Hunting the Long-tailed Shrike ; Arboleas Bird Group (Almería) and a PS

T'was Tuesday evening late on when Antonio Miguel, one of the wardens at the Guadalhorce (a.k.a. my second home) ang to say that he'd seen what he was certain was a Long-tailed Shrike (henceforth to be written as L-t Shrike) at the ponds at about 19.30h. Suffice to say, yesterday morning (Wednesday) four of us searched for the bird as it really would have been a major rarity find. I think that I am right in saying it would have been the first for western Europe west of Hungary and I heard last evening that some UK birders were thinking of coming down if we could relocate it! (Recession? What recession?)

We searched high and low yesterday morning but to no avail.There were plenty of Whinchats, I counted at least 7 including some lovely males, a Common Redstart, some Willow Warblers (it has been a very good autumn for them with lots of juvs. to be seen), a lateish Spotted Flycatcher and plenty of other birds, but no L-t Shrike. Last evening I heard that there had been a possible sighting so, with renewed energy and in my case a very unhappy right knee, the search resumed this morning.

We sought it here, we sought it there, eight of us sought it every ******where but we didn't find it. We did find 2 Southern Grey Shrikes and 2 juv. Woodchat Shrikes (rather late in leaving us these last), various Whinchats, 2 Redstarts, 3 Sparrowhawks and at least 6 Booted Eagles wending their way westwards. There were very few waders, no 'shanks at all, a raher unhappy looking Ruff which may go on to the great mudflat in the sky, the way it was looking, and a couple of very smart Little Stints. But no you-know-what shrike.

So, did Antonio Miguel see a L-t. Shrike? I am certain that he did, he is a very good observer, but he has suffered from it being a single-observer bird which declined to stay around long enough for others to see. This is, of course, a well known problem for those of us have birded for many years and who often bird alone.

The Arboleas Birding Group went to Cabo de Gata on Wednesday (1 October):
Lovely sunshine with little wind. Heat haze was a problem later in the day. We had a good day, totting up 42 species. A few migrants were stacked up: Woodchat Shrike, a very stupid Reed Warbler near the public hide, who thought he was trapped 5ft 6" up a 6ft fence!! There were 22 Curlews feeding on the scrubland, together with a cricket-chasing Cattle Egret. The large numbers of Black-tailed Godwits and Avocets had moved on. 365 Greater Flamingos were counted. Bird of the day was a juv. Peregrine Falcon.
Still no further news re my camera etc. from the Guardia Civil.

(My thanks as ever to Dave and Gilly for adding some biological diversity to this site!)

PS: At home I did have a single Honey Buzzard go west right in front of the terrace while having a coffee just after getting back from the ponds, it being hotly and noisily pursued by one of the resident Kestrels which had a real attitude to its airspace being invaded! There is still a Pied Flycatcher in the garden.