The
long hot summer has finally passed and the drought here is hopefully coming to an
end with some very welcome October rain.
Very
busy with the renovation work on the house, I only managed to get out on the
occasional evening when the heat let up in July and August. Here’s some of what
I saw.
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| Stonechat, Melodious warbler and Serin |
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| Singing Linnet |
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| Rhinoceros beetle |
In
August I went to Birdfair in Rutland where I was talked to prospective clients
and fellow birders at our Castile and Leon stand, alongside Eugenio and Alberto
of the regional Junta.
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| Me with Eugenio |
On my return in late August some of the first waders started to
arrive at the reservoir, Dunlins, Redshanks and Ringed plover amongst
others.
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| Dunlin |
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| Tracks near the water’s edge . |
Bee-eaters
entertained us catching insects from wires and young Woodchat shrike watched us
as we hand-harvested our wheat and rye accompanied by the odd Mantis.
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| Bee-eater strikes from perch |
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| Young Woodchat shrike |
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| Straw coloured Mantis |
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| Harvest moon |
One of Salamanca’s most important artificial wetlands,
the Azud de Riolobos, was the chosen port of call for a group of Glossy Ibis at
the beginning of September. Though at a fair
distance we were able to see them as they pecked their way chicken-style
following one behind the other at the water’s edge.
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| Glossy Ibis with White Stork |
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| Azud del Riolobos |
Over
a few days we saw an adult Golden Eagle flying with a younger bird over
our village. Quite a sight as they
soared and circled above the rooftops, huge wings spread out majestically.
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| Soaring golden eagles |
Another
day brought an unusual sight: three Black storks, most likely two adults and
one young circling the fields at the back of our house. I dashed back in to fetch my camera, grateful
to have stepped out at the right moment.
Around
our local patches we checked out ponds for roaming Sandpipers and in the fields
were Rock and Spanish sparrows, Crested lark and Whinchat come from the north.
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| Sandpiper |
Resuming our walks at Puente del Congosto I was lucky to spot a Short-toed Eagle on a rooftop just outside the village. I managed to get a lucky shot of a dark phase Booted eagle as it swooped overhead hunting for some unfortunate small mammal or bird….
…meanwhile the local Crag Martins rest on tiny window ledges after spending the day swooping below and above the old bridge.
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| Short-toed eagle |
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| Booted eagle |
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| Heron |
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| Crag martin |
One
of our routes through mixed oak woodland gave us the chance to see a group of
Firecrest feeding frenziedly amongst Holm oak, fly-catchers catching, err, flies
and Black and Griffon vultures wheeling overhead whilst at a lily-pad covered pond
there was a queue for the bathroom…
We explored a new route in the Gredos mountains. It’s a beautiful mix of open hillside and woodland and we were rewarded by the sight of one of the local residents peeping out at us from a treetop.
Griffon
vulture are ever present, the resident Bluetit continues to peck madly at a
rancid piece of coconut and we watched the fabulous Super Moon rise before it
became a red Moon during the eclipse.
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| Griffon Vulture |
Meanwhile
the village cats and dogs play up to the cliché of cats and dogs.
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| Spot the cat...top of the beam. |
