4 December: I'm back again!

Yes, I'm back again after the entry on 31 October and I hope that this time it's permanent . What happened was that on evening 10 November, aftear a trip down to La Janda, I was putting together a blog, stopped to make a cup of coffee (strong and black, shaken, not stirred) and when I came back the screen of the laptop was blank. In fact, it was blanker than the combined brains of the government (choose any you want). My computer adviser and know-the-lot who earns his living sorting out the idiosyncrasies of the damned things came and collected it and shortly thereafter rang to tell me that it had died. Not just died. It was totally dead and the hard disc had broken into several parts so that it was buggered, totally and absolutely. So, go and buy a new laptop, a Lenovo 4GB, then try and get the thing running. Got e-mail working eventually then it wouldn't accept Picassa 3 so I couldn't load any happy snaps and finally, yesterday, all was up and running.
The next task was downloading seeing how much I had lost, the answer being no photos out of several thousand and none of the book (wiped sweat from fevered brow at that point, believe you me!). Some documents have been lost to memory dear, including all my rarity descriptions. It could have been a lot worse. There's a moral in there too!
So here goes with a brief resumé (it's a French word meaning resumé), I don't know why they can't say summary like the rest of us who speak proper.

White Stork (not carrying baby)

10 November, La Janda: A smashing raptor day with no less than 5 Imperial Eagles including an adult bird, 3 immature Bonelli's Eagles, 5 Common Buzzards and 7 Marsh Harriers, including  a very nice adult male. There were thousands (honest, it's a quantative analysis, I've never seen so many together on the deck) of White Storks and also 189 Cranes, always nice to see and hear. Seen too was a Wood Sandpiper and a Water Rail heard doing it's pig squealing act.

Bonelli's Eagle 1Y

Buzzard (R) which should think a bit before having a go at a Bonelli's Eagle (L)

14 November: A late Barn Swallow rocketting west in front of the Guadalhorce.
19 November, La Janda: Another trip down but not quite as good for raptors as the previous one witdh only 4 Buzzards, 4 Marsh Harriers and lovely male Hen Harrier. The rest of spp. seen was much as to be expected.

Don't drink and fly!

Anyone's relative?

20 November, Zafarraya: I went with Bob Wright and some of his members and had a very pleasant walk along the track westwards under the railway bridge and a bit further. The bird of the day was undoubtedly a dispersed Citril Finch which offered brief views, with the usual Golden Eagle fly-over, a male Peregrine hunting at jigh speed along the cliff face, presumably in hope of knocking off a thoughtless Crag Martin. There were lots of Black Redstarts, Black Wheatears and singles of Rock Bunting and 3 Rock Sparrows. There were also some mountain goats, but there are not generally known to fly.
1 December, río Guadalhorce: A walk along the left (west) bank in lovely sunshine followed by a look at the sea revealed 20 Shelducks swimming happily (I presume that they were happy), 7 Shovelers and 13 Common Scoters (which had increased to 17 by the following afternoon), plus a few Gannets and 3 Sandwich Terns.
So, that's me up to date.

By the by, thank you to anonymous who, after the first abortive return, said that he/she (I may have female followers) was gladto see me back. I think I'd wait a bit next time! Still, it was a nice thought and shows that someone cares.