Sunday 15 March 2015

Mari Hannah with 'Deadly Deceit'

Mari Hannah and 'Deadly Deceit' where on the cover it is said that 'pure evil wears many disguises', and as it unfolds you will know that it does.
This is the third book that I have read following on from the 'Murder Wall' and 'Settled Blood' where her top detectives DCI Kate Daniels and her solid as a rock DS Hank Gormley battle not only with themselves, but the murdering kind as well.
She paints her characters with a vividness that steps off the page into our imagination. I like the way she writes about individual frailties that become exposed within the murder room and in the real world of the street. No one is perfect.
Her books voice our concerns about what we know is out here. The prejudices and discriminations
that hinder the freedom of choice. Kate battles with 'coming out' or staying stum so as not to hinder her possible promotion. I enjoyed the revelations about her sex/love life and the need to remain focused on her work that just gets in the way of emotional satisfaction.
Kate is a super-woman who has the apparent energy of a battalion of lesser people. Here I ask why do writers have to give their heroes more than they should?
I will not say a thing about the plots as you can read the back cover if you care to. Incidents are pulled together and the participants write their own story. There is one occasion where Kate is leaning against the wall at the nick and within a few lines she is opening a back door in a house. What occurred there? There is one other section that also requires a leap of the imagination.
If you want a hero, particularly a female one, then you have one here and there are others that can entice. You will know that it is much less of a perfect world that you may have thought before reading this fast moving novel.

El Hondo

Saturday 14th March.
Lots of cloud cover this morning with a small threat of rain. A cold wind and the lack of sun made it colder especially after the midweek temperatures of the high twenties. The incoming Swallows could have wondered if the journey north had been a good choice!
As always with wildlife they write the script and so it was when the Spotted Eagle (Águila Moteada) was perched as we drove down to the hides. It flew perched again and then it flew further away. It is a marvelous sight when it flies and it was close enough not to need binoculars.
The small tower hide easily contained the four of us and for the first time in weeks I was able to watch the lagoon and there was a lot of birds to be able to focus on. This eagle was seen perched, but in the distance for most of the morning. We were fortunate to have a very sharp eyed and knowledgeable birder with us that not only told us what he saw and heard but also imparted his knowledge. Among all the ducks, grebes and gulls a Lesser Black Backed was located, a male Pintail too, Black-necked Grebe in breeding plumage and finally towards the end of our stay three Baltic Gulls and what could have been a female Smew -what was that doing there?
In respect of the Baltic Gulls they have been seen here before, but they were a new species to me. I had to look them up when I got home and every time that I see a Lesser Black Backed I will look more intently.
Overhead Barn Swallows, Red-rumped too with one or two House Martins flew around. There were some Crag Martins with them and it cannot be to long before they head inland with the Marsh Harriers and Booted Eagles for the breeding season.
I seldom completed a species count and this morning it was forty seven. It is so good to have a site like this within 20 minutes of home. A great morning with some great company.

Saturday 7 March 2015

El Hondo

El Hondo Saturday 7th March.

Fairly low early morning temperatures with a light chilly breeze and temperatures climbing up to around 20C under a blue sky.

People wise it was busy, but with some of the birds on the water ways it was less so. The large area of water had numerous gulls, grebe, coots and ducks, with an Osprey Águila Pescadora) perched. I am told that the Spotted Eagle (Moteada) was seen perched and flying. It will not be too long before this big eagle flies north.

My purpose for this morning was to concentrate again on the Moustached Warblers (Carricerin Común) with many viewings both in the reeds and in flight. They are quick, but when they are seen through a scope it is a fabulous sight. They were full of song as well with more than one singing.
One birder thought that he could have seen an Aquatic Warbler (Carricerin Cejudo) which has a centre stripe on the crown unlike the Moustached (Carricerin Común) The Aquatics have been netted and rung here in the past but none of the acknowledged birders have not seen one here. Interesting and something to look out for.

Thanks to a local Spanish birder we had terrific views of four Penduline Tits (Pájaron Moscón) both males and females in the reeds very nearby. A most enjoyable morning with pleasant company and with sightings of Blackcap (Carruca Capirotada), Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común) and Cetti's (Ruseñor Bastardo) among the usual birds.