January 2008

Article from Newsletter in January 2008.

Given that we did not return from the UK until the 12^th, December proved to be a very profitable bird month; lots of places visited and over a hundred species recorded. Mind you, it helped that my birding friend from Leicester joined us for Christmas so we were able to use that as a good excuse to visit all the sites previously mentioned plus a few more. Most of our bird watching was done in the mornings though necessity of travel did mean a few afternoon visits including a pre-roost experience to the east of Almería, more later.

In terms of pre-roost rituals, many of you, like me, may have been privileged to see the synchronised swooping and twirling of starlings as they prepare for their evening roost, usually in a reed bed but also, in my experience, in conifer plantations. Indeed, this particular practice seems to be a favourite of Bill Oddy and you may have seen examples on the recent “Autumn Watch” programmes from the BBC. My first pre-roost celebration this month occurred on a Friday evening early in the month near Lake Vinuela when over an hundred White-crowned Blackbirds cavorted and fed before finally settling down for the night. This species is usually quite easy to identify with the males having black backs and sides, a white front and black neck bar. There can be some variations in plumage and, in some cases, wear and tear on the head leaves the skin bare. Indeed, on this occasion, there was even a male without the usual lower black body and what appeared to be short covering of the lower body exposing white legs. Nearly always, all males have black feet. This is one of the very few birds where the female is more beautiful than the male and they can come in a variety of colours. (Perhaps the nearest example out here is the Crossbill, where male, female and juvenile have different colours.) In the case of the White-headed Blackbird, the female can be seen in shades of red, blue or green, normally full-length covering, although individuals have been noted in little black numbers. As with the body, the heads can come in a number of colours and sometimes decorated. Another identification especially specific to the female is the adornments to be found around the neck and fingers of their wings, very often giving the appearance of precious metals. Anyway, it seemed to me that all the birds gave a very good display and fed well before finally wandering off to their various roosts all over the valley and beyond!

Returning to the more normal bird sites, the one thing all seemed to have in common has been the amount of water lying on the ground. The Guadalhorce reserve in Malaga was flooded including the main path from the beach which could, in any case, not be reached as the river had broken through on the western arm and was a raging torrent! Not to be deterred, Ron and I approached the site from the newly-constructed foot bridge and had a very enjoyable three hours. Our main problem arose when almost to the final pool we found that we could not proceed and had to retrace our steps and approach from another direction. Main sightings included Osprey, Marsh Harrier, lots of Cormorants and Herons, Black-necked Grebe, Spoonbill, Hoopoe (Picture 2) and Kingfisher (Picture 1).

The same was true of our local river at Torre. Access to the sea end of the track was obstructed by water coming up from the sea so, again, it was a detour via the fields on the Torre side and then back along the far bank. More Meadow Pipits, a Hoopoe, Snipe, Grey Wagtail, Bluethroat and large flocks of Serin and Goldfinch. As is normal at this time of the year, there was also a good number of Crag Martins, down from the high mountains, feeding over the river. With regard to the Crag Martin, think of it as a brown swallow but without the streamers on the tail. Indeed, as well as the rivers, I have been watching these birds feeding on our mountain slopes above Los Romanes for the past week so keep a look out at home.

Next we made visits to two special sites that must not be ignored, albeit a little travel is involved. As we were staying near Motril when our friends arrived at Granada airport, the next day we travelled up to the salt pans at Cabo de Gata which can be found on the coast east of Almería. What a wonderful birding site as is the nearby river which we approached from the local campsite. Better in spring but we did see large numbers of Bar-tailed Godwits, Avocet, a range of Plovers and Sandpipers, ducks including Shoveler, Teal, Shelduck and Mallard, Black Wheatear, Egrets and Cormorant. However, the best sighting was the rare, but common to this site, Trumpeter Finch (Picture 3) and the large number of Greater Flamingos, most in full breeding condition looking as if they had just received their annual “pink paint”. Whilst walking the nearby river we also saw Black-necked Grebe and a solitary Azure-winged Magpie.

The Sunday before Christmas saw us all heading to Fuente de Piedra just beyond Antequera. Again, the salt flats held good numbers of Flamingo (Picture 5) (measured in thousands rather than hundreds) and a wintering flock of Cranes (Picture 4) , that’s the bird rather than building variety. Most of the latter seem to spread out during the day to feed on neighbouring farm land and then return in great numbers after about four o’clock in the afternoon. On this visit, the locals informed us that the present number of Cranes in residence was up to about a thousand from the normal four hundred or so. The adjacent ploughed fields held a small group of Stone Curlew with their large and piercing yellow eyes, Great Grey Shrike (in this part of Spain it is the Southern Grey), good numbers of Lapwing and Golden Plover, a single (and very rare) Marbled Duck (sometimes referred to as a “Marbled Teal”), Hoopoe, Meadow Pipits and a range of small warblers. Returning home via El Chorro we also saw Griffon Vultures and a pair of Choughs.

Mentioning El Chorro, if any of you watched the film “Von Ryan’s Express” starring Trevor Howard and Frank Sinatra at the end of the month, the train sequence at the end was filmed at this location rather than (as portrayed in the film) on the Italian/Swiss border. If you looked closely there were close shots of “The King’s Walk” where the prisoners tried to flee the derailed train and which was subsequently shot away by the German aircraft. Is this why there is still a gap near the rail bride and so preventing all but the very maddest from completing the walk through the gorge?

The final place to record this month is the relatively new, certainly improved and now protected, nature reserve at the Charca de Suárez in Motril. This site, on the coast road as you approach the industrial area of Motril from Salobreña, has a lot to offer. However, as the site is now protected, fenced and wardened, it has limited opening hours during the week; Mondays to Fridays from 4 to 6 pm and from 9 am to 1 pm at the week-end. Admission is free. Set amid the local sugar cane fields, pools have been excavated and hides provided. I go there because I can be almost an hundred percent sure of seeing Purple Gallinule (now known as “Purple Swamp Hen”) (Picture 6), Little Egrets, Grebes and Marsh Harriers. It is also the only site where, so far, I have seen the allusive Red Avadavat. Our visit before returning to our mountain home in Benamargosa was not to be disappointing.

So what was the highlight of the month? Probably the one day when we did not go bird-watching but, instead, took our guests for a day in Granada. On returning in mid-afternoon, we took the opportunity to drive up to the ski resort in the Sierra Nevada. What a wonderful surprise to have very close views, both on the up and return journey, of a pair of magnificent Golden Eagles (Picture 7) as they soared above us. Thank goodness Ron took his camera as I had left mine in the Motril apartment!

All in all then a very good month for bird watching. Whilst the rain at the end of the month and start of January may have dampened the land, there is still much to be seen locally. New Year’s Day brought our first sighing for some time of our local Short-toed Eagle which was back on his favourite perch opposite the house; the first sighting since we left for Australia at the beginning of October. This is normally a summer visitor, spending the winter months south of the Sahara but we do seem to have a small resident population that can be seen throughout the year. Similarly, the area seems to be inundated with Black Redstarts and White Wagtails and even the Robins can be seen on the higher slopes. (The UK “Pied Wagtail” is a subspecies of the White Wagtail.) Look out this month for Crag Martins, Serins and Great Grey Shrikes. The last will be noticed perched on the electric cables and appear to have long tails whilst the Serins will most probably be still in small flocks. The males have a very yellow rump so think sparrow looking yellow and use your binoculars. Finally, if you are lucky, you may see the first House Martin or Swallow of the year. Whilst at the Motril site we saw a single House Martin feeding with a group of about twenty Crag Martins and had very clear views through our binoculars.

This month’s “Bird Walk”

This month I suggest that you enjoy a day out in the car and take in both El Torcal and the lakes at El Chorro. By the time you get home, you should have seen Griffon Vulture, probably Chough and maybe both species of Magpie to be found in this area. For those who have yet to visit these sites, take your friends and / or visitors. The best way to El Torcal is to take the road towards the motorway at Casabermeja and on arrival cross, rather than branch right onto the motorway towards Antequera, and head towards the village of Villanueva de la Concepción. As you come up the hill through the village take a right at the T-junction and head off towards Antequera. The turning to El Torcal is on the left and sign posted. Drive up to the top keeping a look out for both Vultures above and mountain goats on the rocks as you gain height. Park at the top and take one of the way-marked tracks through the weir-looking rocks, not forgetting to make use of the observation post which gives splendid views over the valleys below all the way down to the sea at Malaga.

This could take up most of the morning which then leaves time to drive on to the lakes at El Chorro (these are the lakes that you normally see as your aircraft approaches Malaga, depending upon wind direction). There is a very beautiful journey between the two sites missing out the town of Antequera. Lunch can be taken as a picnic or in one of the many small ventas to be found on this route.

Drive back down to the main road from El Torcal and turn left towards Antequera. Just before the town there is a turn on the left which, I believe, takes you past the Wolf Centre. Follow this road for about ten kilometres towards Valle de Abdalajis and look for a turning on the right, sign-posted El Chorro, near Cortijo del Choca. This road will take you down to the lakes arriving at the El Chorro railway station. Continue on down the road, cross the dam near the power station and turn right where you can gain great views of the gorge. Alternatively, you can turn to the right just below the railway station (may still be sign-posted to a camping site) and meet the lake. From here it is possible to walk up towards the railway track and the gorge and get a different perspective. You may see walkers appearing from out of the railway tunnel but take care, even if inside there is only one track and plenty of room on either side, this is still a working line with regular trains in both directions!!!

The return home can be either retracing your route but going through to Antequera to take the motorway to Casabermeja or continuing over the lake as described above and following the road to Ardales. Lovely walks here over the lake before heading down towards Málaga. A lot will depend upon how long you spend walking/stopping and the time of the year. This latter route is certainly to be recommended from Easter onwards when you have more light at the end of the day – and especially as you will want to make regular viewing stops!

Until next time

Bob the Birder