It’s Friday morning and it’s a big day for Birdwatchalpujarras…my new colleague and birdwatching partner Kiersten and I have got Gerry and Chris out with us for the day, two widely travelled and very keen birdwatchers over from Manchester for a week of sunshine in Lanjaron. With a full day to work with we’re hoping to give them a good introduction to our local patch and maybe even get a few ticks added onto their year lists!
After some thought we decided to head off to the marshland at Padul, a favourite spot and a nice contrast to the mountain habitats we’d be looking at later in the day. We parked close by and walked in quietly, and almost immediately our decision paid off. We had really nice views of Red-rumped Swallows as we entered the reserve, swooping by with their tell-tale orange-buff rumps and black tails. Then a bit of a surprise, a Hoopoe flew overhead, unmistakable with long, probing, curved beak and striking black and white plumage…a nice addition to the day and a first for me at this particular location.
Weeks earlier the reedbeds here had been full of singing male Reed Warblers, holding their territories with their scratchy churring song. I had hoped our very knowledgeable guests could assist with picking out Great Reed Warbler song amongst them but today the beds were largely silent. Any disappointment however was quickly forgotten. A raptor patrolling low over the reeds caught our attention…a quick check in the guides just to be sure and suddenly a personal life first. A male Montagu’s Harrier, a great find for a marshland area and a bird of prey on my “must-see” for list down here in Spain.
We left the reedbeds behind and walked on through patchy, flat farmland. A Fan-tailed Warbler showed well with its “zeet…zeet” song flight and with a little patience we got clear views of Crested Larks feeding on broken ground off the path. I had expected to find Corn Buntings here but again today they were notable only by their absence.
One Padul regular however didn’t let us down. Woodchat Shrikes, first one, then another and another. All juveniles, markedly different from the adults with grey-brown upperparts and barred grey chests. The first youngsters I’d seen of a favourite local species, good to know they’ve bred at Padul successfully. As we turned for the return walk back to the car there was one more treat in store. An adult Woodchat Shrike on a wire? It seemed very big, and the tail looked long…the bird swooped down low and then away, but thankfully gave us one more look just for us to be certain. A Southern Grey Shrike, my second in Spain this year and a fantastic way to wrap up the first session of the day.
With some time spare before lunch we took a quick run up above Lanjaron to show our guests our local hillside…despite unexpected, noisy road traffic on the track we picked up an adult Woodchat Shrike, its chestnut cap and black and white plumage in sharp contrast to the young we’d seen earlier.
To get the best from the day we took an afternoon run out to a local mountain to the south of the village, another favourite haunt and, we hoped, a chance to see some of the different species the region has to offer. The rocky gorge at the foot of the track up brought good views of Black Wheatear and Blue Rock Thrush, and we decided to climb higher. Yet another Woodchat Shrike and the second Hoopoe of the day added interest on the slow drive uphill, before we stopped at some ruined mining buildings which often prove productive for a look around. A Black Redstart was a welcome sighting for me, and I was pleased to find Crag Martins for our clients after failing to see any in the gorge!
A female Black-eared Wheatear looked a little worn, possibly after the trials of rearing a brood of young…indeed, a group of juveniles confirmed this species has bred on the mountain this year, one moulting into the distinctive black and yellow-ochre plumage of the adult male. Perhaps the clearest and closest view of the day was of a Crossbill…just one streaky brown juvenile, which gave terrific views as it dropped out of a conifer to drink contentedly at an old water storage tank only a few yards away.
With time rolling on we took the winding drive down, with Gerry and Chris fearlessly enduring the white-knuckle ride…ample confirmation of Kiersten’s mountain track 4×4 skills! We stopped in the gorge for a rather flustered Red-legged Partridge to escort her four chicks across the road to safety, and with our day out drawing to a close headed back to Lanjaron.
All in all another fantastic day in the Alpujarras. Great company, great scenery and great birdlife. What could be better?….
