Clot de Galvany & The Mouth of the Segura

The last day of the month saw sun for all the day with the temperature going into the high teens but with a cool breeze. I was at Gran Alicant by 8am and our first visit was to Clot de Galvany. Here we saw clear evidence that the migration was flowing. High up there were some Swifts with Crag Martins operating much lower down. We saw our first Barn Swallows passing through just over our heads. We spotted a Song Thrush in the bushes, a Cetti's called, Chiffs flew and a Robin ran along the path.

There has been a considerable clear up of vegetation and from either hide viewing was very good. We saw Red-crested Pochards, Teal, Shovelers with the usual Moorhens, Coots and Grebe. A Snipe flew and in the reeds Penduline Tits called and three were seen. We had clear views of them and according to Bryan these birds were a first for him in that location. It looks that we should pay more attention to this small reserve.

We then went to our usual spot just down the hill from the Santa Pola turn-off, but it was quiet with the usual only to be seen. This time there were four Lesser-black Backed Gulls and on an adjacent lagoon numerous Slender-billed Gulls too. At the Salt Tower there were Yellow-legged Gulls with the ubiquitous Black-winged Stilts and one Redshank. We moved on to the next pull-in by the large stones and through the scope at some distance we saw Eurasian Wigeon (20), two groups of Great-crested Grebes, eleven Spoonbills and numerous Flamingos. Flying close to the lay-by were two Sand Martins.

We went past El Pinet and instead went to the mouth of the Rio Segura where we intended to scan the sea for both Razorbills and even Scoter. We saw twenty of the former but none of the latter. I counted 150 Black-headed gulls and there were a number of Mediterranean Gulls with two close by on the beach waiting to be photographed. It would have been nice to see one in full breeding plumage, but maybe later on in the year.



A Common Sandpiper moved about the rocks and was photographed.



In the trees there were Chiffs, Serin and we heard and saw Greenfinch. A Grey Heron stood in the middle of the river which shows how shallow it is.

We then headed towards El Hondo and with the intention to locate any flooded field. We did see many White Wagtails, but no other Wags. and Meadow Pipits were feeding too. A Green Sandpiper flew in the usual place. A female Stonechat obligingly perched for a photo and we did see very briefly a male Dartford Warbler and in a second location there were more Penduline Tits. Again we had a singing and flying just over our heads a Fan-tailed/Zitting Cisticola. We conversed with two fellow birders who said that they had seen Red-rumped Swallows.



We had two clear views of Marsh Harriers, and two raptors in the distance with one being a Buzzard. We came back via the camino to Santa Pola and hoping to see more early arrivals, but again no cuckoos.

Another great morning out with Bryan and with photos to prove some of it. Estepas de Yecla next week and that will be my last outing in Spain until April.

Razorbills in Torrevieja

Sunday 26th February was very misty which had cleared by the time we arrived in Torrevieja. It was the morning of their annual 10K and Half-Marathon. There is good evidence that spring has obviously arrived and later we were in full sun and the temperature went into the high teens.

Apart from the races and all the noise I walked out along the breakwater by 'The Man of the Sea' and before I had walked even half of the length I saw a small dark bird in the water and then I saw the unmistakeable shape and colour of a Razorbill/Alca Torda (in Spanish Alca Común). This second bird was easily viewed as it was only 100-200 metres distant, I watched it preening itself and splashing around in the water.

Crónicas Naturales de Torrevieja is worth following and this ad alerted me to the presence of this species and also in the inner Marina there were three Great-crested Grebes all which paid no attention to the noise of Sunday morning TORREVIEJA.

A SINGING SING THRUSH MORNING AND MUCH MORE

Both January and most of February had produced heavy rain at times, high winds and a lot of cloud without that much sunshine. However the temperatures have been slowly rising although we have still had some wind and rain.

On the morning of 23rd February I headed towards Gran Alicante to meet Bryan Thomas. It rained, but we knew that it would finish early. With a leaden grey sky we stopped at the lagoons opposite 'Playas de Las Brisas' and we were immediately rewarded by Chiff-chaffs flying near us and with Cetti's Warbler singing loudly and giving us clear views. A Cormorant with good facial colour and white courtship patches showing fished in full view. Slender-billed Gulls were numerous. Little Grebes, Shellduck, Little Egrets, and Grey Heron were seen as well. On a sandbank there were three Lesser Black-Backed Gulls, several Yellow-legged and Black-headed Gulls and with one solitary Audouin's Gull. As we were leaving Bryan spotted a Water Pipit on the edge of a puddle on the opposite side of the road. We later saw more of that species as travelled towards El Hondo.

Next stop was at the Salt Tower where two Turnstones flew and in the poor light there was not that much to see and so we moved on. The lagoons at El Pinet were disappointing. Water levels were high and margins were not existent. Crested Larks called and so did Iberian Green Woodpeckers. A Robin flew. We drove on to the beach and a pair of very sharp eyes picked out a solitary Razorbill.



Eventually I could get a clear view through the scope. Great stuff and first for both of us in Spain. As this was happening four Oystercatchers flew across our vision heading north. Again, another first for us in Spain and we were on a roll!



As we carried on towards El Hondo we scanned the skies for any Hirundines that might be passing through, but apart from an abundance of Crag Martins these were the only ones that we saw. They are always good to see especially as they were just over our heads. On the back road we looked hoping to see the early arrivals of Great-Spotted Cuckoos, but to no avail. In doing so we saw Hoopoes and Southern-Grey Shrikes both into double figures, and a few Serin, Goldfinch and Magpies. A male Blue Rockthrush perched on a roof and then flew down.

Again we heard and had good views of Iberian Green Woodpeckers and one posed long enough for the camera.



Remarkably we had several clear views of Song Thrushes and we watched as one perched on a wire singing away. Spring has already arrived!

It had been a raptor free morning, but we did see both Buzzard and Booted Eagles, but only distant. In one waterlogged field I counted ten Glossy Ibis. Cattle Egrets flew in and there were both Water and Meadow Pipits feeding with White Wagtails. In passing a Green Sandpiper flew and in the reeds a Zitting Cisticola/Fan-tailed Warbler popped up to give us an uninterrupted sighting. We spotted a single Greenfinch. In the distance we could hear the raucous calls of Jackdaws and then four perched. These birds are so underrated.

It was very disappointing at San Felipe Neri. We took the boardwalk, but the water was opaque and there were not that many birds showing. In fact it was almost a wader less morning with one Little Stint only. Common Pochard were on the next water. There were Red-knobbed Coot with the yellow mark on their white foreheads visible. A Purple Gallinule stood close to us resplendent with the bright red parts and the sheen of its plumage. Bryan heard Penduline Tits calling and we saw just one Bluethroat.

Going past the North Gate we saw our first Kestrels of the day. It was now 1pm and we were delighted with what we had seen. The rain had stopped completely by nine and there was only a light breeze and then at about 11o'clock we saw the first glimpse of sun. The temperature had risen from 12 to 22 degrees. It is definitely warming up and things are on the move. Perhaps the same again for next week or something similar and then hopefully Esteppes de Yecla the following week before we we go to Poland on a guided trip with WildPoland. Mosquitos were not evident.

All Photographs by Bryan Thomas Copyright 2017

Drugs in Nazi Germany

Norman OHLER, an award winning German novelist, has produced this book, BLITZED, which is about drugs in Nazi Germany. These simple words do not outline the horror in which OHLER uncovers in his trawl through the archives in Germany and in the U.S.A.

The Third Reich wanted to be viewed as pure and unblemished, but the story told here is that it was permeated with drugs: cocaine, morphine, heroin and with methamphetamine, more commonly known as crystal meth. It was marketed as Pervitin that allowed the body to function without sleep for days. This is how the 'blitzkrieg' soldiers kept up the pace of their advance and overrun their neighbours.

The 'fat doctor' and Hiltler's personal physician, Dr. Theodor Morrell was the entrepreneur with ambition that drove the production of anything that he could concoct not just for his master, but for all those either requiring it or required to take it. It is an amazing story of power for one man who had the ear of Hitler and whom Hitler depended upon for his daily treatments. In the end it all became far too much and The Führer was a wreck prior to his suicide.

There is a paragraph with the heading 'Business Trip to the Concentration Camp'. The camp being Sachsenhausen a place for many unfortunates of mixed backgrounds. One perfidious speciality of the camp was the 'shoe-walking unit'. A special track of 700 metres was laid down and inmates were made to walk under intense pressure to test the toughness of non-leather soles. It is said that 20 died each day. I suppose it compares with the other cruelties and behaviour associated with The Nazis.

It is a factual read and helps our under standing of some of what happened. According to the last sentence on the fly BLITZED forms a crucial missing piece of the story. It is very well translated by Shaun Whiteside. This is a must read for anyone exploring the facts behind The Reich.

Origins of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity

I found this book to be an immense read not only because of my interest in history, but mainly of my maternal family connections. It has helped me to understand more about some of Polands complex history and current situation and the standing of Jews over the centuries. I will add to my knowledge when we fly into Warsaw next month

It would be easy to use a cliché, such as 'this book moved me', but the use of these words are not adequate and do not do any justice to either my feelings or the narrative of this book.

It is a history retold, with personal stories of many individuals and of his own journey in the discovery of his ancestors. Added to this is the horror that he discusses and the trail of two men from Lviv, in the east of Poland, and their journey west and finally to make a significant contribution to the War Crimes Trials in 1946 at Nuremberg. Herschel Lauterpatch and Rafael Lemkin, who were remarkable men and responsible for the inclusion of the terms 'crimes against humanity' and 'genocide' in the judgement.

The stories and the format are so well constructed that in many ways it is an easy read, but don't be fooled because there is attention to detail and the instances of pure horror are stark. Hans Frank, the butcher of Warsaw, who was condemned to death at his trial is a significant part of this book, but there is so much more included in it.

Written by Philippe Sands, a professor of law at University College, London and a practicing barrister and a frequent visitor to the International Criminal Court and World Court in The Hague writes with attention to detail and format as one would expect. It is also his personal journey of investigating a part of his family's past. The detail and effort is amazing.

The morning after I finished this book there was a news item showing two smiling happy faces. Both suffer from Down's Syndrome and if they had survived infancy during the 1930's they could have been two of Hitler's early victims. I think that moments like that rams home the horror.

The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare

On Thursday evening the theatre company 'Cheek By Jowl' performed William Shakespeare's The Winters Tale in El Teatro de Romea situated in the historic part of Murcia. The theatre is grand and was built in1862. It was through a chance conversation that we - some members of Actor Community Theatre Group - learnt of this one night performance. We were lucky. It was a tremendous evening and we left with a 'buzz'. Afterwards we went for a drink in one of the restaurants that are in the Plaza Julián Romea and this was fortunate because many of the actors too came in for a drink.

I was not familiar with this play and it was to be our first Shakespearean experience in Spain. It was in English, sub-titles in Spanish were above the stage for the many locals that were there. Many of them being young and maybe at university. Whatever there understanding may have been the many 'standing ovations' at the end showed theirs and our pleasure at a great and outstanding performance.

It was in modern dress and the set was simple and it worked. The noise of the storms was loud and the effects of lighting to change the atmosphere worked very well. The cast moved around the stage with style, energy and coordination. The scene with the bear feasting on the shepherd was done with projection and noise. The court room scene used a camera and with a screen behind the speaker. All so very effective.

It has been described as one of his problem plays and grouped in with comedies, but some commentators have added the label 'as one of his late romances). The first part is heavily psychological and the second part is comedic and there is a happy ending. The closing acts are fun with a strumming guitar and song and dancing. The Shepherd and his boy invoked the Irish brogue when discussing two missing sheep. We had a ceilidh performed for us and then the ending.

The origins of this play may have been inspired by Robert Greene's pastoral romance produced in 1588 that was much earlier than Winter's Tale which did not appear until The First Folio in 1623. I know there are disputes as to who wrote when and with whom, but does it really matter? Of course, for the purists and lecturers it just provides something to speculate about. After all plagiarism is rife!

We came away pleased, excited and so grateful that we had made the effort. As far as we were concerned it was a stunning performance and we enjoyed all of it.

It was directed by Declan Donnellan with set design by Nick Ormerod.

We liked it, but Helen Shaw's review said that Brooklyn gave it a frosty reception and the Chicago Tribune only granted three stars. But what do they know after all look who their President is!

Too windy for birding

The weather here is sunny with some cloud and there is a chance of rain, but this should be minimal. The temperature range is mid to high teens with a low of no more than 7 degrees. It is the wind that is the main problem ranging between 36 to 25 k per hour. And that appears to be the forecast for the next week or so. If you intend to fly over and go birding this note may put you off.
A note on FaceBook from a visitor to El Fond/Hondo was limited to seeing Glossy Ibis flying overhead and the ubiquitous Black-winged Stilts.
I will carry on doing some more writing, jobs around the house and a visit to the wood yard.

Non-league Football & The Six Nations Rugby

Every Saturday holds expectation for me. I always hope to get out early to see what is flying and in the football season there is always a game to listen to or watch. Saturday, 4th February, offered Hereford FC playing AFC Slimbridge in Gloucestershire. At the same time a football league programme and the first games of the Six Nations with England taking on France at Twickenham.

I had read earlier that Slimbridge had prepared well in advance with extra facilities, including a temporary bar and additional toilets. All of this being necessary because there lowest home Gate as only 46 and their average one below a hundred. The Hereford away support helps the home club with extra revenue. On this day the Gate was 886 and was the best one ever for them.

Hereford United having expired in December 2014 had now reshaped itself into Hereford FC and are leagues away from their intended destination of the Football League. This second season is their next step into another higher league. Non-league football is important for the game and the distance between that and Twickenham or Wembley is enormous, but it is all the lower leagues where much of the interest is created. Watching a game on TV is okay, but being there and feeling part of it is so good. So, back to the game at Slimbridge for they have embraced the occasion and for them it is 'their cup final' on their home ground and what could be better. It could be said that the current success of my home town football team who are 21 points ahead of the second place team have painted my thoughts with high expectations. Okay we gained three more points.

Now to the Six Nations three games over the two days and a feast of rugby to be had. At the same time as watching the mega stars in national arenas my mind drifts back to wet afternoons on playing fields around the corner. Enjoy both is my message.

Okay back to AFC Slimbridge and in the days of bad news there is some good news to report.with the banner head line AFC SLIMBRIDGE THANK BULLS SUPPORT. The secretary Colin Gay thanks Hereford FC supporters. We have had many messages from your supporters praising us for how we organized the event. It is so pleasing when your fans take time to thank us for our efforts and you should be very proud of them.

Isn't that not only nice and good.

Is modern poetry worth reading

It is time to emerge from the shadow of the reluctance to speak out on the simple matter of what actually is poetic.

The members of Stanza Mar Menor have looked closely as to what is being written, who by and who is doing the judging. One other member and myself looked at the winner of the Ledbury Poetry Festival competition of 2015. We looked at the writing of others to the extent of trying to understand what did it all mean. We took a look at the backgrounds of the winners and of the judges. It was not difficult to see that 'academia' was judging 'academia'. You could almost say that it was judging itself. It seems that this endemic in the majority and that the ordinary poets are virtually guaranteed to be paying without any hope of ever winning. I do not think that is fair or honest.

So, the question is 'what is the person in the street actually writing?'. What is the common man or woman saying in verse? Within competitions, can there be a voice heard after the first sifting? I doubt it. I suppose that Poetic Republic tried to address this where entries into the competition were judged by other entrants and we did participate in that.

I have been prompted into this piece of writing as a member of Stanza Mar Menor has recently died and he was the consummate professional when it came to metre, rhythm and rhyme. He railed against what he saw 'was not poetry'. Here was a man that could write a sonnet before breakfast with the correct rhythm and rhyming scheme.

Douglas Hill in his book Streams of Conscience wrote in his short verse, 'On Poetry',

They spun sweet words, but now we hear the chime
Of dissonance, all hope of cadence failed,
While stricken lovers of past times bewailed
The loss of language pure, of verse sublime'

He does say however and ask

'Can this be regarded as a crime?'

He was never pretentious to the extent that he realized that language, with words, moves on.

I am a member of the Poetry Society in London and the poem of the month recently was one by Jacob Polley called Applejack. I read with wonderment! The wonderment of not believing what was on the page in front of me. I don't understand it. I don't like the look of it. I can forgive him for the spaces - seemingly placed at random - if it is intended to be performed. Likewise the poem Nightlines and both are contained in his prize winning book Jackself the winner of the TS Eliot prize for poetry and worth £20,000. The chair of the judging panel, Ruth Padel who has been the Oxford Professor of Poetry described it as 'a firework of a book'. She is entitled to her opinion.

The question now is what do the 'ordinary' writers do?. There is a simple answer to that is that we keep on writing with cadence, rhythm and even rhyme (if you have to!) and with honesty. If others want to carry on 'in fashion' and do what wins prizes then that is okay, but I am not playing.

It has been asked will some of the modern writing of today be remembered and discussed like Seamus Heaney, Dylan Thomas, or William Wordsworth. I think there is not a rat's chance in hell for that. We like what we like and it is good to change; to challenge what we do and how we do it and that is why I will not stick unpleasant labels on someone else's efforts. But I am entitled to say that I don't like it and whether it is poetic or not.

Where are the words that ordinary mortals write next! I will keep doing what I love to do, but now without the oversight of a man who has now left us permanently - the inspirational Douglas Wilson Hill.

After the rain

The last couple of days of January saw some sunny days with the temperatures getting into the high teens. The dormancy of early spring appeared with Hoopoes calling, Collared Doves cavorting, and flowering plants. The areas of untended ground that had been green now contained bright flowers. I noticed Groundsel had already flowered and was about to cast it seeds to the wind.

Then the local employees of the Town Hall came around and removed bushes and smaller shrub like growth paying no regard to the insects, bees and spiders that need shelter and somewhere to feed. They will spray next and a food source will be destroyed.

The early hint of spring is now delayed and overcast with cloud and a chance of some rain.
Crónicas Naturales say that Harbour Porpoises have been seen. I am looking forward to some clear sunny days, but that will only be next week now.