE 12TH 2011 - RIO MANILVA

A beautiful sunny morning with a nice breeze found me down at the River Manilva whilst Dawn was at the market in Sabinillas.

Rio Manilva with its lovely turquoise-blue colour

Surprisingly several birds were still singing into late morning: I heard Cetti's Warbler, Blackcap, Common Nightingale, Turtle Dove, Sardinian Warbler and Golden Oriole.

It was quite busy with traffic (Sunday always is) along the track to the 'Roman Baths', nevertheless there was still plenty to see: Blue Rock Thrush, Woodchat Shrike, Goldfinches, Red-rumped Swallows, Pallid Swifts, Booted Eagles, Griffon Vultures as well as those mentioned above.

I concentrated on photgraphing the many species of Dragonflies along the river, not very sucessful but here are the results.

Epaulet Skimmer (female) Orthetrum chrysostigma


Epaulet Skimmer (male) Orthretrum chrysostigma


Small Pincertail Onychogomphus forcipatus


Copper Demoiselle Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis

Orange-winged Dropwing Trithemis kirbyi



Orange-winged Dropwing Trithemis kirbyi







Later in the afternoon Dawn and I sat on the top terrace reading and just chilling and also watching the hundreds of Pallid and Common Swifts weaving their way across the skyline, we also saw Red-billed Chough and a Booted Eagle making its 'chit', 'chit', 'chit' call, its a bit like a Kestrel and hardly 'man-enough; for an Eagle to utter!!!