DAY TOUR - AUGUST 9TH 2012

SAN PABLO TRACK & RIVER GUADIARO  NEAR SECADERA


IT WAS A 1/2 DAY TOUR IN ACTUAL FACT

Meg and family arrived at my house at just after 8am for a morning's bird-watching excursion. So we set off toward s the coast passing through San pablo before turning off towards San Martin. It was very misty as we dropped down from Gaucin but it cleared by the time we got out of the car at my favourite track.

The Sewell family

The track was fairly quiet but that suited me as I had four novices sharing my scope and bins. We had great  'in-the-scope' views of Bee-eaters on the wires and a couple of Collared Doves. On the nearest pylon we found two Common Buzzards and on a distant pylon there was a Short-toed Eagle perched nicely. Not a bad start for my group of beginners. Over the next hour the track produced both Woodchat and Southern Grey Shrikes, lots of Stonechats, Sardinian Warblers, Crested Larks, Goldfinches, Greenfinches, Serins and hundreds of House Sparrows. A little further along the track we saw more Short-toed Eagles, a few Common Kestrels, Ravens and a distant Griffon Vulture. A flock of Spotless Starlings were located as we returned to the car.

Before we drove off to our next venue we walked down to the bridge which spans the Hozgargante River. From there we saw Grey Wagtail, Cetti's Warbler and a beautiful male Firecrest, which was very close to us. As we walked back to the car a Red-rumped Swallow joined the throngs of Barn Swallows and House Martins that were swarming over our heads. After a quick coffee stop in the nearby venta we drove to the Rio Guadiaro.

We spent 30 minutes standing in one place watching all kinds of species coming down to drink or feeding long the shingle banks of the river. Little Ringed Plovers were in good numbers, a single Grey Heron perched almost motionless at the water's edge and a Green Sandpiper fed in its usually erratic style. Several birds were coming to drink, mainly Goldfinches but also some Serins and Greenfinches.

On the drive back to Gaucin we stopped to watch Stonechats and Bee-eaters perched on the fences and wires and a single Booted Eagle circled over the road near Casares.

We arrived back in the village at 12:40 after a very enjoyable morning's excursion.