With a spare slot in the day we decided to take a short drive just outside Lanjaron and check a few likely locations for Bee Eaters. I’ve been seeing and hearing them regularly passing over the hillside above the village but really good views of birds perched between feeding flights was something I’d yet to find.
We dropped out of the village to a favourite spot around 3pm and soon had great views of Woodchat Shrike, perched typically on top of a bush, watching its patch intently. Then, the now familiar calls of Bee Eaters and we knew they were close by. First one, then another…and soon I had exactly what I had hoped for. Bee Eaters swooping and diving around the slope before us, and coming to rest on bushes nearby. We watched up to around two dozen birds for a while and had fantastic views as they took breaks from chasing insects and perched sociably together in twos and threes. Quite incredible to see these remarkably colourful birds close up for the first time…and in such numbers!
Time constraints meant we had to move but we were soon back out of the car watching a Short-toed Eagle slowly patrolling overhead. Hadn’t seen one for a little while, its pale chest and wings and chocolate brown head a clear give away. Then another first for the year…a flash of jet black and banana yellow and we’d seen our first Golden Oriole this season! As is so often the case with these summer migrants it quickly disappeared into cover but I’d seen enough to know they were back from Africa again.
A quick run up the mountainside before calling it a day brought a really good view of a dark form Booted Eagle, distinctive pale “palms” and “V” shaped wing bars unmistakable as it soared overhead. A Lesser Kestrel finished off the day and we were on our way home. Not bad for a couple of hours…
