Monday 15th November was a cold morning and with the weather changing we hoped for more migrants. Cranes - Grulla Común had been seen but maybe passing through?
We scanned every field noting that many had crops for animal feed and not the areas where Cranes have usually been seen. It was commented upon their numbers over the years have been less.
There is intensive farming out there where areas that were productive for wildlife are not so now. We kept looking and Lapwing -Avefria Europea were seen and they flew, numbering, a good dozen. They are always a joy to watch. Later eagle-eyed Bryan spotted Golden Plover - Chorlito Dorada Europea and five flew off. Not that far from where we had seen them last winter. (We saw three individuals of Grey Plover - Chorlito Gris and the one to see would be Dotterel - Chorlito Carambolo)
On the way to Santa Aguada a ‘bare’ field yielded 40 plus Skylarks feeding on the ground. They were not easy to see but the photographers got busy. So good to see them in those numbers.
There is some water here and in a margin was one distant Green Sandpiper - Andarrios Grande, Id’d by Bryan. There was then a discussion on Green compared with Solitary and that was this morning’s lesson! A Blackcap - Curraca Capirotada sang.
There is an abundance of Kestrels - Cernicalo and as it is winter our count for Booted Eagles - Aguililla Calzada was four with one distantly high bird being a Dark Morph. Four Marsh Harriers Aguilucho Luganero seen at different times.
At the ‘Monastery’ a Dartford Warbler - Curraca Rabilarga called and eventually popped up. Greta’s Blue Rock Thrush was absent though.
We headed for El Pinet but apart from a Blacktailed Godwit - Aguja Colinegrra and a Greenshank - Archibebe Claro the wader count was very poor. Always worth checking out though. There was no on-shore breeze and the sea gave us nothing.
Plovers, Skylarks, Eagles and other wintering finches made my morning. Maybe we will do this again in a couple of weeks. Not all species remarked upon.
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