Great report from John and Jenny re their visit to the Osuna triangle and not only did John get to see the Scops Owl but also managed a photograph. Lucky him. And what abut all those Little Owls nevermind the Iberian Grey Shrikes and a variety of raptors.
Osuna: Sunday 10th June
A very warm day, cloudy, with very little wind.
As we had had a lazy day on Saturday we decided to have a run out to Osuna, as it is one of the places Jenny doesn´t have to leave the car too much.
As we left the village a Little Owl was spotted on the wires, lets hope it isn´t the 21st victim , as normally happens on this approach road to the village. Also noted were Collared Doves, House Sparrows and Spotless Starlings.
Not another thing until we got out at the vehicle at the Las Vegas cafe, where we had two Monk Parakeets fly past. After coffee we headed for Lantejuela and soon spotted a Black Kite circling above a White Stork.
Lots of Corn Buntings, Crested Larks and House Sparrows about on the way to the second road bridge. Here we located a Raven being mobbed by a pair of Common Kestrels, and a very unusual sighting of a Purple Swamphen on a bank leading to a small water catchment. On the other side of the road, a male Montagu´s Harrier quartered the fields.
We then drove down the abandoned high-speed rail track for a while putting up from the bushes lining the sides of the track, Spanish and House Sparrows, Iberian Grey Shrike, Corn Buntings, Blackcaps, Stonechats and Chiffchaffs.
Once back on the road we headed for the ruins, en route logging Roller, Bee-eater, Spotless Starlings, Turtle Doves and Hoopoe. As we approached the ruins a Buzzard came out of the olive grove as did another Roller and a Raven. As I got out of the car at the ruins a pair of Lesser Kestrels took off from the roof-top, while a little bit of searching found me a Scops Owl peering at me from behind a branch, anyhow it gave me a few seconds to get three photos of it, before it flew off into the ruin complex, due to my foot slipping off one of the old stones from the building.
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| Scops Owl Otus scops (PHOTO: John Wainwright) |
Back on the road another two Iberian Grey Shrikes were seen as were more Turtle Doves and three Rock Doves. As we passed one of the bridges a small party of Collared Pratincoles - some eight in total - were logged as was another Little Owl. Our last - but by no means least - bird of the day, was a Booted Eagle.
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| Iberian Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis (PHOTO: John Wainwright) |
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