April in the Alpujarras…and the birdwatching is getting better every day. Another great first of the year today, with the return of one of my most favourite seasonal visitors, the Woodchat Shrike. Only thrush-like in size and basic shape, shrikes however have sharp, hooked beaks and strong feet…potent, keen-eyed predators and every bit as deadly as the smaller falcons.
Shrikes will watch their patch intently from a favourite post, darting suddenly to seize prey in flight or by dropping to the ground. Woodchat Shrikes are typical of the family, and as summer rolls they can be a common sight on the hillsides and roadsides around the village. The open countryside, orchards and scrubland that surround Lanjaron provide the perfect habitat for this Mediterranean speciality, with an abundance of the large insects, lizards, small birds and rodents on which it feeds.
Thought I might have seen one a couple of days ago, as did Kiersten. Again, just a glimpse today, as I spotted a familiar outline perched on an overhead wire as we drove into the village. The black mask and the clean, white chest were however a giveaway…and I didn’t need to see the characteristic chestnut cap to know that our Woodchat Shrikes were definitely back in the neighbourhood. Fantastic!
Shrikes as a family are vulnerable to modern, environmental pressures and habitat loss is a key factor…intensive modern farming has sadly diminished the range of most European species. Not everywhere though…and the Woodchat Shrike continues to thrive in the older and slightly wilder landscape of Andalucia. Summer simply wouldn’t be the same without them…
