Estepas de Yecla Again

Following on from our exploratory trip last Monday we decided to go to Estepas de Yecla, This is a favourite area for us and has produced some great specimens. Bryan had visited two days previously with success. However, no two days are ever the same, and today as the humidity hung over the valley the sky was laden with grey. We turned off A31 at Caudete and by 8am we were watching two Yellow Wagtails - they were striking in colour - feeding on a verge with Meadow Pipits. Not a bad way to start a day! However it was chilly, the temperature was only six degrees with a cold wind. We could hear Choughs and we had good sightings of them throughout the day. Ravens called and we saw a pair of them several times. Magpies were everywhere and our final sighting of them was twelve of them in a very raucous bunch. We expected to see Great Spotted Cuckoos around them and we only had one firm identification from earlier.

Three species of Wheatears were viewed with Black Eared showing very well. Larks too and eventually a Thekla was heard to call and later in the afternoon we had good views of two. Needless to say Crested were easily seen, as were Calandra, with also some Greater and Lesser Short Toed. We were blessed with a terrific view of two Little Owls perched on a pile of stones. They are such beautiful birds to see.

We explored other roads that we had not taken before and, for the first time, drove the upper road that goes past the Solar Site. We had thought that some of the scrubby area would yield warblers but this was not the case perhaps it being too cold in this late spring.

Our objective for the afternoon was to find Sandgrouse as Bryan had seen sixty previously. Eventually we heard them and a flock of twenty plus flew from our right and then within minutes at least an equal number flew from another field. These were Pin Tailed with not one Black Bellied to be seen or heard.

We also wanted to check out Lesser Kestrels and near the farm buildings we saw three Kestrels flying over and diving down into a stony, roughly cultivated field. We had good views of them and through the camera’s lens we were able to establish, that one at least, was a male Lesser.

We had decided to drive through from Caudete and when arriving at he Yecla end we then turned around. On the opposite side of the Yecla/Caudete road we had very good views of Woodchat Shrikes and we later saw them again toward Caudete. There is no doubt it is beneficial to go down the farm tracks and go past the fields either side and away from the main thoroughfare. We only had one Buzzard to show for our diligence and no repeat of a Golden Eagle from the previous Wednesday.