📖 🇪🇸 Guadalhorce ~ Spain 21/11/2022

🇪🇸 Monday 21st November 2022 🌤 21C ~ Wind NW @ 6MPH ~ My first visit to Guadalhorce this trip ended up with a creditable 58 species in just over 4 hours. Site details can be found HERE or by clicking on the SPAIN🇪🇸 link at the top of the blog.

A foraging Hoopoe on the wasteground 

After parking at the church, I always spend time checking out the treeline and reedbeds on the left of the roadside as I make my way down to the reserve. There was plenty of water and plenty of activity today with at least a half dozen Chiffchaff, (3) Blackcaps and (2) Black Redstarts. Midway down is an enclosed section of wasteground on the opposite side, always worth a look and here a Hoopoe was busy foraging.

Crag Martins ~ Which come down to ground level during the winter months.

A few Crag Martins as I crossed the Guadalhorce bridge before entering the reserve and also along the banks a Grey Heron, Little Egret and a Kingfisher.  As I made my way to my first stop at the Laguna de la Casilla an Osprey drifted silently overhead.

The Laguna de la Casilla was particularly quiet with the only species of note being (4) Little Grebe but just as I was leaving I managed to get a glimpse of a Booted Eagle which flew along the del Rio Viejo.  Before I reached the screen which overlooks the old river I could hear the Black-winged Stilts (Guadalhorce has a large population) and there were (8) feeding below, along with a single Ringed Plover but the quiet theme continued.

A surprise Stone Curlew 

Things improved as I walked down to the de Aves Marinas with Greenshank, Dunlin, Sanderling and more Black-winged Stilts on the old river but I was caught out by a Stone Curlew and just managed to get a record shot as the bird flew past towards the Laguna Grande.

(2) Sandwich Terns, this one heading in towards the Rio Viejo.

I spent a short time at the Marinas looking out to sea with Gannet, Yellow-legged Gulls, Great-black-blacked Gulls and (2) Sandwich Terns before a walk along the beach to my final stop at the Laguna Grande.

Black-necked Grebe ~ Six today on the Laguna Grande

The water levels had reduced considerably since my last visit in April and there was plenty of activity here. The open water was covered in Shelduck, somewhere in the region of 250 and an even larger number of Cormorants were perched all around the laguna. 

Grey Plover ~ Laguna Grande

Also on the water Wigeon, Shoveler, Teal and (6) Black-necked Grebe, which can be found here all year round. Waders included (2) Little Egret, Sanderling, Dunlin, Redshank, Black-winged Stilt, (2) Grey Plover, (7) Avocet and a single but distant Spotted Redshank. (9) Greater Flamingo and (2) Spoonbill were also noted but asleep for the whole time during my stay. 

Crimson Speckled Moth

On the walk around to my final stop of the day the Laguna Escondida, a nice find was the above Crimson Speckled moth, which I've recorded several times over the years in southern Spain. The laguna held a large number of Shoveler and is the best place on the reserve to find White-headed Ducks but sadly I didn't manage a single one during my stop, the first time I've failed in over 10 years of visiting!

A FULL LIST of the site visit can be found HERE

Finally on the way back to the car I spotted a large Vulture-type bird which came in from the north circling the reserve high overhead. As the poor photographs above show this was a particular scruffy bird, which looked like it had gone through the mill. A difficult call as the photos show little detail due to the position of the sun and overcast conditions but having discussed it with friends and passed it to some local Andalusian birders the general consensus is a probable 2nd year Griffon Vulture but I still remain unconvinced! 

📖 🇪🇸 Parque De La Paloma ~ Spain 20/11/2022

🇪🇸 Sunday 20th November 2022🌞 21C ~ Wind NW @ 5MPH ~ The weather today was beautiful with crystal clear skies, a light breeze and a pleasant temperature of 21C.

Monarch Butterfly

Lunch in the nearby town of Benalmadena and an opportunity for a stroll around the Parque De La Paloma, where there's an excellent colony of Monarch butterflies. There was certainly plenty on the wing and we estimated around 40/50 were seen during our walk. 

Painted Lady

Also on the wing were a few Painted Ladies and of course, you can't help but come across the small groups of noisy and marauding Monk Parakeets. 

Monk Parakeet

Spent the afternoon and early evening on the terrace with the usual selection of species and joined today briefly by a passing Firecrest.

iPhone photo ~ Stunning sunset showing the distant mountains of Morocco and Africa

The sunset was spectacular and with the crystal clear air, I don't think I've ever seen Morocco showing so well across the Alboran Sea, simply amazing!

📖 🇪🇸 On The Terrace ~ Spain 19/11/2022

🇪🇸Saturday 19th November 2022🌤 16C ~ Wind NW @ 8MPH ~ I arrived in Spain yesterday morning in the heavy rain, very welcome rain by all accounts, for a 2-week stay at my friend's villa in Mijas. So with improved conditions, today was spent just chilling out on the terrace taking in the host of species that reside here.

Crested Tit ~ The one bird I always look forward to seeing daily.

Crested Tits are regular visitors to the grounds and if you sit patiently (with a beer or two) there quite happy to come and pose for a photo.

The elusive Sardinian Warbler.

Sardinian Warblers breed here and are resident all year round in the gardens and also at this time of year up to a half-dozen Black Redstarts arrive to spend the winter. Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs are here too in smaller numbers and Red-legged Partridge are often calling from further down the hill and can occasionally come up to the villa to forage. There's a slow but constant movement overhead with Crag Martins coming lower down the mountains for the winter months and Common Crossbills are a regular fly-by. Today a couple of Ravens, Common Buzzards and a Sparrowhawk were also noted.

There are a few butterflies still on the wing and the gardens make good habitat for Lang's Short-tailed Blues, with several seen today feeding on the Lantana. 

📖 Dusky Warbler ~ Forvie Sand Loch 12/11/2022

Saturday 12th November 2022🌤 14C ~ Wind S @ 5MPH ~ An expected trip this morning to Forvie Sand Loch for a reported Dusky Warbler. The bird was first reported on the ABZ Whatsapp group at Slains Cottages Collieston at 10:50 but by 11:15 had relocated to bushes on the Loch corner.

My first attempt at the Dusky Warbler ~ Unfortunately with the sun directly behind the bird!

I arrived just before noon, parked at the Forvie Nature Centre and walked down to the area where four other birders were searching. It took a half hour or so before I finally heard the bird calling from the nearby bushes, that unmistakable clicking 'teck', quite similar to a Lesser Whitethroat. The bird was a little elusive staying relatively close to the ground but showed well intermittently over the short period I was on site. I was grateful to a local Wren, whose patch the Dusky Warbler had invaded and which would chase the bird off on occasion, where it would show briefly in the open. 

Dusky Warbler in the sunshine ~ A few seconds earlier & I'd have had the money shot!

I managed a few record shots of the bird, which was frequently calling but unfortunately these were in direct sunlight, apart from the one which I managed with the sun behind. Nevertheless a very welcome Aberdeenshire and Scottish tick. 

More Record Images...

NEW Scottish Life-List Since Relocating Permanently to Aberdeenshire in October 2020

📖 Lesser Yellowlegs ~ Loch of Strathbeg 04/11/2022

Friday 4th November 2022🌤 10C ~ Wind WNW @ 8MPH ~ My weekly morning visit to Strathbeg today and along with the amazing spectacle of Whooper Swans, Barnacle Geese and Pink-footed Geese the added bonus of Lesser Yellowlegs which had first been reported yesterday. The Lesser Yellowlegs had been seen from the nature centre before my arrival today but a comment mentioned that it could likely be better viewed from the Dunbar Hide, so this was going to be my first stop. 

Whooper Swans ~ Strathbeg

A quick pause at Crimond Graveyard for Corn Bunting, where I managed two perched up on the phone wires opposite and then the usual sight of at least ten Tree sparrows on the feeders as I drove into the car park. Amazing to think that both of these national rarities are not as uncommon in Aberdeenshire.

Good numbers of Linnet around the farmland route ~ Strathbeg

The walk to the Dunbar Hide produced Reed Bunting, Yellowhammer, Linnet, Skylark and more Tree Sparrows, along with a Water Rail, which called from the reedbeds just as I arrived. With recent heavy rains, the low ground held much more water since my last visit with plenty of flooded areas to explore. I'd literally just organised myself when a Marsh Harrier flew directly in front of the hide, fortunately, the camera was at the ready!

Marsh Harrier from Dunbar Hide

Two Little Egrets to start and after searching through the many Lapwing and smaller groups of Golden Plover, Dunlin and the odd Redshank there was no initial sign of the Lesser Yellowlegs, that was until a Sparrowhawk flew through. I picked the bird out in the mayhem that followed among the many Lapwing in flight and followed it before it settled along the edge of one of the pools. The bird never came any closer to the hide during my stay but I did manage a few distant record shots of the bird, which was occasionally moved on by an unhappy Redshank.

Best of the bunch of record shots ~ Lesser Yellowlegs

Back at the centre, a look over Starnafin Pools before heading off held Goldeneye, Wigeon, Teal and Shoveler, plus a single Pintail. More waders with at least (11) Snipe, (23) Dunlin and a single Black-tailed Godwit before a Great White Egret flew in.

Great White Egret ~ Starnafin Pools

📖 Pallid Swift ~ Girdleness 02/11/2022

 🌤4C Wednesday 2nd November 2022 ~ There were 3/4 Pallid Swifts reported at Girdleness, Aberdeen yesterday evening, but unfortunately, it was too late in the day for me to make it before sunset. One of the last reports was that one had gone to roost at the base of the lighthouse lantern.

Sunrise at Girdleness this morning

With this in mind, I decided to bite the bullet today and head off in anticipation! It was a pretty chilly start, the car thermometer only showed 4C when I arrived in the twilight around 06:15. At first light, I decided to have a wander along Greyhope Road, a few Redwings calling overhead and several noisy Oystercatchers on the golf course. It was a particularly nice sunrise, which I viewed from Torry Battery while scanning across the cityscape and over the harbour.

Pallid Swift over Torry Battery 

Finally, just after 8am a single Swift suddenly appeared flying low over the golf course and actually directly over my head but I wasn't quick enough to get the camera on it. It headed towards the lighthouse and into direct sunlight but after a while was once more over the Battery. The bird spent a good half hour entertaining us (3 other birders on site) before heading directly east out to sea and eventually out of sight. Well worth getting out of bed for!

A few more record shots of Pallid Swift

NEW Scottish Life-List Since Relocating Permanently to Aberdeenshire in October 2020

📖 RSPB Local Group 23/10/2022

 🌤15C Sunday 23rd October 2022 ~ RSPB Strathbeg today with the RSPB Aberdeen Local Group. A full report can be found HERE on the group's site.

Despite the thick fog during the drive out to the reserve, I arrived around 9:30am to a beautiful mild autumnal morning. A quick coffee while watching the large Tree Sparrow population which resides here before heading around to Starnafin Pools. It was a large group today so we split into two but I tended to wander off on my own, checking in occasional with the others. 

So good to see so many juvenile Whooper Swans across the reserve today.

As per usual at this time of year, it's wonderful to see the 1000s of Pink-footed Geese and 100s of Whooper Swans that winter here and in among the many Pinkies three Barnacle Geese stood out. One of the highlights of the day was watching huge flocks of Golden Plover which were regularly airborne twisting and turning in the sunlight, likely put up on most occasions by two marauding Buzzards.

Yellowhammer

Starnafin Pools held a large number of Dunlin, along with Golden Plover, (4) Black-tailed Godwits,  Little Egret and plenty of Snipe feeding around the margins. Lots of wildfowl too with large groups of Wigeon, along with Shoveler and Teal. A walk to the Dunbar Hide produced a pair of Stonechat, a nice flock of Linnet, with Yellowhammer and a good number of Reed Buntings. Only one common migrant of note today, a female Blackcap feeding on Elder. 

Black Redstart at Rattray car park

I stayed until lunchtime before ending my day at Rattray were a very confiding Black Redstart was happy to pose for photos. As the sea haar rolled in I headed for home.

Black Redstart

📖 Shetland 2022 ~ EPILOGUE

This was my second visit to Shetland, with Dazza joining me for the weekend. Both visits took place in the first week of October 2021/22 and the contrast in the birding and for that matter weather, could not have been more vivid.

Red-breasted Flycatcher ~ One of several seen during my 2021 visit.

Not a sign during my stay this year of Red-breasted Flycatchers, Little Buntings, Shorelarks, Common Rosefinch and Western Bonelli's Warblers but instead Myrtle Warblers, Hornemann's Arctic Redpolls, a Pechora Pipit, an amazing Lanceolated Warbler and of course the incredible Least Bittern, a UK first. For me an amazing five UK lifers during my seven days!

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle Warbler) One of two birds discovered during this year's visit.

It's all down to the winds of course and during our whole visit this year we were bombarded with persistent westerlies and a succession of fast-moving transatlantic weather systems. Hence the influx of birds from North America and Greenland. This is why for me, a relative newbie to Shetland, this will be the place to come and join the 'twitching' fraternity for at least a week in the early autumn.

A more sedate 'twitch' for Myrtle Warbler a few days after the find

I've seen the best and the worst of 'twitching' during this latest visit. With a minority whose only focus is to obtain that all-important tick or photograph with complete disregard for the bird's welfare. I witnessed birds being pushed from pillar to post using the unethical procedure of organised flushes, where an exhausted bird is physically dislodged time and again only to be pursued by marauding photographers. Fortunately, by way of the majority are those who are just happy to enjoy the banter among fellow birders, enjoy the wildlife and just simply watch how things unfold naturally, I'd like to think that I'm one of the latter. 

Shetland 22 List

Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Pink-footed Goose, Greylag Goose, Barnacle Goose, Mallard, Wigeon, Teal, Tufted Duck, Greater Scaup, Common Eider, King Eider, Goosander, Red Grouse, Red-throated Diver, Great Northern Diver, Slavonian Grebe, Gannet, Cormorant, Shag, Grey Heron, *Least Bittern, Sparrowhawk, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Golden Plover, Lapwing, Ruff, Sanderling, Knot, Turnstone, Dunlin, Redshank, Bar-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Snipe, Jack Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Glaucous Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Black Guillemot, Rock Dove, Woodpigeon, Turtle Dove, Collared Dove, Skylark, Swallow, Rock Pipit, Meadow Pipit, Tree Pipit, *Pechora Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Wren, Robin, Redwing, Fieldfare, Blackbird, *White's Thrush, Wheatear, *Lanceolated Warbler, *Myrtle Warbler, Siberian Chiffchaff, Common Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Great Grey Shrike, Hooded Crow, Raven, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Brambling, Twite, Common Redpoll, Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll, Siskin, Reed Bunting, Snow Bunting *Depicts LIFER

NEW Scottish Life-List Since Relocating Permanently to Aberdeenshire in October 2020

📖 Shetland 2022 ~ Part 3

 🌦11C Saturday 8th October 2022 ~ We awoke to hear the news that yesterday's Least Bittern as expected had not survived the night, a sad end to an epic journey! ~ Today was by far the best day of the week weatherwise, with a light breeze, sunny skies and just the occasional heavy downpour.

Turtle Dove at Gott ~ A good record for my Scottish listings.

After a late breakfast, we decided to head over to Gott, just 4 miles west of Lerwick to see if we could catch up with a Turtle Dove which had been reported a few times feeding around gardens near the burn to Strand Loch.  We eventually found the bird while sitting and enjoying a coffee on a bench overlooking the loch. It was asleep for most of the time during our stay likely fully fed from the feeders in a garden just along the burn. After Gott a short drive over to Loch of Tingwell where we connected with a female Greater Scaup.

Myrtle Warbler at Bigton was showing exceptionally well.

The last time Dazza had seen a Yellow-rumped Warbler was when we'd lived in Canada for a short while and so with the excellent weather and the Myrtle Warbler still in situ at Bigton we headed over for a look. Now, this is our kind of 'Twitch', with just a handful of birders on site (most having 'ticked' the bird the previous few days and moved on) the bird showed beautifully a number of times during our stay in bright sunlight.

After Bigton and our packed lunch, we headed south to Scatness, which had turned into one of Dazza's favourite walks during our first visit to Shetland last year. A short drive around Vikrie before Scatness produced the same five Brent Geese we'd observed on Thursday along with Sanderling, Bar-tailed Godwit, Ringed-Plover, Curlew and Dunlin. 

A lone Barnacle Goose circling Scatness.

Plenty of Twite at Scatness along with Skylarks, Meadow Pipits and a few Snipe which we accidentally flushed while walking. On the lower pools six Whooper Swans a large flock of Wigeon, smaller groups of Teal and a couple of skeins of Pink-footed Geese overhead, plus a single Barnacle Goose, which circled a number of times likely looking for his mates. It was a particularly quiet walk birding-wise but nevertheless very enjoyable.

Tree Pipit ~ Not breeding in Shetland this one is a likely Scandinavian bird

A stop at Hoswick on our way back north for a walk around the shoreline and local gardens produced a Siberian Chiffchaff and surprise Tree Pipit. 

Red Grouse ~ Thanks to Dazza's spotting skills!

Our final birds from an excellent day were literally just a few hundred yards from our accommodation when Dazza suddenly spotted three Red Grouse in a field just off the road. A quick about-turn and the above image was thanks to Dazza's great spotting skills.

A Few More Images of the Myrtle Warbler...

 

🌧10C Sunday 9th October 2022 ~ The forecast for today wasn't looking great and we enjoyed a late breakfast before news broke of a White's Thrush at Lerwick. Fortunately, the sighting was just a 5-minute drive from our accommodation and we arrived to find a number of birders scanning the treeline which overlooks Clickimin Loch. Some with thermal imagers were on the ground scanning the canopy floor for signs of movement but only coming up with Blackbirds and Redwings. From the look of the skies, we didn't have long before the heavy rain and strong wind arrived but after a half hour of scanning the bird suddenly took flight. I spotted it immediately, the tail quite distinctive in flight. It landed a short distance along a nearby burn and by the time everyone had relocated to its new position the bird flew straight back, disappearing into the trees once more and by now the rain had arrived.

White's Thrush ~ Excellent views of the bird feeding on the school grounds.

🌦11C Monday 10th October 2022 ~ Our flight home today and thankfully yesterday's brief views of the White's Thrush were replaced by excellent views of the bird feeding in the grounds of Anderson High School car park in the early afternoon. A great bird and another lifer to end the week!

White's Thrush