With the weather finally improving I headed out to the crags below the village today, to find a number of our summer species have finally returned from African wintering grounds. The walk out gave me Goldfinch, Serin and Blackbirds, and a bright, spring-plumage Stonechat as I left the main road. Sardinian and Dartford Warblers were calling loudly… Read more »
Not for the first time, a large raptor circling quietly over her house had Kiersten reaching for her camera today – as she found a passing Griffon Vulture had drifted straight onto the list for April. There is no doubt that numbers of Griffon Vultures in southern Spain have increased enormously in the last thirty… Read more »
March has been a wet and windy affair so far, and with the weather showing no real signs of improving I stayed on the home patch today, and went to look for one of our more colourful – and elusive – year-long residents. A widespread, breeding species across much of the Mediterranean region, the Blue… Read more »
A flash of brilliant, electric blue as it crossed the pool in front of the hide today left no doubt as to its ID of course, as we finally put this unmistakable, iconic species on our lists for La Charca de Suarez. Just like the guide books say, it was a surprisingly difficult spot amongst… Read more »
With visiting hours now limited for the breeding season, we made the most of a brief break in the weather today and headed down to Motril, for another evening walk around the pools and reedbeds of La Charca de Suarez. We watched a Little Ringed Plover in the car park while we waited for the… Read more »
Despite grey skies and showers we made the most of the mid-March weather today, and put thirty species on the day-list with a productive few hours at our local wetland reserve at Padul. We picked up Spotless Starlings and House Sparrows around the visitors’ centre as we arrived, and headed for the shelter of the… Read more »
While we wait for the spring passage to begin in earnest we visited La Charca de Suarez again today, and found an interesting mix of both wintering species and the first new arrivals of spring. With Yellow-legged Gulls floating overhead we saw four adult Night Herons roosting in their usual spot as we arrived, and… Read more »
We saw our first Yellow Wagtail of the year here in the last few days of February…and we’ve kicked off the new month at La Charca de Suarez with more close-up views of this stunning summer migrant. The Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava has a huge seasonal range across Europe, and the species shows complex, geographical… Read more »
Terrific views of wintering Bluethroat at La Charca de Suarez have been one of the highlights of the birdwatching year so far, and this seasonal visitor has made it onto the lists for the third month in a row. No sign yet of them leaving for northern breeding grounds, and yesterday’s visit to this remarkable… Read more »
EN
Sierra Nevada Mountain News