After going
on migration myself in August to England, where I was lucky to see both Curlew and
Whimbrel at Pagham Harbour RSPB Reserve, on to Birdfair and then on to Yorkshire,
before spending a few days in the Pyrenees walking and seeing Bearded vulture,
I’ve returned to base and am now enjoying seeing the autumn migrants as well as
the summer breeders and young birds who are getting ready to leave.
At around
200om in the Sierra de Candelario there are plenty of Ortolan buntings and you
can still catch a Short-toed eagle hanging in the air. Further down Redstart,
Spotted and Pied Flycatchers are abundant and in the valleys Whinchat are
everywhere.
Spectacled
warblers, Iberian Chiffchaff, and Melodious warbler decorate the brambles and
rose-bushes as they fuel up for their southern journey, and there are still some
Wheatears, Northern and Black-eared, swooping down on insects or feeding on the
ground.
There are gatherings
of Egret and Black stork on lagoons and reservoirs, and Barn and Red-rumped swallows
and House martins appear in large groups and whizz around snaffling up the
mosquitoes or roosting on the power lines in the village and appear to say
their last goodbye for the year…
 |
Ortolan bunting
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| Short-toed eagle |
|
 |
| Spotted flycatcher |
 |
Whinchat
|
