MOUNTAINS OF ALICANTE

 MOUNTAINS OF ALICANTE. THIS TIME MAIGMO

Well, in March the migration got well and truly underway and we got at it. After Monnegre last week it was Maigmo this morning. The sun was out and only a light breeze. Ideal. At times it was shorts and ‘T’ shirt weather and it was beautiful. Gareth kept a tally of species seen and that was 17.

For me it was never the total count that matters it is the quality sightings and we had ‘a-star-burst-day’ yet again. We took it steady, searching and listening as we went. In the usual spot Wood Larks (maybe 5/6) - Totovia were showing and as we moved on steadily up we observed many cock Chaffinches - Pinzon Vulgar and with only one sighting of a female. These maybe garden birds back home but mountain birds here. I love seeing them. Blackcap - Curruca Capirotada were singing, it seems, everywhere. It was thought a Peregrine -Halcón Peregrino flew through very fast. So only a possible.

We headed on up to the balcón with car parking and picnic area and where the birds are used to people. Feeding in the gravelled area were two stunning male Rock Buntings - Escribano Montesino and possibly one more in total. They were difficult to photo as they moved in and out of shade. We had almost given up on this location when Bryan saw them in the car park. A terrific sighting.

We went down to go up and hoping at the other summit, at almost 1200 metres, we thought we might see some passing Swifts - Vencejo, but even though we searched the skies there was no Hirundine in sight.

In the distance and at the extreme of vision, two large ones but too far to call. But if you keep looking something will turn up and two Ravens - Cuervo flew up from the Agost side. Maybe our first sighting on this mountain. Also one Kestrel, a male and with two middle tail feathers protruding maybe a Lesser - Cernicalo Vulgar o Prímula? Must pay more attention next time!

On the way down Bryan heard the soft call of Firecrest. We stopped, paid attention and over our heads calling away there they were. One of them showed an ‘inflated’ crest. The photo will prove it. Not just a lateral crown stripe of red but a wider one and raised too! According to the ‘bible’ - much orange on crown usually visible when relaxed - and I think we got that. It was too obvious to miss. I learnt something today about this species.

Add into the mix Mistle Thrushes - Zorzal Charló that flew in front of us and except for Blue Tits - Herrerillo Común all other members of that family that we would expect to see in the woods were seen. 

Wonderful sightings of birds in excellent condition and what is so good there were so many more that have yet to arrive and we will see eventually. We hoped to see Bonnelli’s Warbler - Mosquitero Papialbo but not yet but we do know where we can see them. So much to look forward to. Next week then and after Semana Santa.

AGATHA CHRISTIE WITH LORD EDGWARE DIES

 Book Review

Title.            Lord Edgware Dies

Author         Agatha Christie

Publisher     Agatha Christie Ltd &

                    Planet Three Publishing

                    Network Ltd

This story is one of The Agatha Christie Collection and it comes in a beautiful bound book that feels so nice in the hand. Clearly, that would not be ever enough because it is the writing, the story, plots and of course characters. Here there is Captain Hastings and Hercule Poirot who drive  the book onwards.

The scene is Central London where wining and dining are a fact of daily life with little mention of anyone working class. Theatre performances, dinner parties and those that cosy-up to the lords and ladies. It is about class. Location is an important factor and with the characters that the author has created there is no time to be bored, but one must pay attention. There are many events and the incidents continue at pace.

Of course, Hastings and Poirot, seem to have so much power over Scotland Yard and the bit player to the intrigue, Inspector Japp, who tries to assert his authority but is only ever second to the grey cells of Hercule Poirot and one could say second class too.

Her writing is a lesson for detail and there can be no confusion as what actually happened, when and my who.  There is a letter by the culprit in the last chapter saying how it was done. I loved it for the style and the play of how it could have been in that era. Just wonderful to have read it.

Agatha Christie is the methodical and meticulous mistress of plot. 

What next? Well, the rest of her collection are on the shelf, but I may try a Ruth Rendell story next. The choices are many.

MONNEGRE

We never ever go out on Saturdays because the hunters are banging about and there can be other people spoiling our peace. However we just had to, this week, rather than lose a chance to miss another day of the migration and new arrivals. We wanted to give Warblers a good crack and go yet again to Monnegre but this time take it slower, stop at more places and seriously check more sites.

Traffic wise it was quiet but there were many cyclists to be avoided. We made good time for the first part and again Trumpeter Finches - Camachuelo Trompetero were there waiting for us. They were not at all fazed about passing cars and cyclists and stayed to be photographed. Only a pair this time and they were in good shape. We checked on photos from last July and this bird had worn feathers. Okay it may have been after a breeding season and our two birds will probably not have bred and/or travelled far. We discussed the knowledge that we had of this species and also what info is available. The answer to the latter is not a lot and Gareth is going to investigate. Wouldn’t it be very good to find a nest. We also discussed the apparent lack of interest of others in not bothering to seek these finches out.

At first our attention was drawn to flying, circling and chatting Choughs - Chova Piquirroja of which they were over 40. That’s a good size population. So beautiful to see and hear.

My intention for the morning was to seek out arrivals, check on the spring flowers and what butterflies were to be seen. It was breezy for most of the time and so any butterflies - mariposa soon went by. Photographs will follow.

We moved on and stopped as usual by the bridge. There were birds around but nothing showed clearly except a female Blackcap - Curruca Capirotado. 

We usually go up through the village to the top point. This time we stopped at the fork in the road where the left turn is a track. Here we had luck because Subalpine Warblers - Curruca Carrasquena had been seen previously and today they were there again. Gareth got a perched bird, another tick, and Michelle and I saw flying birds. It pays to be patient.

We took the unmade track and ‘broke fresh ground’ and with another good result. There sitting in the clear on a low pine branch was a male Crossbill - Piquituerto Común. It was holding its own on the branch bouncing in the wind and not easy for photos either. It was very good clear low sighting. It flew after a while and I saw it fly from out of a rock pool. Stunning colours too.

We have a tendency to save the best for last! At the ‘lone tree’ a Dartford Warbler - Curruca Rabilarga was heard and found in a bush within 10 metres. The photographs will show how stunning this male was. My best views ever. He entertained us well. Now for next week and we think Maigmo.

We also saw a lone Red Rumped Swallow passing through.

Two Swallow Tails went past, both small and large Whites were around but only a few. No snakes this time and the only mammal was a mouse. We will keep looking.

Species count - not that many but the quality of sightings made our day.

RICHARD OSMAN’S THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB

 Book Review

Title.            The Thursday Murder Club

Author         Richard Osman 

Publisher     Viking - as an imprint of 

                     Penguin Books

If you never have heard of Richard Osman or seen him on TV you could be considered out of touch with my world and the world of many. He is currently involved in two BBC shows, Pointless

(And that is a seriously good name for any show) and House of Games that I love. The book cover is bright and very obvious unlike some of the intrigue that can be encountered within. He’s clearly into Foxes as there is a bushy tailed one smack in the middle of the cover with others in proliferation once the book is opened. Is that random or is there a reason for it?

Why would anyone set a crime story within the confines of a ‘retirement village’ is a fair question. For me, the answer is simple. There are inmates with ‘loads of baggage’, bags of experience of life, not wanting to vegetate and a desire to look into the past with ‘cold cases’ and with real intentions of showing the ‘old bill’ up. The team of four, two men, two women to keep it gender even but you will find out which one of them thinks they are running the show. Characters drive this book forward and they do show love to the living alone D.C.I. and his recently arrived side-kick. It’s just fun.

Seriously there is death, in one case, in front of the assembled pensioners and of course a very cold set of bones from a past misdemeanor. There’s kindness too, compassion even and love.

It took me a while to get into and then I really enjoyed the read. It moves at a good pace and it has it’s own style. In a world of bad news and restrictions it’s a mood up-lifter.

MOUNTAINS OF ALICANTE

Trumpeter Finches at Monnegre

These are iconic birds for us.  It has taken many visits and a lot of effort to know that this is an established site.  We have done the miles and spent the hours, even on aborted trips elsewhere.  I think we should have a T-shirt made.

Maigmo next.

Fabulous photographs of Wood Larks.

It is so good for us to have a birding buddy that is able to capture these great photographs to enjoy later, thank you Bryan.

A DAILY HAIKU

 Thanks to The Daily Haiku which I see everyday I can read other people’s thoughts and I have written many but not lately.

This one easily fits into my thoughts and my world. Here it is by Kerry Cracknell

Slow down. Look around.

See Spring unfolding. Give thanks

For nature’s beauty.

An invitation to a few words in simple language that is a reminder of what we should do and enjoy.

Thank you.

LEGAL JUSTICE

I receive updates from LEGAL JUSTICE. Although I am more concerned with what happens in U.K. I detest any killing of wildlife. It would be nice to see that ‘we’ have moved on from “killing-for-fun”, but we have not. Killers do not respect borders and so I have included all the comments for the rest of the U.K.

My blog from yesterday shows the beauty that is out there. It’s great and should be protected.

The update below is all from LEGAL JUSTICE

Good morning!

 

This newsletter provides an update on Wild Justice's activities in all four of the nations of the United Kingdom.  Just two years after our public launch in February 2019 we are still youngsters exploring the art of the possible. But our aim is to make a difference for wildlife right across the UK.

 

Northern Ireland:

 

Having challenged the general licences (which permit what we regard as casual killing of birds) in both England and Wales, with some success, we are paying close attention to those in Northern Ireland and Scotland too. Last week we sent a letter to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland pointing out that their general licences are, in our view, unlawful. The current general licences expire in September and we have put DAERA on notice that we will be looking very carefully at their new licences. They may face legal challenges unless they change their licences materially. If you live in Northern Ireland we may ask you to help us get changes to these licences depending on DAERA's response, which we expect soon.

 

Scotland:

 

Scotland poses particular challenges for our work because the Scottish legal system is distinct from that of England and Wales and lawyers must be qualified in the Scottish system to operate in Scotland. Our brilliant legal team At Leigh Day and Matrix Chambers can operate in England, and can easily transfer what they have learned in English cases to Welsh cases, but Scotland is different and we will need a different team of lawyers to take legal challenges in Scotland. That's one reason why we have supported the legal challenge of Trees for Life on Beavers in Scotland rather than taking our own challenge.  But we are making progress in developing the capability to challenge public bodies in Scotland ourselves. Bear with us please - these things take time.

 

Wales:

 

Our challenge of Natural Resources Wales's general licences did not result in them being declared unlawful but did produce very important clarification of the conditions that apply to them.  NRW swore to the court in their evidence that the conservation licence GL004, was only valid for use to protect certain species of birds, in the breeding season and in areas where those birds actually nested.  We could call this the 'present risk' model, and it's a very useful clarification of the intention of the licensing authority. We in Wild Justice are glad that our legal challenge produced this clarification.  It's important because a large part of the user community for general licences appear to have believed that the licences allow landscape-scale culling - we call this the 'anywhere, any time' model. The anywhere, any time model will result in thousands of birds a year being killed unlawfully in Wales and put those people operating in that way in danger of facing legal proceedings themselves.  It would clearly be good for wildlife and good for those people wishing to use the general licences if the clarification made by NRW in a public court hearing was made widely known to people with guns and traps.

 

To cut a long story short, Wild Justice has asked NRW, in writing and in an online meeting, to make these points clear. NRW staff have refused.

 

So we have written to the Chair of NRW, Sir David Henshaw, asking him to ensure that NRW makes the conditions of their current general licence GL004 explicitly clear on their website. You can read our letter - and we have asked for a response by 29 March.  We'll let you know what response we get and we may ask for your help in asking NRW some questions on this matter, if that is needed.

 

England:

 

Thank you again to everyone (not just those living in England by the way) who responded to the DEFRA gamebird consultation. We'll be monitoring carefully what DEFRA does next.

 

But we have news of further actions too. First, we are compiling legal and factual dossiers to send to a public body in England in the very near future. We'll be able to let you know about this quite soon.

 

Also, we have sent a formal legal letter to a public body in England on the subject of lead ammunition and we expect a response to that letter at the end of this week.  This is separate from, and in addition to, the food samples that are being tested for lead levels. Wild Justice believes that it is time to stop the widespread use of lead ammunition as lead is a poison. It is bizarre and unacceptable that it is routinely shot into food and scattered widely into the environment.

 

 

If you like what we are doing then please consider making a donation through   PayPal, bank transfer or a cheque in the post.

 

That's it for now. Thank you for your support!

 

ALICANTE MOUNTAINS

 WITHIN SIGHT OF THE CITY OF ALICANTE - GREAT MOUNTAINS, GREAT VIEWS AND GREAT BIRDS

 I love going to the mountains. Both Monnegre and Maigmo are only a few kilometres inland from Alicante and they are easy to travel to. We wanted to see what was on offer during the migration and to investigate again very different habitats. We also knew that we could not properly cover both mountain areas in the same day but we gave it a good go with terrific results. The forecast for the next five days is poor with rain forecast (in varying quantities) and with a significant drop in temperature. Snow is even forecast for Tibi at the weekend! So we went out while the sun was still shining.

Wednesday 17th March had a clear sky with little wind. It was ideal. We usually do Monnegre first and at the lower levels we seldom see anything worth mentioning and we entertain ourselves  counting Collared Doves - Tortola Turca and the tally came to 47.

We always take it slow, looking and hearing, as we go although we never expect to have a large list. We say it is quality that matters most and we got that. Over a ridge we could hear Chough - 

Chova Piquirroja

Our main priority was to visit the Trumpeter Finch - Camachuelo Trompetero site and within minutes two females and one male perched in full view. We have never seen them in winter time and don’t know whether they disperse after breeding or migrate somewhere. The good news for us is that we found these rare finches once more. We are amazed that others don’t seek to find them too.

Within minutes a Bonnelli’s Eagle - Águila-azor Perdicera flew right over us and away in the distance and we wondered if our day could get any better? We had a clear sighting with no need of any ‘bins! So great to see.

Further on a rasping call alerted us to the fleeting image of a Great Spotted Cuckoo - Criala Europea. We remained nearby and then two flew around and we had really good views. If others can see them first we can see them later - just by a day or so.

Within minutes a Dartford Warbler - Curruca Rabilarga was heard and we had good but quick views as it went from bush to bush. I had hopes this would be a ‘warbler’ day, although we thought a tad early especially after the cold spell we have had to endure. As always Sardinian Warblers -Curruca Cabeecinegra were round-and-about and those two warblers were our only two. Hopefully after the next cold spell we should see more and we do know where we can find certain species. So next week we will see more as we intend to visit Monnegre.

We were very patient driving up this mountain and the morning soon disappeared. Nothing much else to report - Griffin Vultures - Buitre Leonardo and over a mountain we could hear Gulls.

We moved on hoping to see Swifts from the top of Maigmo - but not today. There are always birds  on the way up and usually Crossbills - Piquituerto Común are easy enough - but perhaps next time. However singing, perching and photogenic Wood Larks - Totovia entertained us. My best close up views ever and to add to our day Gareth had several ‘firsts’.

Spring flowers are adding colour. We saw six species of butterfly and therefore time to check in the Butterfly book and one snake. About a metre long.

Species count both seen and/or heard- forty- not a bad number but more to see next time.

I have never recorded distance and today it was 198 kilometres from San Miguel and return and time spent birding was six hours. 

CLOT DE GALVANY

On Monday 15th March we decided to give Clot de Galvany another quick look through (we were last there 4 weeks ago) to simply see what hasn’t gone north yet and with much more anticipation what could have arrived. As long as your expectations are not mountain-high it is not too much to assume that you will see something good. And we did - of course.

Looking skywards we saw hardly anything. No swathes of Hirundines going north and all we had was one single Barn Swallow - Golondrina Común.

The big hide with that expanse of water was loaded with Coot - Focha Común and the usual three species of Grebe Little - Zampullin Común, Black-necked - Zampullin Cuellinegro and  Great Crested -  Somormujo Lavenca. The coot had already nested and were swimming with their young. Within feet of the hide, feeding on the green weed that had drifted in, were two incredibly smart White Wagtails - Lavandera Blanca. We see plenty of them and they are worth a look.The number of ducks had significantly reduced and putting it bluntly, it was quiet and so we moved on. A quick visit to the ‘dry’ hide gave us nothing and we moved on to the smaller lake.

On the way we enjoyed the number of Sardinian Warblers - Curruca Cabecinnegrathat flitted around chasing each other. On one occasion three flew within feet of our heads. We had numerous clear views and the photographers got busy. The warblers were a joy to watch.

The smaller water and a little patience paid us back. Red-headed Pochards - Pato Colorado were numerous and the males showed very bright red beaks to go with their ‘punk’ heads. Common Pochard - Porrón Europea too, and as usual Marbled Duck - Cerceta Pardilla swam close and male Shovelers - Cuchara Europea showed the iridescent head plumage. All terrific. A pair of Gadwall - Ánade Friso were photographed and maybe they will breed here.

Red Headed Pochard

Gadwall Pair

We seem to always save the best for last. A Common Snipe - Agachadiza Común flew across and back again which allowed us to confirm what it was. A female Little Bittern - Avetorrillo Común flew in and disappeared into the reeds. Then a male flew and perched in the distance. It is possible we have a breeding pair.

A species count of both seen and/or heard was 33. Yes, it could have been more and we still have many that have not arrived. So much to look forward to and the mountains on Wednesday and that will be a total change of habitat.

Photographs shown on my blog are forwarded by Bryan Thomas or from Michelle Edwards who also has an Instagram account.

THE SPECIES ‘RUFF’. In Spanish Combatiente. Latin - Philomachus Pugnax.

Living in Spain we sometimes see a Ruff in winter plumage. I have seen them many times but this winter has been different as we have been restricted with where we can go. San Pedro del Pinatar has always been very good for the ones that overwinter near where we live. Up to yesterday thanks to my eagle-eyed co-driver we only have seen one this winter. 

Now we had four in one hit and one in ‘breeding plumage’. A first for three of us and Bryan’s second. Collins Bird Guide devotes half of one page to this species and there is much to know. So, the question is, have these birds been with us for our winter or are they passing through to their breeding grounds in Northern Europe. Now I want to see one with a full head-dress. That has to be a sight! For now we will have to make do with our sighting and this photograph of Bryan’s from 2018 and Michelle’s from yesterday.

Petrola 2018, Bryan Thomas

ANOTHER FOLLOW UP FROM LEGAL JUSTICE

 This is a short newsletter.

 

1. The DEFRA consultation on gamebirds closes on Monday so this weekend is a good time to get it done if you mean to do it. Thank you to hundreds of Wild Justice supporters who have responded - we've been amazed at how many of you have already responded and told us you have. And this includes people who have never responded to a government consultation before - that makes us feel good because it suggests that we are encouraging and helping you to become more active for nature. And that's great.

 

Just have a look at the comments we have received from people like yourself as they have completed the consultation - we've posted three selections on our blog - click here, here and here.  There are some wonderful comments and some are quite funny. Made us laugh anyway.

 

Some tips (which appeared in the last newsletter) are updated and can be found in another blog post - click here.

 

2. Good news - in newsletter 43 (in December) we asked you to sign a petition calling for an area of north Kent to be notified because of its importance for invertebrates. We were basically giving Buglife a hand with this. We're pleased to say that Natural England has recently made the site at Swanscombe an SSSI. Hooray!  Well done to all who signed the petition, well done Buglife and well done Natural England (on this issue).  The fight doesn't end there, but it's a very solid move in the right direction.

 

3. We know that many of you, we think most of you, receiving this newsletter have signed the joint NGO petition calling for an amendment to be added to the Environment Bill - if you haven't done so yet, please have a look and add your name if you feel able - click here.

 

4. We will soon be able to tell you about action we are taking in each of the four UK nations.  Next week we envisage being able to tell you about a new legal challenge in one country, ask for your help in another country, tell you about our hopes in another country and show you a letter we have sent in a fourth nation.  Let's see how each issue progresses but we are keen to share where we have got with you. And that doesn't mean we'll be asking you for money straight away, but we might be asking for your help.

 

But, talking of money, if you do like what we are doing then please consider making a donation through PayPal, bank transfer or a cheque in the post - see details here.

 

Wild Justice (Directors: Mark Avery, Chris Packham and Ruth Tingay).

MORE NEWS FROM LEGAL JUSTICE ON GAMEBIRD RELEASES

 LETS KEEP THE PETITIONS GOING. SUPPORT EVERY REQUEST TO ASK QUESTIONS IN SUPPORT OF OUR WILD-LIFE.

This is a straight lift of the first part of this letter. It is all about ‘gamebird’ releases. The name in itself is a joke - what does game actually mean to most people. It is now used to describe certain ‘meats’. That’s okay particularly when animals were hunted for food. And now we have the phrase ‘recreational shooting’. That’s a term for blasting defenseless birds out of the air with toxic lead shot. Such fun! That’s disgusting those last two words. I am not going along with ‘it’s fun to kill’

WILD JUSTICE. NEWSLETTER 54

 

1.  A very big thank you to all of you who signed the joint NGO petition on the Environment Bill highlighted in last week's newsletter of 1 March.  You helped to get, indeed you were instrumental in getting, the campaign off to a very strong start on Day 1.  The petition has now been signed by over 73,000 people and many of the larger NGOs will be engaging their members as time goes on. We, and you, were quick off the mark. If you haven't got around to signing the petition yet, but think you might, then please have a look - click here.  Thank you!

 

2. Apologies for this newsletter being a day later than we said it would be - we've been having discussions with other organisations about the DEFRA gamebird consultation and one of those took place yesterday afternoon.

 

3. The rest of this newsletter is briefing for those of you who may respond to DEFRA's consultation on gamebird releases. The closing date is Monday.  If you don't want to respond to the consultation then you can skip the rest of this newsletter, but we are asking for your help because there is plenty wrong with what DEFRA proposes.

 

3.1 Introductory remarks on what the consultation is all about: This consultation is necessary for DEFRA to regulate the release of non-native gamebirds, and they have to do that as a result of a legal challenge mounted by Wild Justice and settled in court last October. Because of our legal action, DEFRA must  take measures which will protect sites of nature conservation importance from the impacts of vast numbers of Pheasants and Red-legged Partridges released for recreational shooting.  And so obviously we think this consultation is important and so we would encourage you to respond if you can, please. Responding to a government consultation is not a bundle of laughs, and it may take you around 40 minutes to get it done.  Pro-shooting organisations are asking their supporters to respond to the consultation, and we are sure that many of them will - it would be very helpful if you could make your views known too and what follows is our attempt to help you to do that. Wild Justice will make its own, more technical, response to the consultation

IT COULD HAVE BEEN A ROUGH, RUFF DAY!

Welsh cakes and chunks of Orange Cake washed down with either hot tea or coffee helped all four of us on our birding morning. It was a day in full sun with little breeze after a very wet period it was good to be out there. It seems that winter is behind us, temperatures are upwards to 20 degrees and the migration is on. What more would anyone want?

We carried on through our usual route of the Salinas, El Pinet and then inland. Six species of Gull/Gaviota were easily seen at our first stop. These included one Lesser Black Backed - Gaviota Sombría and others in breeding plumage. The Salt Tower yielded little, but The Stones gave us some very distant Spoonbills - Espátula  Común, a distant Osprey - Águila Pescadora, two Great White Egrets - Garceta Grande and upwards of twenty Black-tailed Godwits - Aguja Colipinta on the lagoon opposite. Of course there were others to see as usual.

El Pinet was not great and we quickly moved inland. We wanted to see what was passing through and we knew that Great Spotted Cuckoos - Criala Europea had been seen and we wanted to locate them. Not for us today though but they will come. We enjoyed seeing passing House Martins - Avión  Común and Barn Swallows - Golondrina Común as we drank our tea on Palm Farm Road. It’s good here with wide vistas but there was nothing out of the ordinary for us today.

Santa Aguada was awash with water but that was as good as it got! But on way there and afterwards there was our bird of the day. Bryan’s keen eyes picked out a bird on the edge of the reeds with a flooded area. It was on the range of our vision and partially obscured by dead vegetation. Showing white and “gull-like” it became a Ruff - Combatiente but not a plain bloody Ruff but one in breeding plumage. When we first glimpsed it the white neck area was fluffed up and then it disappeared. Bryan did get a photo, but it was not clear enough. On the way back - because we needed another go at this bird - we had more sightings.
Bryan got some more photos and even Michelle managed a record shot, with the Nikon P900,  even though it was a long way off.  For Bryan, he has seen a similar plumages bird before, but for the rest, a first time. There were three others in attendance in winter plumage that showed well.

We always try and be accurate in describing what we see and for the most part we do get it right. Even when birds are distant we will try and obtain a photo of it. This time we are able to prove the point. 

Okay, we didn’t nail any amazing migratory species and so the Ruffs will have to suffice. Being out there was uplifting and there are always other times. 

BLACK 13 BY ADAM HAMDY WITH A WARNING TO THE WORLD

 Book Review

Title.             Black 13

Author.         Adam Hamdy

Publisher.     Pan Books

I picked this book up ‘cold’ and I did not have anything about Adam Hamdy or what the book was about. I never read the blurb as I am not interested in what others think as I want to find out for myself. It’s been said ‘turn to page 99 and read’ and if you like it - read it.

Okay, I knew that there was ‘crime’ involved somehow, but this as far removed from Agatha Christie, Josephine Tey and even modern day crime writers as one can possibly get. I love ‘the Bond’ stories and again the comparison is nowhere near. This is up-to-date story of how bad people can be and why. It’s got all the nasty stuff in there and the consequences of it can take the reader to dark places.

The Times today carried a story and a programme on Sky News was about ‘the grey zone’ and how our security forces are acting for our safety. This book is spot on then. It turns our problems into entertainment for us in this fictional novel, but is it a warning?

Are the characters real? Well they certainly are turbocharged. They have expertise in those fields where it is necessary to stay alive and to find out what you need to know. Weaponry, keyboard skills, immense courage and physical strength are what our heroes have.

The trail starts in Asia and takes us around London and other places too. I like the detail and where I felt these locations were real and believable. I loved that.

Well whats it about? It’s about killing, power, control and intrigue with an end result that can effect all of us. The nine pages of Prologue will bed you in to the kind of story that is in the 400 plus pages. It is relentless. It is action packed and the threads are real and exist. I loved it and when I got to the last page I found there was more to follow. Wow. No more clues just get it and read.

I have now read about Hamdy and discovered there are three books written prior to Black 13 and one to follow. He says two years research went into it and it shows. One helluva experience and every page is a ‘turner’.

CLOT DE GAVANEY AND URBA NOVA

 On a grey chilly morning under a dark sky the three of us, Bryan, Gareth and myself sat in the large user friendly hide overlooking an expanse of water. We were here for the ducks and we weren’t to be disappointed but up in the sky hordes of Hirundines. Bryan called them first, House Martins, Barn Swallows and higher up he called Pallid Swifts. My first of the year.

On the water an amazing number of Red-crested Pochards - Pato Colorado showing very strong red heads and the males, red beaks.

This morning at least two Ferruginous - Porrón Pardo distant and not easy to spot. However, I eventually got on to them via their white rear end to the clear eye. It has pride of place for us as the numbers are small.

We added to the list:

White-headed - in very good numbers.        Malvasia Cabeciblanco

Wigeon - with two males showing well.        Silbón Europeo

Teal - just one seen.                                       Cerceta Común 

Mallard.                                                          Añade  Azulón

Shovelers                                                       Cuchara Común 

Gadwall - swimming right in front of us         Añade  Friso

Marbled - numerous on the small lake.          Cerceta Pardillo

The usual two species of small Grebe - Zampullin, a few Flamingo and a Kingfisher - Martin Pescador flew.

Two Yellow-legged Gulls - Gaviota Patiamarilla caught our attention when we noticed a difference in bill coloration. To be investigated

And one I have to apologize for in that, in the scope one male Garganey - Cerceta Carretona, while I was searching for the ‘ fudge’ duck and I didn’t call it. It is one to see bearing in mind it is on migration. I just need more practice with ducks!

Urba Nova, a stones throw from Alicante City, there is an expanse that in a wet season will be flooded. Today there was one lagoon that was being supplied with water. This yielded:

Kentish Plover - Chorlitejo Patinegro (at least six)

Ringed Plover  - Chorlitejo Grande

Dunlin               -Correlimos Común 

Grey Wagtail.    -Lavendera Cascedena

White Wagtail.   -Lavendera  Blanca 

Water Pipit.        -Bisbita Alpine

We think that this location could give us more and we will visit again.

A quick trip along the Caribassi Road gave us Auduouins Gulls - within feet of our heads and s small number of Turnstones - Vuelvepiedras Común.

Great to be out again, in good company and keen eyes, and after next week with warmer weather, the mountains.

WILD JUSTICE

 CAMPAIGN BY WILD JUSTICE

My own comment is that NEONICOTINOIDS were banned 3 years ago and have now been allowed so they said on Countryfile on Sunday that sugar beet farmers can use them again. A claim was made regarding discussion, disclosure and the evidence for their re-use

Wild Justice is one of over 50 wildlife groups asking you to send a strong message in favour of wildlife to the Westminster government.  Today sees the launch of a major campaign to persuade Boris Johnson to add an amendment to the Environment Bill to set a legally binding target to reverse the loss of nature in England by 2030. Please add your voice to the #StateOfNature petition today - click here. 

 

Even the Prime Minister's father, Stanley Johnson, has written to ask for this amendment to be added!

 

Although the Environment Bill mostly deals with English matters we would ask all of our supporters, wherever they live, to sign the petition - you'll be doing English wildlife a favour. And on this St David's Day, and after Wales whipped England at rugby on Saturday, it would be particularly kind of supporters in Wales to do so.

 

Wild Justice is very happy to be part of this campaign and we hope we might be the first organisation to ask for your support.  We'll be reminding you of the petition as the campaign gains momentum through the spring, but today you can be one of the people to get it off to a strong start.