Thursday morning, and as usual I’m “doing the rounds” and checking out what’s going on before I start work. It was the beautiful, bright song of a Blackcap that got me out of the flat today, I tracked its calls from tree to tree around to the back of the house as it stayed in deep cover all the way…but as is often the case with these elusive birds, on this occasion it just didn’t want to be seen. I was soon distracted by other activity and the “hoo-wit” call of a Phylloscopus warbler soon brought great views of…a Chiffchaff? Definitely a flush of lemon yellow around the chest on this one, eye stripe good and strong, but it took pale yellow-brown legs put it beyond any doubt. Willow Warbler! Great views here as it flitted between the foliage of the orange trees, and a brand new passage species confirmed for the season in Spain. Excellent!
The weather was kinder this morning and all the usual regulars showed well…a noisy party of Great Tits passed through, adding to the background chatter of the House Sparrows and the curious “R2-D2″ beeps and buzzes of the Spotless Starlings higher up the hill. A juvenile Blue Rock Thrush showed well yards from the house yesterday, but today it was a Grey Wagtail that caught my eye, pecking around on the drive of the property next door.
Serin and Chaffinches always add a splash of colour and as ever I could hear Sardinian Warblers calling from cover, but I’ve been concentrating on the new arrivals these past few days. Another Phylloscopus warbler showed well now, almost identical to the Willow Warbler of moments earlier, but I’m certain I can see the slightest of differences in tone in the plumage and there was no hint of pale yellow here. Difficult birdwatching this! Black legs would have wrapped it up beyond any doubt but for now I’m as confident as I can be that this was a Chiffchaff and that both closely related species are currently here.
A walk with the household’s dogs down the river and beyond was a chance for me to map out some new paths and off we went. A handful of House Martins and the odd Red-rumped Swallow are still swooping and swirling around the cliff-face above the river but I was pleased to see good numbers of Crag Martins today, rather sombre, grey-brown year-long residents but every bit as expert in the air as their migratory cousins.
A single Grey Wagtail passed overhead and the inevitable calls of Bee Eaters accompanied us along the way. A flock of about forty or so circled above us calling constantly, with some darting down to join the hirundines hunting over the river bed. We passed through an olive grove and I finally got the views of a Firecrest that I’ve been waiting for. A pair this time, ignoring me completely as they flitted animatedly between the olive leaves, giving their “zeet, zeet” calls and showing their fiery crests and bold white eyestripes superbly. Good stuff.
Further uphill we passed a stand of broom and giant flowering grasses and I heard a call I thought I might have heard closer to the river. The metallic, explosive song of a Cetti’s Warbler, almost echoing off the rocky slope behind it…a few minutes spent waiting for even a brief glimpse proved predictably pointless as this secretive bird stayed firmly hidden.
A nice walk today, with a new route for me to follow in the future. With the Willow Warbler now in the season’s mix of course I suspect the conf
usion isn’t entirely over. As always, we’ll keep you posted!…..
