THIS YEARS EARLY FIRST SIGHTINGS AND COMPARISONS.

On Thursday 6th April we were in the car by 7am and heading towards Murcia and the Guadalentin Valley. The river basin is huge and in the past it has been subjected to heavy rainfall and floods and deluges of mud. It was therefore no surprise to see a deep cut in the terrain that had been worn away over centuries. This provided another habitat which was surrounded by cultivated fields of green crops with some areas showing natural growth. These latter areas are what we concentrated upon. That is not to say we did not keep a skyward eye as this is a huge area with a very big sky flanked by the Sierra de Espunas and a lower ridge on the opposite side

We know that the best times are always the early ones and so it was today as we were on the ground assigned at 8am. The route that we took was motorway for the greater part and when we turned off we were on a dual carriageway which was only thirty four kilometers from Murcia. All of it was easy driving and then as soon as we were on the service road there was a Black Kite flying. Within another hundred metres we had an excellent and an unhindered view of a Little Ringed Plover with Crested Larks calling and feeding on the ground. House Sparrows too. (Later near some farm buildings Tree Sparrows were seen)

In the background was a stand of reeds and in the foreground some bare earth with some small vegetation in patches. On the edge of the road Spectacled Warblers flew between shrubs. We had great views and latter when we returned I saw both a male and a female in the same low bare shrub allowing a very good comparison between the sexes.



At this early stage a male Montague's Harrier flew. Later and in the deep cut of the river three Marsh Harriers flew of which one was clearly a male. We also identified one Booted Eagle and in the very far distance a large raptor was seen. Unfortunately there was nothing that was visible to allow an ID. Then our first sighting for this year of a Short Toed Eagle.

While all of the above were being seen Larks were everywhere and on at least two occasions we saw Short Toed Larks. Obviously we would have wanted to add to our list a Lesser STL. but not this time. Stone Curlews were calling, flying and on the ground too.

As we approached an old reservoir Bryan saw and with a good enough view to make an identification of two Red Avadavats. They flew quickly and perched on a fence just allowing me to get a brief view of them. They looked almost black as they perched, but the photograph below shows what a colourful bird they are. I know that they are not indigenous, but we will add them to the list with the Common Waxbills that we saw last May in Extremadura.



Our day was still to be added to as we could hear Greater Spotted Cuckoos calling and then we again had terrific views of this species flying and perching together to be photographed. The one image shows the slight distinction between the two genders. We enjoyed watching them and of course there were Magpies in the area too!



We had already heard Bee-eaters and then we saw at least twenty on a wire where we could watch them and hear them easily. Another first for this year and then six clustered on a fence close together which would have made a terrific photograph except a vehicle came past and they did not return for the photoshoot.

Along a service road that runs parallel to the dual carriageway there are access points for animals to pass underneath and to allow drainage. At one point water was still flowing and that is where we had an uninterrupted view of a Green Sandpiper. What a really smart bird!



This is a massive area to explore and there is so much more to see. Obviously spring is a very good time for a visit and we intend to repeat the experience soon. One of our target birds was the Spectacled Warblers and in four different locations we watched them, but there were all the other good sightings of different species that were a pure joy too.

The cameraman was very busy and this allowed for some identifications to be made, some record shots too with only the good ones put forward to be seen. What a great day for both of us.