Sounds very much as if John and Jenny Wainwright are not having the best of times health wise but you can never keep a good birder down as John and Jenny have forced themselves out and about with a visit to the large Embalse Bermejales just beyond Alhama de Granada. Get well soon the both of you and we all look forward to seeing you at our next monthly Axarquia Bird Group outing if not before.
Bermejales: Wednesday 22 October
A warm day with a nice breeze off of the water at times.
The trip over to the Embalse Bermejales was pretty bland just the odd Collared Dove and Spotless Starling
were seen. So after coffee at the Crux restaurant we parked up and made ourselves comfortable. I started on my walk heading towards the camp-site, the water is well down today and the small island bush growth is in view for the first time in 5 or 6 years. First sightings were of two White Wagtails and a Magpie, overhead lots of Crossbills flying to and fro across the pines and on the shore huge flocks of Linnets flew just ahead of me. At the point, a male Black Redstart and a Sardinian Warbler were noted as were more Crossbills. A few Crested Larks were seen as well as several Painted Lady butterflies. The lake was bare all bar a single
Cormorant and two Black-headed Gulls.
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| Coal Tit (PHOTO: John Wainwright) |
Across the road and following the path of the stream I found Long-tailed and Coal Tits, Chiffchaffs, Goldfinches, Greenfinches and the inimitable Woodpigeons "clapping" out of the trees letting all and sundry
know someone was about. But apparently it didn´t too much harm as I then saw a Willow Warbler, Mistle Thrush, Short-toed Treecreeper, Serins and another family of Coal Tits. Out into the open area where the leaves of the small almond trees were being blown willy-nilly by the breeze, but even here I managed to find a male Pied Flycatcher and a Great Tit. Quite a few Magpies in and around this area and as I was searching the area for Scorpions(Buthus occitanicus) of which I found one I also found a Common Toad - I assume it is Common as it had horizontal pupil and green eyes ( Is this correct??).
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| Common Toad (PHOTO: John Wainwright) |
Back to join Jenny and our friends, Jenny finding a Little Ringed Plover in my absence, here, after lunch we sat around and did a bit of armchair (or rather deck chair) birding. Good views of four Firecrests were forthcoming as well as Great, Blue, Long-tailed and Coal Tits, Short-toed Treecreeper, Chaffinches, Chiffchaffs, White Wagtails, Crossbills and Linnets.
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| Firecrest (PHOTO: John Wainwright) |
On the way home as we approached Alhama del Granada two Bonelli´s Eagles were spotted over the olive groves, also Blackbird, Buzzard, Southern Grey Shrike and House Sparrows were also seen in and around this area. Other butterflies seen were Red Admiral, Spaish Marbled White, Cardinal, Large and Small Whites and Pale Clouded Yellow.
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| Magpie (PHOTO: John Wainwright) |
Sounds great John and I liked the photos.
Check out the accompanying website at http://www.birdingaxarquia.weebly.com for the latest sightings, photographs and additional information.
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