Bonete and Yecla

Bryan and I had already decided that Thursday 13th April was going to be a long day with us heading straight towards Bonete and then coming back via Estepas de Yecla. As we drove through through Bonete we saw Swallows, House Martins and Pallid Swifts. Our mission was really to investigate the Bonete/Corral Rubio/Pétrola region as we knew that there was large areas of standing water in the fields where the run-off had accumulated. As we progressed we saw areas that contained water and with birds upon them, but others with nothing at all. This is an area of big skies, big vistas and wonderful scenery. We considered ourselves lucky to be there and be able to indulge in our favourite pastime - watching the birds.

It was an early start, but that is the way we do it because we know that it will always pays us back. We turned off the A31 at Bonete and were straight onto our watch point for Bustards by eight thirty, but there were too many plough fields and we quickly moved on.

Dealing with Great Bustards first we had four different sightings as we moved through and then there was a group of six within easy view, with two more nearby and another one flew in. They were all active and with the crops still in the early stages of growth they could clearly be seen. However, possibly enough to conceal Little Bustards which we did not see this time. Six Black Bellied Sandgrouse flew away.



Rock Sparrow

The List.
Black Bellied Sandgrouse
Black Eared Wheatear
Corn Bunting
Crows
Goldfinches
Great Reed Warbler, heard
Green Finch
Gull Billed Terns
Gulls, Black Headed and Yellow Legged
House Martin
House Sparrows
Jackdaws
Jay
Larks, four species with Crested and Thekla being easily viewed. Also terrific views of Calandra and Short Toed too.
Lesser Kestrels
Linnets
Little Owl
Marsh Harriers - on different locations two males and a female
Montague's Harrier - male flew across while we were watching Bustards.
Northern Wheatear
Pallid Swifts
Red Billed Choughs
Rock Sparrows
Southern Grey Shrike
Spotless Starlings
Swallows
Whinchat, male
Woodchat Shrikes
Zitting Cisticola, heard


On the Water
Avocet
Black Winged Stilts everywhere
Coot, many
Flamingos
Gadwall, several sightings in different locations of both male and female
Grey Heron
Gull Billed Terns
Iberian Yellow Wagtails
Little Grebe
Mallard
Moorhen
Pochard with both Common and Red Crested easily seen.
Redshanks, two seen on one water.
Shellduck
Shoveler.

Corn Bunting

It took us three hours to arrive at Corral Rubio and all the time we were seeing birds. The temperature by then had risen from single figures to thirteen degrees. The forecasted wind strength was given at fourteen kilometers, but it was stronger than that. Be prepared!

We checked out all areas of water, but waders were not that evident. We heard Yellow Wagtails before we saw them. Then in one small moment we had two yearly firsts. Bryan locked onto a male Whinchat while I saw a Northern Wheatear. Eventually I did manage a view of that elusive Whinchat.


Lagunas de Pétrola was spectacular with thousands of Flamingos clustered in several groups.

Iberian Yellow Wagtail

Here also were numerous Gull Billed Terns with Black Headed Gulls as well. Also adult and sub- adult Yellow Legged Gulls too. Here we had an outstanding view of a male Iberian Yellow Wagtail. What a stunning bird! The species list here was not high and so we moved on to the next turning and again there was nothing exceptional, but we heard more than one Great Reed Warbler and Bryans sharp ears picked out a Zitting Cisticola. A Marsh Harrier was perched and Grey Heron sat.

It was now past two and so we headed to Estepas de Yecla although we knew that the best hours for viewing had past. We are familiar with this area and so we concentrated on new arrivals for this year. We listened and watched and eventually we had our first views of Woodchat Shrike and then a Black Eared Wheatear perched. However no Black Wheatears showed. Also Sandgrouse remained elusive. A Calandra Lark perched on a nearby rock and was photographed.



Thekla Lark

We were now at the Caudette end and near the farm building where the road turns left to Caudette where we had terrific views of flying and perched Bee eaters. In a field feeding were two Red Billed Choughs providing close and clear views and more Woodchat Shrikes perched. In the far distance Bryan spotted three Raptors and after a magnified viewing one was identified as a Short Toed Eagle. It was very distant, but still a good way to end.

What a day. It was simply great to be out there.

Finally there were notable absentees with no sightings of Great Spotted Cuckoos or Rollers and we had hoped for Warblers too. But there again we will be in the Guadalentin Valley on Monday next.

Woodchat Shrike

Marsh Harrier

The photograph of this Marsh Harrier was taken in the Guadalentin Valley on Thursday 6th April. This extra note is about the two longer tail feathers. If you look closely you can see that the outer tail feathers are really worn giving the impression that the two central tail feathers are longer. Also note that the bird is in moult including the head.
Information and photograph of the Harrier courtesy of Bryan Thomas.

Paris and Shakespeare & Co.

I knew a man once who spoke well of Shakespeare & Co. and he said that it was in Paris. On a totally different mission we had to go to this city and there with the encouragement of the spring's sunshine, under the Cherry blossom, people were massing outside this iconic shop of books. Cathedral de Notre-Dame may have been on the island opposite, but the 'pull' of that structure could not compare to the pull and lure of books.

Outside even the books had to be checked out with a copy of Charley's Aunt demanding to be picked up. There were others there and we did buy 'The Drop' by Dennis Lehane who should be at The Harrogate Crime Writer's Festival in July. We had to go in, of course!

Inside it is a brush with the past. Narrow gaps in walls of hewn stone and there with the packed shelves stuffed full of words bound in books that have been hewn out of and from the minds and the imagination of many others. Cramped, jostling shoulder to rump with browsers, and girls leaving notes on a board for such things. Then Shakespeare's cat brushed past in a lazily fashion and possibly looking for a hand to caress.

Still inside the following books beckoned to Michelle and were purchased:

Easy Motion Tourist by Leye Adenle and he is due to visit Harrogate too and maybe we will book him for the Murder Mystery Dinner. We are twice winners, you know!

Ernest Hemingway For Whom The Bell Tolls was bought to increase our knowledge of the Spanish Civil War.

Cara Black for her crime novel Murder in Belleville which according to the marketing blurb is a winning mystery, and it says, stylish and sexy and set in Paris. So there another one to add to a Warsaw Mystery bought in Poland a few of weeks ago.

It is good how things go around and around for for up on the wall the name Sylvia Beach leapt out to me. She had the ridiculous idea to open a café with books. Then she had the outrageous idea of publishing Ulysses. How daft can anyone be? Publish a banned book from a writer like Joyce must have taken courage and womanly guts. Then there was the book all about the history of it and it too had to be bought. A spend of 95€ with the bag to show off that we had been to an independent book shop. We may go again. Oh yes. We are here to watch my daughter, her husband and thousands of others to complete 26.2 miles. I think that we will watch with a coffee or two and shout our encouragement.

Written in part just down the slope from a certain big arch and outside L'Etoile 1903 on Avenue de la Wagram and the sun is shining.

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.

Three Male Garganey

On Wednesday evening I went again to Gran Alicant to meet Bryan Thomas in preparation for a days birding on the following morning.

In the hope that we might see Garganey on the small lake at Clot de Gaveney we checked it out and saw both Red Crested and Common Pochards, two White Headed Ducks in their summer plumage and a Little Grebe. The sky was full of Barn Swallows and Pallid Swifts were feeding low as we had a brief spell of rain. It is so good to see them back here.

Where the reeds on the scrapes had been cut earlier they have now grown and vision is restricted. The other water has algae bloom and there was not that much to see. We didn't stay long and headed for the lagoons opposite the turning into Las Brisas. It was disappointing and so our next stop was the Salt Tower and again there was nothing of note except that there were our birds of the evening; three male Garganey in the shallow lagoon across the road. They were so easily seen and beautiful to watch. Photographed of course.



We went into the next pull-off and our luck held for on the water opposite was about sixty waders of which most were Curlew Sandpipers with some Dunlin mixed in. That was good for comparison of the two species. One Redshank was there too.

EL Pinet was our next stop and Slender Bills were evident with both Yellow Legged and Black Headed Gulls in attendance. Common Terns were everywhere, but we did not see one Little Tern. Then we had our first sighting of flying Collard Pratincoles for this year.

We took our usual route using the country roads towards El Hondo and with the intention of seeing what raptors would be flying as the sun was going down. On the way we had two great views of flying and stationary Great Spotted Cuckoos. Interestingly they flew from the edge of the roadside and one even landed on the road behind us. Palm Farm Road was quiet and we now headed towards Catral and with the light fading and in a small field there was one hundred Glossy Ibis feeding with Cattle Egrets.

East towards Belarus

ONWARD TO BIALOWIEŹA

On Saturday 18th March around 1pm we left Warsaw in rain. The route was traffic laden as this was the main road for Russia and The Baltic countries. It was busy with large trucks and traffic lights and once the other side of the River Vistula it was different. This is the poor side of the city where change and reconstruction is slow. The older buildings still had the bullet holes from WW2. Eventually we left the traffic lights behind and moved more freely. However, road construction seems to be a Polish pastime and we had many chicanes to negotiate where work was being done.

The areas that we passed through was flat with huge fields, some flooded as we were close to the River Bug. Many of the buildings were small and often of wooden construction. There was a plethora of old timber barns among good quality houses.

In passing we saw:
Large White Egrets
Common Cranes
Mallards
Lapwing
A Raptor spotted by Michelle and possibly Buzzard

Not a great list and when we were close to our destination we slowed down to look for Bison. We saw none but there were Roe Deer crossing the road and stayed close enough for a good view.
A Fieldfare sang from a tree on our arrival and I expect that we will see many more. Hooded Crows were common place and up to now the White Stork nests were empty as it is a little too early for them.

The forest that we are in lies across the birder with Belarus and is of 700 square kilometers on the Polish side and 800 square kilometers over the border. There is much dead wood lying on the forest floor with some having been felled for safety reasons. Andy, our guide, explained that the Spruce which is a northern tree has a shallow root system and with the hot dry summers the trees have suffered. They are then attacked by beetle which weaken the tree even more.

The snow had only receded a short time ago and there was a lot of standing water both in the fields and amongst the trees.



Over dinner we were given our information for the next seven days. So it is out for 6.30am for an early morning attempt to see Bison and anything else that is crepuscular. Then back for breakfast and out for the day.

Our Hotel.

FOR WRITERS ANYWHERE

We are a small group of writers living in Spain and I was thinking that there must be more writers out there that would benefit from joining a group. Our writing is varied and that does include stories, scripts and memoir although our main focus is more poetic.
Anyone up for it - then leave a comment?