With a huge improvement in the weather after a week ago it’s birdwatching as usual this Wednesday. Decided to explore an area of flat land outside the town of Padul, following up a suggestion that there may be a wetland habitat that looked promising on the map. After a short drive from Lanjaron we parked by a bar just to the south of the town, that did indeed appear to have a sizeable stretch of what looked like reedbeds behind it.
Almost immediately our decision to take a look around here paid off. Singing in the trees and bushes behind the bar I was amazed to find a bird I’ve waited thirty years to hear…my very first Nightingale. Back from its winter quarters in southern Africa, its incredible, liquid song was everything I’d always hoped it would be and yes, it is the most beautiful birdsong I’ve ever heard. We quickly found another close by, rival males singing invisibly from bushes just in front of us.
Although Nightingales are notoriously elusive and difficult to locate I had to wait hoping for a lucky brief glimpse…before long we were rewarded with really good views of one singing male, before it disappeared completely again. Fleeting views of as yet unidentified warblers and song I couldn’t identify could have kept me there for hours. The offer of directions however took us on a two minute drive further into what turned out to be a proper wetland reserve. As we parked again a Stoat bounced across the path in front of us, only few feet away.
Warblers sang loudly all around us and as we walked the path along the edge of the reedbed we soon had good clear views of a Reed Warbler, another migrant back from Africa, delivering its scratchy song from a reed stem. Mallard and Moorhen showed well on the open water…common birds back home, but not species you encounter on the scrubland and hillsides around Lanjaron! About half an hour later we’d seen two or three more Reed Warblers and heard literally dozens.
A Common Sandpiper was another highlight, a first sighting for the year and another wetland bird I’d yet to encounter in the region. As the marshland gave way to flat mixed farmland a large bird of prey caught my attention and suddenly we’d got yet one more major first…a Bonelli’s Eagle. This strong and imposing raptor combines the power and bulk of an eagle with the behaviour of a fast flying aggressive hawk, and with only a few hundred pairs left in Europe this endangered species is one I had really hoped to see locally. Its black wing bands and white body left little doubt regarding identification, and a clear view of the striking white patch in the centre of its back made it a certainty. We had time to watch it circling before it gained height and moved on. Fabulous!
Woodchat Shrikes gave great views soon after and I was pleased to see more Corn Buntings, flying from perch to perch with their legs left characteristically dangling down below them.
After finding our first Whinchat of the year only three days earlier seeing a couple of pairs, this time in brighter summer plumage, was a terrific addition to the day. A slow walk back towards the car brought more Reed Warblers singing loudly from the reedbed and a quick sit down in a birdwatching hide gave a really good view of another Common Sandpiper settled on a floating log close by. Closer inspection revealed the heads of three or four large terrapins around the log.
With two species in Iberia I couldn’t identify them precisely but I wondered briefly how safe the Moorhen chicks we’d seen moments before would be if they drifted too close! With more views of Reed Warblers as we left we knew for sure we’d found a brilliant spot that would definitely need another visit as soon as possible. A fantastic bit of habitat that brought us four firsts this year.
With some time to spare we took a quick run down to the lake at Beznar, a spot we keep our eye on having seen Bee Eaters there last summer. None there on this occasion but we did find a pair of Turtle Doves. With other doves and pigeons a familiar sight across Europe the Turtle Dove can be easily overlooked. However, this beautiful summer visitor from Africa is in serious decline through habitat loss over most of its range. I had in fact only ever seen one individual back home before today, so to have two perched in a tree close by was exceptional. The detail in their plumage is remarkable…really quite striking birds.
With the day almost over we were soon back in Lanjaron, in time to catch a pale form Booted Eagle soaring right over the village, much to the consternation of the local Swifts who teamed up to mob it and move it slowly along. New habitat, five new first sightings…another superb day of Alpujarran birdwatching…
