🌤26C Monday 23rd May 2022 ~ A day out with Derek Etherton an ex-pat local birder who I met some years ago. Our first stop today was due to be El Torcal renowned as one of the most impressive karst landscapes in Europe. This would be my first visit there since 2015.
Unfortunately the closer we got it became apparent that with the strong winds and low cloud there was no point going on so we diverted to our next destination, Fuente de Piedra. By the time we passed through Antequera, the wind had dissipated and we were back to blue skies.
As with my last visit a week ago, there was still plenty of water in the smaller Lagunas but the main lake had receded even further meaning that most of the birds were becoming a little distant. First, a stop at the entrance to scan the wires and tower produced
Barn Owl, three
Black Kite,
Lesser Kestrel and a
Raven. The Cerro del Palo pool held an amazing 42
Glossy Ibis, plus
Avocet,
Black-winged Stilts and a single
Black-tailed Godwit.
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| A large number of Glossy Ibis today! |
The water was still high enough to cover the scrapes at Sedero los Albinas and a walk along the boardwalk failed to produce any waders but
Cetti's Warbler and
Reed Warbler along the reeds and
Black-winged Stilt out in the centre. The walk back to the Mirador produced
Zitting Cisticola,
Corn Bunting,
Hoopoe,
Sardinian Warbler, and
Yellow Wagtail.
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| Western Yellow Wagtail ~ Motacilla flava |
It was another warm one today and we spent time in the shade up at the mirador scanning the main Laguna. Here Derek located the long-staying
Lesser Flamingo (
information HERE) and we enjoyed some reasonable scoped Views. It's my first European sighting of the smallest Flamingo in the world, which I last saw in Kenya over 40 years ago! Also of note flying amongst the many
Greater Flamingos were a couple of
Black Terns.
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| Greater Flamingo at Fuente de Piedra |
At the Observatorio El Laguneto, a few
Gull-billed Terns were fishing and on the water, a
Black-necked Grebe was feeding a single youngster. Other wildfowl included
Little Grebe,
Red-crested Pochard,
Pochard,
Marbled Duck,
Gadwall,
Shelduck and
White-headed Duck.
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| Red-crested Pochard |
Derek drove me to an area I'd not known about before which had been flooded some weeks ago and had produced many waders but sadly the area was now dry! He did however show me a large population of nesting
Spanish Sparrows which we watched for a while taking nest materials from nearby tamarisk over to their nesting site in a copse of eucalyptus trees. Also while here
Lesser Kestrel,
Bee-eater and
Stonechat.
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| Male Spanish Sparrow |
A short stop on route home at Observatorio de buitres en Peñarrubia a small mountain range home to several species of interest, mainly rock-dwelling. The numerous existing ledges and cracks serve as innkeepers and roosts for
Griffon Vultures, with six seen during the visit. Four
Peregrines were also noted, two of which were likely juveniles and both
Alpine Swifts and
Red-billed Chough were constantly seen along the skyline.
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| Observatorio de buitres en Peñarrubia |
