Boatbirder.com: Sierra Loja 23/04/25

Wednesday 23rd April 2025 🌤️ 17C ~ Wind S @7MPH ~ Having arrived in Spain late last night, I was up at the crack of dawn this morning to meet up with friends Derek and Barbara Etherton and Mick Richardson, who runs Loja Wildlife along with his friend Gary.

Sierra Loja

We were heading up the Sierra de Loja, a limestone massif, with its highest point, Sierra Gords, reaching 5,400 feet. This area is open and beautiful, yet remote and sparsely populated. It can be covered in snow and ice in winter, although there were no signs of that during our visit. This is also Mick's patch, so I was looking forward to a good day's birding and hopefully finding Rufus-tailed Rock Thrush, our target species.

Male Rufus-tailed Rock Thrush taken in 2016

In the woodlands before heading up the tracks, we encountered many noisy Serins and briefly spotted a singing Bonelli's Warbler in the pines. On the ground, numerous House Martins were collecting mud from a nearby puddle for nest building, while a Hoopoe was gathering what appeared to be caterpillars. This location is also a good spot for finding Azure-winged Magpies (Iberian Magpie), and we later spotted three of them on our way down.

Hoopoe

Our first stop was along a side track, at the end of which lies a disused quarry. I've stopped here before, and it can be a good place to find a Spectacled Warbler. Unfortunately, no sign today, but Dartford Warbler, Bonelli's Warbler and Sardinian Warbler were all additions to the day list.

Sardinian Warbler

As we continued on, our intention was to reach the summit and then work our way back down. However, I was aware that this might not be feasible, and it took less than five minutes before we spotted a Black-eared Wheatear perched nicely on a fence—our first of many stops today.

Black-eared Wheatear

Along the cliff edges, we noticed a considerable number of Red-billed Choughs, totalling thirty-two. Occasionally, we'd spot Black Wheatears, which are easily identifiable by their distinctive black bodies and white rumps. On the ground, Red-legged Partridge, and as we continued, there was the constant sight and sound of Thekla Larks, with one occasionally perched on a rock.

Thekla Lark

As the area opened up, we stopped at our first location to search for our target bird, the Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush, which is a regular nesting species here. Unfortunately, they seem to be a declining species in the region, and sightings are becoming less frequent. Our initial scans revealed several birds along the mountain ridges, including Blue Rock Thrush, Black Redstart, Spotless Starling, and Black Wheatear, but there was no sign of our target bird. At one point, a large raptor appeared and turned out to be a female Western Marsh Harrier, an unusual sight here, according to Mick.

Blue Rock Thrush

We continued our search for our target bird, visiting a few more locations, but we still had no luck. In one cave area, which is an excellent spot for observing nesting Crag Martins and Rock Sparrows, we paused for a moment. We watched as several Crag Martins collected mud from a small puddle to use in their nests. This was probably the closest I've ever been to one of these small, compact swallows. Also of note as we continued, Iberian Grey Shrike, Woodchat Shrike, Stonechat, Rock Bunting and four Northern Wheatear.

Crag Martin

By the time we began our descent, there was still no sign of our target bird, but we were thoroughly enjoying a fantastic day's birding. Things had begun to happen overhead, too, and we spotted several Griffon Vultures high in the thermals, and a small number of Common Swifts had also appeared.

Just a little further on, we encountered no less than four Subalpine Warblers and had fantastic views of a singing Western Orphean Warbler. As if this wasn't enough, I noticed a large raptor being chased by a few Red-billed Chough, and this turned out to be a Golden Eagle, which then perched in an overhanging tree. We later watched the bird displaying!

Subalpine Warbler

Western Orphean Warbler

As we approached the Charca Negra turn, Gary, who was in the car ahead with Mick, suddenly communicated over the radio that Mick had briefly spotted our target species before it flew away. This prompted a 45-minute search of the area. Finally, I noticed a bird in a small tree that Mick and I thought was promising. When Derek got the bird in his scope, he offered me a quick look, and although it was slightly obscured, I was quite certain it was a male. I'd noted the rufous coloured front, longish bill and bluish-grey head. Unfortunately, just as I turned away, the bird flew off, and Barbara believed it had gone to the right. After a further extensive search, we were unable to relocate it, which was frustrating for Gary, who struggled with his tripod and missed it completely. Was this a Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush? I’m fairly confident it was, and so was Derek, but as we never reached 100% confirmation, we're left with a conundrum!

So nearly eight hours birding with forty-nine species and a mystery bird. What a brilliant day out in the high Sierra of Loja, and of course, the great company of Derek, Barbara, Mick and Gary.

A few more images of the day... If you're on eBird, our checklist can be found HERE