Another glorious start to the day and my early morning walk at Can Cullerassa produced my first
Eleanora's Falcon of the visit, when one came in off the sea shortly after I arrived. Unfortunately the bird continued south and didn't hang around long enough for any decent views.
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| Woodchat Shrike on the prowl at Can Cuarassa. |
In fact there were only a couple of additions to yesterdays finds and the second of the morning was a
Savi's Warbler right at the end of the track. I spent a good 15 minutes or so hoping the bird would show but sadly despite singing the whole time it wasn't to be. Some nice views of a
Woodchat Shrike and an amazing count of over forty or so
Flava Wagtail in among the small sheep flock, plus a
Wood Sandpiper was showing very well on the pool.
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| Wood Sandpiper showing well. |
Dave's knee was giving him grief so Dee and I set off alone mid-morning for the Central Plains. This is an area slightly inland and consists of low lying farmland that can be good for a variety of species, including
Larks,
Pipits,
Stone Curlew and
Falcons.
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| Another Flava Wagtail |
On arrival we struggled to find any decent birds of note with most of the fields covered with ripening cereal crops, but after a drive around the back lanes we finally managed a couple of excellent uncultivated areas. Here we were able to pick up
Short-toed Lark, singing high over it's probable territory and
Thekla Lark on the ground, but unfortunately from a photographic perspective we flushed a couple of
Stone Curlew, which were literally unseen only a few yards ahead. A couple of
Wheatear and several
Red-legged Partridge were noted along the paths and several
Common Quail were heard but invisible.
Corn Buntings were numerous, along with
Stonechat and
House Sparrow and there was a constant passage of
Swifts feeding over the fields. A single
Marsh Harrier but unfortunately the only falcon on view was a solitary
Kestrel and I have the distinct impression that not many
Red-footed Falcons have actually arrived on the Island as yet!
Over the past few days the local farmer has been harvesting some crops to the rear of the villa, which I was getting quite excited about. Well this evening after dinner and just prior to dusk
Stone Curlew were heard calling, so I went to investigate. Sure enough we now have these amazing birds on our doorstep! Plenty of
Pippistrelle Bats around too this evening and the mosquito fraternity is also building.
