Our last full day turned out to be perfect - the weather was fantastic, sunny all day not too hot with anice breeze - the birding was great too!
We decided not to travel too far after yesterday's major excursion, so we drove 300 meters out of the village and took a nice walk through the lovely cork woods just north of the village. We were sheltered from the sun and breeze most of the time so birding was exceptionally good, we could see any movement and hear many songs and calls. After 30minutes we had logged: Robin, Green Woodpecker, Common Cuckoo, Subalpine Warbler, Firecrest and Crested Tit - not a bad start.
Our first Bonelli's Warbler was in full song (if you can call a short trill a song) it showed very well, next we found a Short-toed Treecreeper and we heard a Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming.
The most wanted bird for our list was Iberian Chiffchaff (see left), we found one singing away in the canopy showing very well in some dead sticks, nice bird. We then located a nest of Short-toed Treecreepers and watched Serin, Cirl Bunting, Jay and Wren before we finished the walk.
Our first singing Bonelli's Warbler was found next and it showed very well, we then saw Short-toed Treecreeper, more Crested Tits and we heard a Great-spotted Woodpecker drumming.
The latter part of the walk produced a Treecreeper's nest, Cirl Bunting, more Crested Tits a Common Chiffchaff singing and a few Griffon Vultures drifting over our heads.
For the afternoon we drove up to Ronda to visit the superb Sierras de las Nieves natural park, the scenery there is magnificent. We sat near the entrance at a picnic table to eat lunch and whilst eating we watched a pair of Woodlarks, Woodchat Shrike, Serin and a Green Woodpecker called several times from deep in the oak woodland.
Over the next two hours we drove deep into the park stopping at several places to view the gorse covered hillsides, the pine woods and the open mountain peaks, we listed many species, the best of which were: Dartford Warbler, Subalpine Warbler, Black-eared Wheatear, Northern Wheatear, Red-billed Chough, Short-toed Eagle and Griffon Vulture. A little higher up we found Coial Tit, Rock Bunting, Crag Martin and many Blue Rock Thrushes.
Our day concluded with a short watch from a mirador just south of Ronda where a nice passage of Honey Buzzards, Black Kites and Booted Eagles could be seen. On the rocky mountainside we found Black Wheatear, Rock Sparrow, Linnet and lots of Blur Rock Thrushes but the sighting that sticks in the mind was that of over 60 Red-billed Chough spirraling up on thermals with the Honey Buzzards, smashing!
Woodcock Orchid, one of three species seen today along with 14 butterfly species.
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