The skies above the crags of the ridge below the village are busy once more. The number of House Martins and Barn Swallows floating over the house increases every day, and a pair of Ravens continue to occasionally drift by, much to the annoyance of our resident Kestrels.
Everything as it should be as I worked in the sun. Dusk brought a real surprise however. Familiar screaming trills from the cliff-face, a sound I’d not heard since the end of the summer last year. Alpine Swifts, maybe twenty or so, chasing and swirling like a flock of waders along the ridge, just as they did before they headed south for Africa last year. Wonderful stuff.
With a wingspan of nearly two feet and their unmistakable bright, white chests these giant swifts are an impressive sight. Despite their yearly migrations these remarkable birds mate for life…they’re rare, too, north of their Mediterranean range. Definitely a bird I’d always looked forward to seeing down here in the Alpujarras.
A personal favourite of mine without a doubt, and a nice first for the year. It’s a terrific time of year for the birdwatcher down here right now, so please as always keep checking our updates and reports…
