On Monday 8th November we will do our best to see good birds and we will have travelled the miles. Colder weather has come down from the north and reached us this past week. We know from various reporting sites that Thrushes have passed through and Cranes too. We are on the lookout, as ever.
The Murcia region seems seldom to report anything and so we are travelling blind! The Guadalentin area we have not visited for at least two years due to restrictions and we will check it out. It is a large plain used for intensively growing vegetables with good all round vision. It is surrounded by a rocky ridge on one side and Sierra Espunas on then other. Golden Eagle - Águila Real can bee seen here but we hoped for more. My last recorded trip was 27th October 2018 and it was not a great one.
We met in San Miguel and Bryan claimed his first bird of the day, a Monk Parakeet - Cotorra Argentina. Not for me I see them everyday!
This morning it was 11 degrees with a light wind, good sun and we were there by 9.15am. Our route was via Murcia on A 7 following the signs for Granada. After the Pozo factory we took the RM2 and then onto RM23. And we got it right!
Once on Saladares del Guadalentin there are numerous tracks to follow. We headed into it, away from the peripheral roads, and soon we spotted birds. House Sparrows - Gorrion Común, Tree Sparrows - G Molinero, Goldfinch - Jilguero, and a flock of Greenfinch - Verderón and mixed in with them were some Serin - Verdecillo and Linnet - Pardillo Común too. The number of Greenfinches in one place was good to see but we only had sightings of two Chaffinches - Pinzon Vulgar
There are always workers in the fields and one small field was in the process of being flooded. We sat and waited. White Wagtails - Lavendera Blanca were abundant, over-wintering Meadow Pipits - Bisbita Común with one showing its full winter plumage and only one Water Pipit - Bisbita Alpino showed. We were hoping for Grey Wagtails - Cascadena too but no.
Lark species disappointed but Crested - Cogujada Común were everywhere. We checked every one noting the length of bill. It seems the birds here have longer bills than usual. Bryan’s photograph will add something to that discussion. There was no obvious Thekla’s - Cogujada Montesina but we did look. Over-wintering Skylarks - Alondra Común were all around and viewed on the ground too.
The fields were checked thoroughly for signs of Sandgrouse and then we got very lucky. It pays to travel slowly and in a bare field were five Black-bellied Sandgrouse - Ganga Ortega and the photographers got busy. This bunch were very accommodating and carried on feeding. They moved away slowly and in another field four more. Again more photographs. Great seeing them and to enjoy the viewing of them. If that wasn’t another, two more, in another field and all easily seen. Previously all my viewings had been brief or in the air. As we viewed the Grouse there were a number off Stone Curlew - Alcaravan Común
We hoped for a good Raptor count and a possible distant Marsh Harrier - Aguilera Luganero showed distantly. Several Common Kestrels - Cernicalo Vulgar were obvious. It was a good start but we wanted more. Bryan spotted a distant Golden Eagle - Águila Real and we saw enough to say yes. It flew around long enough to give us a good sighting. We watched the skies and in good temperatures we thought we had a good chance of seeing more. Flying low and seemingly quartering a ‘ringtale’, a female Hen Harrier - Aguilucho Pálido. That was good for us and although they frequent El Fondo the last sighting Bryan and I had was a male at Estepas de Yecla. We were still travelling the tracks when another Raptor popped up. Instinctively I thought ‘kite’ - Milano and saw enough of it to make it a possible/probable Black Kite - Milano Negro on the process of elimination. A Common Buzzard - Busardo Ratonero flew over us but we only saw the one.
We carried on hoping to see more and overlooking the river we heard Chough - Chova Piquirroja and two landed nearby. Southern Grey Shrike - Alcaudon Real and Stonechat - Tarrabilla perched well.
We checked suitable locations for Spectacled Warblers - Curraca Tomillera with success. We could hear them and had fleeting views only. There are in good number.
Having entered this area we went down a track and came up on the opposite side of the river - that is the side nearest Sierra de Espunas and toured around there. It is an immense area to travel around. On one of the tracks a Zitting Cisticola - Buitrón flew and perched and was photographed. They are a lovely little bird to see.
Is this an area that I would recommend visiting? Simple answer is ‘yes’ but only if you are prepared to put the effort in. Next time we will be near there is when we plan to up the Sierra hoping to see Ring Ouzels - Mirlo Capiblanco and much more. Wintering thrushes will be on our list. This following week we will try and track down the Cranes - Grulla Común
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