March 2008

As I sit writing this month’s “Birding News” on the last day of the month, and also my younger brother’s sixteenth birthday albeit, all being well, he will receive his State pension next February, I can reflect on what a quiet month it has been.  Yes, at last, we got some well-needed rain but there seemed to be very few spring migrants working their way into the area.  It does not help that this has been a very short month, the more-so given that I missed the first four days whilst in England checking on my parents’ health.

Many of you are used to seeing gulls on Lake Vinuela but not perhaps in the numbers that have been present this winter.  During this past month there have, at times, been upwards of ten thousand (yes, 10,000) on the lake, mainly Yellow-legged and Black-headed but, on occasions flocks of 500+ of the rarer Mediterranean Gull.  This is a gull that is very similar to the more common Black-headed and, I suspect, often overlooked or not recognised.  In appearance, the bird, in adult plumage, usually appears to have a cleaner, smoother look.  This may be because it lacks the black wing tips of the Black-headed Gull giving the back and sides that whiter appearance.  In breeding plumage, the Mediterranean Gull also has what appears to be a black head though with good binoculars or closer proximity you detect the slightly different pattern of the head colouring.

During the past month I was unable to visit the Guadalhorce near Malaga Airport but I did get up to the Motril reserve and also made sure that I visited the Zafarraya plateau. Not only are the resident Crag Martins still about, both at lower and higher levels of the area, but both House Martin and Swallow are now back with us and feeding up after their long migration north from south of the Sahara and, in the case of the Swallows, the southern-most parts of South Africa.  As yet, no sign of our Red-rumped Swallows but keep a good look out in the next few weeks.

Most, if not all, of you will be familiar with the Swallow and House Martin but may not have been aware of the Red-rumped Swallow whose range only extends northwards to about mid-Spain.  If the Swallow is basically a blue bird on top with a pale underside and tail streamers and the house Martin appears slightly smaller with a forked tail and no long outer tail feathers but a white rump to go with its underside, then you can think of the Red-rumped Swallow as a mixture of both!  Look for what appears to be a Swallow, basically blue above, pale below and tail streamers but with the House Martin’s white rump.  Then, on closer inspection, you will see that the rump is more of a brick colour than pure white.  Similarly, you may be seeing a House Martin that appears to have a dirty rump and then you notice the tail streamers.  The chances are you are now looking at a Red-rumped Swallow.

Seen in their breeding habitats from about late March onwards will also help.  The House Martins will be in the villages and nesting under the eaves of tall/taller buildings.  These birds make an enclosed mud and straw nest and are very communal so you will probably see anything from two or three up to twenty or more nests in one area of the village or habitation; even under the eaves of the terminal at Malaga as you are waiting to board your flight.  On the other hand, Swallows prefer more open country and, typically, are found in barns, stables, out-houses, etc where they can have easy access to build their open nests, usually on a roof beam.  Swallows prefer to be on their own unless it really is a large barn-like building.  Red-rumped Swallows are, again, a mixture of both.  Whereas they prefer the countryside, their solitary nest is more like that of a House Martin but much grander in both size and building.  Those near me have been built in the porches of houses that tend to left unoccupied for the early part of the year when the birds are nesting albeit, once established, the birds will continue to re-visit if left undisturbed.  The enclosed nest is larger that that of the house martin and includes a “private” entrance corridor which can be up to six inches (15 cm) or more.

The Crag Martin, near us it nests in the old railway tunnel neat the Venta de Zafarraya but is very difficult to spot in the darkness, has already been described as a “dark House Martin” with a dull brown colouring on top and pale below with a forked tail.  This completes the family of “Hirundines” that can be found in our area.  The only other bird left to add to the confusion is the Swift.  Screaming as it scythes through the skies and around the town and/or village buildings, the Swift is often mistakenly grouped with the Swallows (Hirundines), probably because it, too, has a small forked tail.  Back in Britain, the Swift is usually the last to arrive and first to depart.  Not so here.  Whereas I have yet to see my first Swift of the year, they are normally back in the Malaga area by mid-February (see below) and can often still be seen in our area after most of the House Martins have started their return migration.

Apart from its speed, the Swift also differs from the Hirundines in another way.  These are birds that manage to spend their whole lives on the wing other than when they are actually breeding.  (Just as well, or they would never find their eggs if laid whilst still in flight!)  Again, another very gregarious bird that tends to nest in colonies looking for gaps below tiles on the highest roofs.  The adult lands on the face of the wall and then crawls into its breeding cavity.  When ready to leave the adults, and young when they fledge, literally fall out into the open air and “zoom” away.  Because it is not a “perching bird”, the Swift has feet that are more reminiscence of a woodpecker in that they face forward with downward grasping toes.  You will never see a Swift perching on the telephone wire or electricity cables having a rest or preparing for migration.  Once in the air that is where they eat, sleep and play, only returning to “land” when it is time for the next breeding season and eggs to be incubated.  It certainly brings a whole new meaning to the concept of the “mile high club”!

Above, I have been talking about the Swift as if there is only one Swift to consider, the “common” Swift that we are used to seeing in Britain.  However, here in the south of Andalucía we have the chance, if you are lucky, to see four other members of the family; the Pallid Swift which often arrives first (see above), the White-rumped Swift, Alpine Swift and  the even rarer Little Swift.  Indeed, if in the Gibraltar area there is the extremely slight , but in truth unlikely, possibility that you might just see a Plain Swift which normally breeds in Madeira and the Canary Islands (March to August) but is suspected of over-wintering in the Morocco area so might just be blown off course to the north.  We are not talking large numbers for these birds and nor are they common to many areas but they can be seen if you know what you are looking for and where to look.

Returning to the more general, I have been able to continue to see Black Wheatears, Rock Buntings, Choughs and Blue Rockthrushes in our area and the Purple Gallinules (Purple Swamphens) are still plentiful at the Motril reserve which promises well for the coming breeding season.  The Black Redstarts are now in their breeding plumage and the male looks magnificent.  Indeed, we seem to have adopted our own “pet” Black Redstart, or, rather, he seems to have adopted us just a wild campo dog might try and latch on to your home.  I thought it was rather lovely to have this lovely bird using our porch for its nightly roost until we realised that he only came when it was going to be either rainy and or windy.  Now when we see the bird getting ready for the night we make sure that the weather shield is down because as sure as God made little green apples we are going to have a bad night!  

This month’s “Bird Walk”

 It is still worth stopping at the top and taking a short walk along the old railway track if you are driving up to Ventas de Zafarraya and beyond but this month I am going to suggest some thing far more closer to hand.  But please, do not all go at the same time!

On the Velez side of the dam wall as you cross Lake Vinuela, before you get to the Puente de Don Manuel turning if travelling from the Los Romanes direction, is a little road that takes you down to the stream below the former, the outfall side.  Either park your car at the top (where the Guardia Civil like to park and wait to pull you over to check your licence details, etc!) or near the bottom of the windy road and then take a short walk along the road as it follows the stream.  There are plenty of bushes and over-growth near the trees and a mixture of the latter at road level.  All being well, you should see a range of small birds including Blackcap, Sardinian Warbler, Great Tit, Robin, Blackbird, probably Zitting Cisticola (used to be called a Fan-tailed warbler), early Woodchat Shrikes, a Kestrel overhead and maybe even a Sparrowhawk suddenly flip over the hedge or bush as he or she tried to flush out a small bird for its tasty morning or afternoon meal.  Bare in mind that the female Sparrowhawk, as with the Kestrel, is larger than the male - but not so pretty.

By the time I get to my next report, I should have visited the Guadalhorce at Malaga and the Motril reserve again and be looking forward to a residential visit to the Bird Observatory in Gibraltar to see the spring migration of some of our larger raptors.  Most of our summer visitors should be here so keep a look out this month for your first Woodchat Shrike with its ginger head, probably sitting on a wire and appearing to “drop off” as you approach. 

Until next time

 Bob the Birder