The Spanish Highs Mountain Guides team have been out and about above the snowline again, and Richard returned with some great snaps of a favourite species from our pine forest habitat. Crossbills are birds of spruce, larch and pine woodland, and use their specialized crossed beaks to prise the seeds from the cones of these [...]
December continues to bring us the best in winter birdwatching, and today it’s the turn of another of our wonderful Alpujarran raptors. Sadly Bonelli’s Eagle Aquila fasciata is scarce and localized over much of its range, and with maybe only around 1000 pairs left in Europe this strong and potent predator is a key local [...]
More fantastic winter birdwatching down here in the Alpujarras this week, as our local birds of prey continue to take centre stage. Kiersten has returned with some fabulous new shots, giving us a chance to take a closer look at some of our most spectacular species. With a two metre wingspan the Golden Eagle Aquila [...]
It’s a bright, crisp December morning and I’m working on the hillside above the village. A good chance to catch up with some seasonal birdwatching of course…the Alpujarran winter has a lot to offer, and today belonged to our local raptors. The olive groves and orchards are a little quieter now, but familiar local favourites [...]
It’s late in the afternoon, and the Birdwatchalpujarras team have spent a distinctly breezy day out at the wetlands of Padul with a group of clients. With some daylight left, we had the chance to fit a final quick challenge into the day: could we possibly find our new friend Karen a Blue Rock Thrush? [...]
Unlike many of its migratory cousins the Dartford Warbler Sylvia undata is a year-long resident in Europe, and often pays the ultimate price during harsh winters. Numbers fluctuate dramatically according to the severity of the weather, especially on the lowland heaths of the south coast of the UK, where the species needs special protection at [...]
The sight of a Buzzard patrolling the hillside above the village had me back-checking our posts today…and it looks like they reappeared at about the same time last year. With our Short-toed and Booted Eagles having left for wintering grounds in Africa there’s a vacant niche to fill locally at this time of year, and [...]
We’re in the third week of October, and I thought, at least until today, that the last Golden Orioles had left for their wintering grounds in sub-Saharan Africa. Not so, apparently…the instantly recognizable “we-weeeooo” call was a pleasant surprise as I worked on the hillside above the village today, and added this flamboyant, tropical bird [...]
With the month rolling on we’re making the most of the October sunshine and are off up the mountainside above Lanjaron. Although many of our summer visitors have now headed south for the warmth of African wintering grounds there’s still plenty to see, and there’s always the chance of something new and unusual… As ever, [...]
As summer visitors leave, so autumn visitors arrive. Blackcap have a year long presence over most of Spain but for me they are most definitely a bird of the cooler months down here in the Alpujarras. The orchards and olive groves fill with an influx of birds from northern breeding grounds at this time of [...]
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