It’s a bright Wednesday morning, and the Spanishhighs crew are off to explore the hillsides and walking trails of the Lecrin valley. I’m coming along for the birdwatching of course…with migrant summer visitors arriving every day it was a nice chance to check out a new patch.
We headed out into the hills and valleys southwest of the village of Albunuelas. Nice bit of habitat this…the green, wooded slopes and desert-dry riverbeds really looked quite promising, and we weren’t disappointed. An adult Bonelli’s Eagle showed really well within no time at all, the sun catching the white plumage of its chest and the characteristic pale patch on the bird’s back. With only a few hundred pairs left in Europe this powerful, hawk-like eagle is in decline throughout its European range…a real Alpujarran speciality and a great start to the day.
The familiar calls of Blackbirds, Chaffinches, Great Tits and Coal Tits broke the silence as ever, but we’re only in the second week of March and the woodland was still pretty quiet. A jay-like screech did stop me in my tracks though, and a thrush-sized bird flashed down the hillside behind me. Fast, undulating flight…female Golden Oriole? Too fast. Typical.
Above the hilltops, a first for the year…Common Swifts, straight back from African wintering grounds, high up and heading inland. Swifts eat, drink, sleep and even mate on the wing. They spend more time in flight than any other species…hard to believe some of these birds may have been aloft for up to three years. Truly remarkable creatures.
It was worth the walk uphill, to briefly clear the trees. Great views, big skies…and pretty soon Kiersten spotted another big bird of prey. Pencil-line fine barring across the chest and out through the wing, pale from below but for the distinctive dark brown hood…no doubt about it, our first Short-toed Eagle of the year. Fantastic! The season has most definitely begun…
As ever, we’ll keep all the news coming in over the next few weeks. Please keep checking the posts for all the updates!
