MONNEGRE, ALICANTE AGAIN AND THE NIGHT SKY

 Another trip up to Monnegre. After 28 degrees at lower attitudes it was great to stand in the cool of the evening. Comfortable, quiet and peaceful.

On Monday 10th August we were up the mountain by 8pm. We had two objectives. We were still on the trail of Owls - in fact any - and for Bryan and Michelle to set their cameras up at the night sky. Such fun especially when an SD card is required and later on, both were photographing, the ‘really dark’ on the inside of the lens caps. We all laughed.

Now, back to birds, scarce they were. Approaching one of our regularly visited sites a Black Eared Wheatear (Collalba Rubia) was seen flying off the roadside barrier into a tree and then away, but we all saw it. We haven't seen many this year.

We checked out the Trumpeter Finches (Camachuelo Trompetero) and that was a ‘no show’ and perhaps they have moved away.

For the night photographs we moved on and parked by the affectionately known ‘lone tree’. It's a joke really, as there are two trees and a bush. It's an area of no vegetation and that made it an ideal place for the photographers to set up and for us all to listen.

We had never heard a Scops Owl (Autillo Europeo) - ‘time-signal-bird’ to me!- in this part of Spain before. Bryan picked up a faint sound and eventually we heard a strong call from the gorge below. It moved around through the valley, clearly being heard. Also there was a fainter call which could indicate the presence of more than one of this species. It was a first for us on this mountain.

Just before we were heard the Scops, a faint call of a Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo), came to us. More clear calls followed. Another first for us here. All around us in San Miguel Little Owls are common where there is both agriculture and horticulture and maybe this is their chosen habitat and not mountainside. Both species are beautiful and photogenic too. Eagle Owl (Búho Real) not heard. Why not? Just maybe the wrong season.

Around our town home and very close to fields and citrus groves we are fortunate to see both Barn Owl (Lechuza Comú) and Long-eared Owl (Búho Chico). The latter flies past us and on through the town whereas the Barn Owl is close by. We can confirm our sightings and we have had conversations with our Spanish neighbours about these two species. Isn't that great as they have knowledge and seem to care.

All this goes to show, you have to be out there, listening and watching. Who needs sleep?

I will let the photographers play with their prized photos and await the results.

It was so good to be out there.

A DAY BEFORE GROUSE ARE SLAUGHTERD FOR SPORT

I wrote this poem four years ago and, although, there is progress being made by some people in some areas - it is slow. On the upside it is improving thanks to organizations who want to protect our natural habitats and our wildlife. I follow Raptor Persecution and Legal Justice. 

The latest tally is 43 Hen Harriers missing and/or dead. There is still much work to be done.

The few lines below indicate a birds eye view of soon to be shot at, killed, eaten or maybe just dumped.

NATURAL ENEMIES?

natural enemies! pa-ah!

"they don't exist no more",

but we watch the skies, just

in case... you never know.

humans come and leave

things. We peck at stuff

and then there's that bunch

of feathers tied to the post.

It's really scary, that, 

and the unseeing eye 

socket scares us all,

but hey-ho

we eat our way

to plumpness:

good enough to eat - 

and THEN...     

JE(C)04/08/16  

Book Review: A Most Wanted Man by John Le Carré

Author         John Le Carré

Title.            A Most Wanted Man

John Le Carré’s 2008 espionage  novel - to put it into a category - is not so much a spy story than  a novel of intrigue, deceit and down-right dishonesty. It engrossed me from beginning to end. It is that good.

I feel unqualified to write about the man and his books, but I will give it a go. He is one ‘helluva’ of a writer. One great storyteller and how he kept track of his characters and the different facets of the story is one to be enjoyed.

He makes his participants real. I can smell them and I am almost able to reach out and touch them. They are a right old mixture this bunch of liars and deceivers that have to be in Hamburg in order to exhibit their skills, power and, of course, persuasion. And with the international mix of Europeans and Eastern members too, some stiff-upper-lipped Brits and throw in some smart sounding names from the USA then more intrigue will follow. And where we would we be in 2008 without adding an Arab or two with their Muslim ideology. Speaking purely they have faith where the others seem to have none and no morals. Le Carré paints this picture so well.

There is humour in his writing for one of the Brits is one Ian Lantern. Well, someone had to light the way!  On the other side is something that is awful.  After America experienced its first terrorist attack on its own soil it became a player in ‘the war on terror’. The way they went about is where truth, injustice and evil became entangled. It is relevant to this tale.

I never give a plot away and there are some details on the front fly if you would like to know a little more of what can be read. Enjoy every word for I did.

Photos from Our Most Recent Trip

Black Tailed Godwit (Aguja Colinegre), feeding in the margins and two in breeding plumage!

European Roller (Carraca)

We searched for any Rollers and eventually found one.  When it took off I could have mistaken it for a Crow.  A point to remember.

Black Crowned Night Heron (Martinete Comun)

 

This has to be our "bird-of-the-day"  It flew over us and perched in tall trees.  It then moved to a another one, and on foot, Bryan captured this image.

All the images taken by Bryan Thomas and can also be found on his blog:  http://birdingcostablanca.blogspot.com

Book Review: Address Unknown by Kressman Taylor

Title             Address Unknown

 

Author.         Kressman Taylor

 

The title ‘Address Unknown’ gives no clue to the story, the message it gives and the reason it was written. Small in size, short in the number of pages, but the message is huge.

 

It was first published in 1938 to inform the American people what was happening in Germany for they did not know what the Nazi Regime was intending to do and possibly they did not care!  It is written as a series of letters between an American Jew living in California and his friend and business associate living in Germany. The outgoing letters to Germany and the replies have an impact that identifies the chasm between Jewry and Nazi ideology.

 

This memorable book survives in an age of racial, ethnic and nationalistic fervor and intolerance as a searing reminder that history can repeat itself. 

 

Beautifully written and poignant.

COVID FREE MORNING FOR TWO BIRDERS

WE HAVE A SMALL NUMBER OF PEOPLE INFECTED ON VEGA BAJA BUT WE BELIEVE WE HAD A COVID FREE MORNING.

The heat is certainly on, here in the Costas. We’ve done birding the easy way at Clot, gone up Monnegre both early and late and this morning we stayed local and were out just after 7am. It was a cool 24 degrees or so.

Our first stop, as usual, was just down the hill from the Santa Pola junction. Sandwich Terns (Charrán Patinegro) called and flew as we walked in. There were Gulls as usual including Slender Bill (Gaviota Picofino), Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora), and Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra). Two Great Reed Warblers (Carricero Tordal) rasped away and there was nothing unusual to see on the lagoons. We are always in the look-out for that ‘special one’. Again I had a good view of an adult Purple Heron (Garza Imperial). However, our bird of the morning had to be a perched Osprey (Águila Pescadora) distant, but identifiable.

The Salt Tower pull-in and the other area by the stones provided nothing of note except that two Collared Pratincoles (Canastera Común) were in a dry area opposite. On our return along N332 several were seen as we passed by.

El Pinet was incredibly humid and we saw (one was photographed) Black Tailed Godwits (Aguja Colinegra) and two in breeding plumage. In the distance Common Terns (Charrán Común) flew. Earlier we saw several Little Terns (Charrancito Común) and inland, Gull-billed Terns (Pagaza Piconegra), were seen.

We checked every waterway that we could to see if any Kingfishers (Martin Pescador) were around. Records seem to indicate they are not around this area during the summer, but we did see them on Friday. We will look again.

We searched for a Roller (Carraca) and found one. We have seen them in double figures before, but like Woodchat Shrikes (Alcaudón Común) they seem not to be in any great numbers. Bee-eaters (Abejaruco Común) too.

We had good sightings of many species and I have not noted all of them, and our bird-of-the-day was a flying and perched, Black Crowned Night Heron (Martinete Común) and it stayed for the photographer too.

We always pay some attention to smaller birds - Serin (Verdecillo) and Greenfinches (Verderón Común) were the most obvious. And the skies were devoid of any raptors.

Butterflies were scarce too, but we did see several Plain Tigers.

It is very hot and dry out there with no flooding of fields. However we did see a grove of Palm Trees standing in water, but with no birds. We won't be checking this local area again until at least the end of September and our next trips will be Maigmo and Monnegre again.

THE PUPPET-PLAYER by Angelina Weld Grimké

Sometimes a few short lines makes me stop and ponder. Wee what you think?


THE PUPPET-PLAYER

Angelina Weld Grimké

Sometimes it seems as though some puppet-player,
   A clenched claw cupping a craggy chin
Sits just beyond the border of our seeing,
   Twitching the strings with slow, sardonic grin.