It’s a bright sunny day in the first week of April, and the hirundine community, soaring and swirling over the house and out across the valley, is growing by the day. House Martins into double figures have joined their resident Crag Martins cousins as they float overhead, and beautiful Barn Swallows have joined the throng, swooping past as they hug the ground.
Nice moment today then, as the third member of the family to return from African winter quarters made its first appearance. My first Red-rumped Swallow of the year…skimming over the garden low enough to see the buff-yellow rump and the tell-tail uniformly black underside of the tail. Four species of hirundine over the house at one time! The Red-rumped Swallow is a Mediterranean speciality however, and only a rare vagrant further north. For me very much a bird of the Spanish summer and a welcome seasonal visitor to the hills and valleys around the village of Lanjaron.
Preferring to nest in more remote, undisturbed locations than the familiar and equally beautiful Barn Swallow, the Red-rumped was a completely new species for me as I arrived in Spain…now it’s a sure sign the weather’s warming up and today’s sighting made a welcome first-of-the-year for the new month…
Don’t forget to keep checking the reports for all our latest birdwatching news…we’ll keep you all up to date!
