At last! I got out birding today and a very welcome outing it was too. I met Bob Wright (see his blog at http://birdingaxarquia.blogspot.com/),his wife Jenny and his brother-in-law Chris at Fuente de Piedra at 1030 (more or less).
A beautiful morning, but cold it was, as the frost on the grass and the large areas of ice on the fresh water with the Shovelers and Coots standing around looking miserable testified. But, as I was wrapped up like an onion and there was no wind and some very feeble sunshine which would hardly have warmed the cockles of anyone's heart, I was at least warm.
On the main lake, there were very few flamingos, just one flock of perhaps 250-300 birds and with nothing smaller standing in amongst them Neither were they feeling very frisky as I saw no display, which one usually does at this time of year. No head stretching and extending the wings en masse as they do when feeling the hormones running. All very sedate. There was a nice spread out flock of feeding Little Stints,some 40 birds I reckoned, and a couple of Dunlins thrown in for goo measure whilst a few Black-winged Stilts were around. A flock of Lapwings stood huddled up and not looking too overjoyed with life, and later we watched a solitary bird which really was very smart. A single Shelduck looked rather out of place and lost as it shoveled through the mud.
We had good views of a Southern Grey Shrike and I heard Skylarks fly over before Bob & Co. arrived. Anothe illiterate Hoopoe was seen (according to the field guides they are supposed to be in Africa now but some are seen as far north as Madrid even).
We had a look at the smaller ponds behind the centre, the main one being the Pantaneta del Pueblo with a nice hide. There we saw a couple of Green Sandpipers an a single Common Sandpiper, 3 nice Black-tailed Godwits which woke up and started feeding frantically. There were a lot of Shovelers, the ubiquitous Mallards, a pair of female Teal and some more which we didn't see but could hear chirruping (they don't sound in the least duck-like), another pair of Black-necked Grebes. A large lump of raptor on the opposite shore, unobligingly partially hidden by growth, caused a lot of thought. Whatever it was, it didn't worry a rabbit (mentally retarded?) which came to inspect it at a distance. After 300 or so photos by Bob and we still hadn't got a clue, a female Marsh Harrier dropped out of the sky and attacked it, whereupon 'our' bird took flight and revealed itself to be another immature Marsh Harrier.
From there we went on to the observation point - the mirador - at Cantarranas, stopping to watch a flock of Cranes, splendid birds, which included an adult and a young bird which afforded very good views. The view from the mirador at Catarranas gives a great view of the whole lake which was hosting several thousand gulls, I guesstimated around 15.000, with at least a 75% accuracy! 'An awful lot' would probably be a far better quantitative estimate.
At this point, we split and I returned to Torremolinos, but not before having a nice female Hen Harrier fly across the road in front of the car, excellent views of it. It was a very pleasing finish to a good morning's birding with very pleasant company.
7/1/09
7 January, Arboleas Bird Group, Almería
I have hardly been put at all, apart from the occasional hour early in the morning trying to spot colour ringed gulls on the shore at the Carihuela (Torremolinos), trying to fend off festivities, still struggling with a right knee which refuses to improve mobility and trying to renew work on the seabird guide for a UK publisher and there is a total lack of bird news from me, the Guadalhorce being remarkably quiet. I am, therefore, very grateful to Gilly and Dave for their report of the Arboleas Bird Group outing to the Rambla Morales area (Almería) and to Dave for the three photos with which this report is enlivened.
Hi All,
Due to the fact that only one 4x4 vehicle was available, four of us ventured down to Rambla Morales on our weekly Wednesday trip out. The weather wasn't great. The odd drizzly shower and grey.
We got to the beachside chapel and had a wander round, seeing the usual Chiffchaff, Stonechat, Greenfinch and Serin, the latter two in largish flocks. We then carried on along the bumpy track, hence the 4x4, towards the pool at the far end. On the way we saw about 50 Golden Plover & missed many more in the scrubland, no doubt. Out to sea, a single adult Gannet and a few Cormorant.
We were greeted at the pool by a flock of 25 Trumpeter Finch. There were waders and ducks in small numbers. Shoveler, Mallard, Gadwall, Teal and White Headed Duck. Ringed & Kentish Plover, Sanderling, Little Stint, Turnstone & Curlew. A single Black-necked Grebe was present. A Peregrine Falcon made a flypast as did a flock of 10 Shelduck.
We ended up with a count of 38 species. Attached are photos of a Sanderling, which I noticed was ringed when I downloaded the photo. Also a Little Stint and the Black Necked Grebe, which I didn't
"Red-Eye" out!
Gilly & Dave Elliott-Binns
Hi All,
Due to the fact that only one 4x4 vehicle was available, four of us ventured down to Rambla Morales on our weekly Wednesday trip out. The weather wasn't great. The odd drizzly shower and grey.
We got to the beachside chapel and had a wander round, seeing the usual Chiffchaff, Stonechat, Greenfinch and Serin, the latter two in largish flocks. We then carried on along the bumpy track, hence the 4x4, towards the pool at the far end. On the way we saw about 50 Golden Plover & missed many more in the scrubland, no doubt. Out to sea, a single adult Gannet and a few Cormorant.We were greeted at the pool by a flock of 25 Trumpeter Finch. There were waders and ducks in small numbers. Shoveler, Mallard, Gadwall, Teal and White Headed Duck. Ringed & Kentish Plover, Sanderling, Little Stint, Turnstone & Curlew. A single Black-necked Grebe was present. A Peregrine Falcon made a flypast as did a flock of 10 Shelduck.
We ended up with a count of 38 species. Attached are photos of a Sanderling, which I noticed was ringed when I downloaded the photo. Also a Little Stint and the Black Necked Grebe, which I didn't
"Red-Eye" out!
Gilly & Dave Elliott-Binns
31/12/08
the art of eating well at Christmas
In view of the lack of input into the blog in recent weeks, and having received the following gem on the culinary delights of cooking and eating cormorants by courtesy of Ernest García, this seemed to be a splendid way to see out 2008. I do hope that nobody feels ill after reading this - you have been warned!
When the smoke has cleared away, take the cormorant down and cut off the beak. Send this to the local Conservancy Board who, if you are in the right area, will give you 3/6d or sometimes 5/- for it. Bury the carcase, preferably in a light sandy soil, and leave it there for a fortnight. This is said to improve the flavour by removing, in part at least, the taste of rotting fish.
Dig up and skin and draw the bird. Place in a strong salt and water solution and soak for 48 hours. Remove, dry, stuff with whole, unpeeled onions: the onion skins are supposed to bleach the meat to a small extent, so that it is very dark brown instead of being entirely black.
Simmer gently in seawater, to which two tablespoons of chloride of lime have been added, for six hours. This has a further tenderising effect. Take out of the water and allow to dry, meanwhile mixing up a stiff paste of methylated spirit and curry powder. Spread this mixture liberally over the breast of the bird.
Finally roast in a very hot oven for three hours. The result is unbelievable. Throw it away. Not even a starving vulture would eat it.
From Countryman’s Cooking, by W.M.W. Fowler, published by Excellent Press, 9 Lower Raven Lane, Ludlow, Shropshire, SY8 1BW. Tel: 01584 877803. Available from Times BooksFirst at £15.25, free p&p: Call 0870 1608080
When the smoke has cleared away, take the cormorant down and cut off the beak. Send this to the local Conservancy Board who, if you are in the right area, will give you 3/6d or sometimes 5/- for it. Bury the carcase, preferably in a light sandy soil, and leave it there for a fortnight. This is said to improve the flavour by removing, in part at least, the taste of rotting fish.
Dig up and skin and draw the bird. Place in a strong salt and water solution and soak for 48 hours. Remove, dry, stuff with whole, unpeeled onions: the onion skins are supposed to bleach the meat to a small extent, so that it is very dark brown instead of being entirely black.
Simmer gently in seawater, to which two tablespoons of chloride of lime have been added, for six hours. This has a further tenderising effect. Take out of the water and allow to dry, meanwhile mixing up a stiff paste of methylated spirit and curry powder. Spread this mixture liberally over the breast of the bird.
Finally roast in a very hot oven for three hours. The result is unbelievable. Throw it away. Not even a starving vulture would eat it.
From Countryman’s Cooking, by W.M.W. Fowler, published by Excellent Press, 9 Lower Raven Lane, Ludlow, Shropshire, SY8 1BW. Tel: 01584 877803. Available from Times BooksFirst at £15.25, free p&p: Call 0870 1608080
18/12/08
Arboleas Bird Group trip, 17 December
I have been rather out of touch with the real universe (ie. the birdy one) because of circumstances beyond my control. Therefore I am really pleased to be able to put in the chronicle from Dave and Gilly with the Arboleas Bird Group. The photos are also Dave's.
Hi all,
As we left Arboleas the cold winds were blowing off the snow covered mountains, but as we reached the Cabo de Gata reserve it was obvious there was little or no wind. There was however a roaring sound coming from the beach. It sounded like a distant train, but we discovered later it was only the large rollers breaking onto the sand. As we were on a time constraint due to a later carol service, we didn't spend a huge amount of time at each hide and didn't venture to the lighthouse.
Gilly's usual count of the Greater Flamingo population found 186 individuals there. Hiding amongst them she spotted a pair of Spoonbill. A single White Stork was an unusual find. The usual waders were there in small numbers. Grey Plover, Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank, Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Avocet, Little Stint, Dunlin and Black-winged Stilt. A single Spotted Redshank was flushed from a large puddle
round the rear of the reserve There were large flocks of Serin, Greenfinch and Linnet. It was nice to see about 30 Trumpeter Finch (photo R) and some Lesser Short-toed Lark. A few Shoveler, Mallard and Shelduck were the only wildfowl seen. No Black-necked Grebe, which was unusual for this time of the year.
Our next proposed trip is the 7th January, so Gilly & I wish all a Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
Hi all,As we left Arboleas the cold winds were blowing off the snow covered mountains, but as we reached the Cabo de Gata reserve it was obvious there was little or no wind. There was however a roaring sound coming from the beach. It sounded like a distant train, but we discovered later it was only the large rollers breaking onto the sand. As we were on a time constraint due to a later carol service, we didn't spend a huge amount of time at each hide and didn't venture to the lighthouse.
Gilly's usual count of the Greater Flamingo population found 186 individuals there. Hiding amongst them she spotted a pair of Spoonbill. A single White Stork was an unusual find. The usual waders were there in small numbers. Grey Plover, Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank, Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Avocet, Little Stint, Dunlin and Black-winged Stilt. A single Spotted Redshank was flushed from a large puddleround the rear of the reserve There were large flocks of Serin, Greenfinch and Linnet. It was nice to see about 30 Trumpeter Finch (photo R) and some Lesser Short-toed Lark. A few Shoveler, Mallard and Shelduck were the only wildfowl seen. No Black-necked Grebe, which was unusual for this time of the year.
Our next proposed trip is the 7th January, so Gilly & I wish all a Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
8/12/08
Yellow-headed Blackbird in the Guadalhorce
Paco Rivera went to the Guadalhorce today and met a Belgian woman, Michelle (I know not her surname), who I had met some weeks ago. As Paco's French is like my Swahili and Michelle speaks no English, the usual medium was the guide. She had seen and identified and Paco later photographed a beautiful male Yellow-headed Blackbird, obviously an escape but a bird which brightened a damp December morning for them.
long time, no write blog
True, long time no write but things have been a bit on the pear-shaped side of things with the older female of the family rather unwell and about ready for the knacker's yard at the rate she's going (she can't read English, ha-ha!)so a lot has devolved around myself, even unto cooking (I hate bloody food, why can't we have tablets?), hanging up and taking down washing (wonderful for reflection about the meaning of life!) and cleaning (why every day? Why not until you can write your name in the dust?).
The last time I was at the Guadalhorce was Sunday 1 December and was it cold! It was the weekend when there was snow on all the sierras, on Tejeda-Almijara over the eastern side of the bay (below left), and inland behind the Guadalhorce a lot on Sierra de las Nieves (below right).
Really, the only birding that I've done has been bits and pieces when I've been able to escape. I have been doing occasional flying visits to the beaches and port at Fuengirola to look for colour ringed gulls,
with some success at least.
Most of the colour ringed gulls are Lesser Black-backs but trying to see the rings amongst a forest of legs and bodies, plus the disturbances from nasty little children and some mentally retarded adults like the wobbly grease-ball that waved her arms at them and kept flushing them because the she liked watching them fly. She'd have flown with a 12 bore shotgun, the way I felt about her antics!
These gulls have included a rather nice adult Mediterranean Gull green 3E8 which was ringed in France in 2006, which means it is now in its first winter as an adult. 
The green ring can be seen and read quite well in the enlarged photo (useful these digital cameras).
Left is a 1st winter bird and a 2nd winter bird on the right to show the differences.
(The photos are mine, all mine!)
The last time I was at the Guadalhorce was Sunday 1 December and was it cold! It was the weekend when there was snow on all the sierras, on Tejeda-Almijara over the eastern side of the bay (below left), and inland behind the Guadalhorce a lot on Sierra de las Nieves (below right).
Really, the only birding that I've done has been bits and pieces when I've been able to escape. I have been doing occasional flying visits to the beaches and port at Fuengirola to look for colour ringed gulls,
with some success at least. Most of the colour ringed gulls are Lesser Black-backs but trying to see the rings amongst a forest of legs and bodies, plus the disturbances from nasty little children and some mentally retarded adults like the wobbly grease-ball that waved her arms at them and kept flushing them because the she liked watching them fly. She'd have flown with a 12 bore shotgun, the way I felt about her antics!
These gulls have included a rather nice adult Mediterranean Gull green 3E8 which was ringed in France in 2006, which means it is now in its first winter as an adult. 
The green ring can be seen and read quite well in the enlarged photo (useful these digital cameras).
Left is a 1st winter bird and a 2nd winter bird on the right to show the differences.
(The photos are mine, all mine!)
22/11/08
Fuente de Piedra and Campillos
This afternoon in fit of madness I took off for Fuente de Piedra to try and see if there was (a) any water to speak of and (b) anything worth seeing on said water or its fringes. As it turned out, the answer to (a) is that there is very little water (which can be partially seen or guessed at in the photo below)
and to (b) that there was very little of note, none of those pink things (I have just finished translating a very interesting paper which summarises the past 24 years at the laguna,) a few rather brassed-off Lapwings which were the only waders, a scattering of Mallards and Shovelers and about 6.000 gulls, basically Black-headed and Lesser Black-backs with some Yellow-legged thrown in as an afterthought. Pretty bad.
After the fairly disastrous visit to Fuente de Piedra except for 4 Cranes on the way to Campillos, I took off to have a quick look at the Laguna Dulce, except that there's no laguna as it's been dry for ages. So, you will ask, what is the attraction of the place? The attraction of a dry lagoon is that in the bed of this one, admittedly distant, there are often Little Bustards. In fact, they were feeding in field near the road before the pull-off, so I shot in like a frightened rabbit, grabbed camera (the binocs were already around the neck) and crept out of the car to try and get a better look at them, in which I succeeded partially and also managed to count them, about 42 I reckoned and took a photo. I gently walked a trifle nearer and they flushed, they usually do. A quick photo before they pitched down rather further away and enabled a better count, this time 52 of them. Very nice.
The two heavily manipulated photos show first the birds in the field and it can be seen how difficult they can be to pick out in a field in the first (try counting them quickly and remember this photo is enhanced!) ....
..... and below in flight where the white in the wings sticks out wonderfully and is a good identification feature.
Click on the photos to enlarge them, it helps a lot!
and to (b) that there was very little of note, none of those pink things (I have just finished translating a very interesting paper which summarises the past 24 years at the laguna,) a few rather brassed-off Lapwings which were the only waders, a scattering of Mallards and Shovelers and about 6.000 gulls, basically Black-headed and Lesser Black-backs with some Yellow-legged thrown in as an afterthought. Pretty bad.
After the fairly disastrous visit to Fuente de Piedra except for 4 Cranes on the way to Campillos, I took off to have a quick look at the Laguna Dulce, except that there's no laguna as it's been dry for ages. So, you will ask, what is the attraction of the place? The attraction of a dry lagoon is that in the bed of this one, admittedly distant, there are often Little Bustards. In fact, they were feeding in field near the road before the pull-off, so I shot in like a frightened rabbit, grabbed camera (the binocs were already around the neck) and crept out of the car to try and get a better look at them, in which I succeeded partially and also managed to count them, about 42 I reckoned and took a photo. I gently walked a trifle nearer and they flushed, they usually do. A quick photo before they pitched down rather further away and enabled a better count, this time 52 of them. Very nice.
The two heavily manipulated photos show first the birds in the field and it can be seen how difficult they can be to pick out in a field in the first (try counting them quickly and remember this photo is enhanced!) ....
..... and below in flight where the white in the wings sticks out wonderfully and is a good identification feature.
Click on the photos to enlarge them, it helps a lot!
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