16/11/08

The good, the bad and the ugly

Well, what a day today (Sunday, 16/11) has been, and the heading sums it up, but let's start with the week first.

THE GOOD! Monday, 1o/11, down by the river with my faithful dog, a single Common Swift in immaculate condition (no broken/worn feathers) treated me to five or six very low, very fast fly-bys, and I learnt later that Israel Lozano had seen another (or very probably the same one) over the centre of Málaga bout an hour earlier. The same day down at the Guadalhorce ponds Antonio Miguel logged in a flock of 34 Cranes over-flying, and there are also some back at Fuente de Piedra.

On Thursday afternoon, 13/11, Federico and myself spent a very pleasant three hours wandering around the Guadalhorce, not a lot of birds but a couple of Wigeon, a single Greenshank and three very nice Snipe were sufficient.

I have mentioned that it's not unusual to see Griffon Vultures down on th coast at this time of year during their migration, but also on Thursday Samuel Peregrina saw two 1st year Black Vultures over the centre of Málaga. No, no mistake although one who should have known better queried the identification, which rather annoyed Samu, and I'm not surprised!

This morning, 16/11, was pretty good, really, with some the domingueros and, of course, Antonio Miguel. We saw a couple of Penduline Tits, a cracking male and a juv. with no mask at all, a Blue Rock Thrush - they do come down off the sierras in the winter but this is the earliest I can remember seeing one, a total of 7 Teal, some of the males very smart in the morning sunshine and a Richard's Pipit, is it the same bird back to winter for (I think) the fourth winter? Paco Villalobos and Paco Rivera swore blind they had seen 2 immature Rollers - they are unmistakable and everything tallied! We heard a Little Bittern, a few do over-winter in southern Spain, and Antonio had heard a Water Rail during the week. Here endeth the good.

THE BAD There are always half-wits on bicycles, usually mountain bikes, who tear along the tracks at high speed. No bell, no warning and we have been waving them down to slow them down. Federico usually tells 'em what a bell is, but if they don't one day there is going to be a major accident with a child or dog on a lead getting hit. And today one idiot, head down, high speed, with earpieces to listen to his mp3 or whatever, hit a leg of my tripod. Down went tripod, down went 'scope. Tripod wrecked for ever, 'scope battered at the front end but the optics seem to be alright, however, it will have to be checked out which means sending to Germany as Zeiss have no technician capable of dealing with it Spain - a major oversight, I feel.

THE UGLY Me in full verbal flight and not mincing words about the guy, his parentage, what would have happened to him if it had been a child he had hit, or even more my dog - I'd have killed the s.o.b.! But words don't go far in assuaging what I feel or what it'll cost as he had no insurance and it would cost more to prise cash out of him than pay the repairs myself, lawyers tending to show a strong affinity to leeches or tics. Paco reckoned I had scared him badly and if I see him there again, I'll have him- subtly of course, but I will.

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