23/04 : Vélez Rubio

As I have not been out except to slowly walk the dog and the rest has been flyovers or in the garden, which latter has produced my first Spotted Flycatcher of the year, plus now I am preparing for going off in the direction of Lanzarote and then two full days way out on the ocean blue Saturday and Sunday (will I be able to withstand 05.30-21.00? Answer next week), returning Monday, I am most grateful to Dave & Co. for this account of their trip today.

By the by, for those in the west, the immature Bateleur Eagle was seen again yesterday along with some Griffon Vultures in the La Janda region.

Thankfully the winds had subsided as we headed to the cafe off junction 6 of the A91 east of Velez Rubio. Here we, Val, Rob, Gilly and myself, met up with Dave, Myrtle, Colin, Sandra and Adrian. After coffee we had a wander over the road where we could hear Golden Oriole. Alas no sightings for Val and Rob who'd never seen one, but we did put Barn Swallow, Pallid Swift and Rock Sparrow amongst other commoner birds on the list. We then had a tour round the country lanes of Adrian's patch, stopping for individual birds on power lines or suitable stopping points. 
In the process we had good views of Woodchat Shrike, Black Wheatear, Corn and Cirl Buntings and a distant Short-toed Eagle. By this time we'd been joined by Helen. The ultimate stop before we got to a stream I spotted about 7 Griffon Vultures circling above the María Mountains. We also heard a common Cuckoo.

       At the stream we heard Cetti's and Reed Warblers in the reeds. The sound of a Golden Oriole tempted Val, Rob and I towards the trees nearby. Eventually a superb male flew off giving us a short but good view. The vocal Nightingale remained unseen. Also seen in the area was a Cattle Egret, Little Grebe, Zitting Cisticola and Greenfinch.    
We then made our way towards the dam and reservoir. On the way we saw a Little Owl, a few Rollers and numerous Bee-eaters on the power lines. Also seen was a Kestrel, Booted Eagle and Red-rumped Swallow. Val also spotted at least 3 more Golden Orioles as we drove past woodland.

       At the dam we saw Crag Martin, a solitary Red-billed Chough and Rock Dove. Colin spotted a Green Woodpecker. On the water there must have been at least 20 Great Crested Grebes  but not a lot else. A couple of Yellow-legged Gulls and a single Whiskered Tern were add to the day list.

       It was then down to the pine forest for a picnic lunch overlooking the water. A Common Sandpiper was seen, the only wader of the day. A Great Spotted Cuckoo and another Green Woodpecker flew across the water. In the trees we spotted Long-tailed and Blue Tits, Crossbills and Chaffinches while Griffon Vultures circled above us.

       51 species for the day. A very enjoyable tour. Thank you, Adrian.

The news via Facebook regarding our intrepid cyclists, Tony and Val, is that they've completed about 900kms and have seen the back of the Loire river. Wishing them good luck and better weather.