Hi all,
Last weekend (Saturday 16th May to be precise), I decided it was time for my annual trip to the far end of the ‘Province’ of Murcia. The reason for choosing Saturday was that I’d started to hear of numbers of Red-footed Falcons entering into the peninsula, and the reason I chose the Yecla area was that it was on my way to there that I saw a female last year.
But before I went to Yecla, as I did last year I wanted to try to see the Dupont’s Lark. This small brown bird, about the size of a Crested Lark but with longer legs and a down-curved bill is a bit of an enigma to many birders. Indeed, when I first came to Spain, I thought there was only one place in the north of the peninsula where it could be seen, otherwise one had got to go to Morocco to see it, and even then it wasn’t always guaranteed. However, as I´ve got to know Spanish birding locations and Spanish birders, I realize that it’s nowhere near as rare as I’d originally thought, and that even here in Murcia there is a small population.
But here lies the rub – if you thought Skylarks were early risers, they’re downright lazy compared with the Dupont’s Lark! The Dupont’s in Murcia actually sings for a couple of hours prior to daybreak (actually it might be all night for all I know – I’ve only heard them prior to daybreak), but once the sun’s up, that’s it, shtumm!! And they sing from the ground. So not an easy proposition. Which is why with sunrise officially at 06:48am, I was on my way at 4:30 in the morning, arriving at their breeding zone at 05:50am (catching a couple of Red-necked Nightjars in the cars headlamps as I approached).. I thought I may have left it a little late, as the eastern sky was definitely getting lighter, but no, parking in the middle of a field in the middle of no-where, there they were, with their plaintiff calls (or rather, there their plaintiff calls were). Also beginning to sing were Crested and Lesser Short-toed Larks, but the Dupont’s call really stood out – rather like a Curlews call on an open moor.
I couldn’t do much to look for them for a while, it being too dark to wander away from the car, so I just drank in all the sounds – one of the sounds being the grunting of a Wild Boar which I saw in the rear-view mirror on the track behind me, totally unconcerned by my presence.
By about 6:30 I could finally use my binoculars, but still couldn’t find the Dupont’s even though they must have been calling from closer than 10 metres, hidden by the ‘bushes’ of ‘spartina’ grass that is their habitat. At 6:40, their calls were noticeably less, and by 6:45, stopped altogether. The sun actually broke the mountainous horizon at 6:50, at which time for about 5 minutes there was another spurt of calls from them, and then nothing. Not that it was silent, as by now many more Crested, Lesser Short-toed and Short-toed Larks were singing away, and there was the odd rough ‘churr’ of a Magpie.
Sunrise, waiting for the Dupont's
So, slowly on to the plains of Yecla, checking all the telegraph wires as I drove in case of the odd Red-footed Falcon, but no luck with these either. At the plains of Yecla, (which is the farmland north of Yecla on the way to Almansa in Albacete Province), I had pretty much what I would expect to see, but the two species I really wanted to get, Great Bustard and Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, were nowhere to be seen. I think I’ll now have to wait till the autumn/winter for them. However, I did get Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Calandra Larks, Short-toed and Lesser Short-toed Larks, Lesser Kestrels, Hoopoe, Stone Curlews and Woodlarks which were all nice to see.
View of a wildflower meadow at Yecla
Short-toed Lark
Calandra Lark
I thought that as I was up that way, I’d venture even further north west, into Albacete, and have a look around the lagoon at Pétrola. This freshwater lagoon has been quite famous over the last few years for its breeding colony of Greater Flamingos, but also has some other quite interesting breeding birds (from a Murciano point of view). More importantly, the roads to get there are all bordered by telegraph poles and cables, where Red-foots might be lurking. It was while driving slowly along that I noticed a raptor (probably a Marsh Harrier) at the side of the road, being harassed by (as I thought at the time) a pair of crows. However, the raptor turned out to be a Black Kite, and the ‘crows’, Ravens! Because of the time of the day, the roads were clear, so I was able to stop and get some photos.
Black Kite ...
... being attacked by a Raven ...
... but no harm came to either
In Pétrola itself, things were pretty much as my last visit there, small groups of Black-headed Gulls and Gull-billed Terns, a pair of Lapwings in breeding plumage, Little Ringed Plovers, a pair of Redshank and a Common Sandpiper, and in the lagoon itself, plenty of Red-crested Pochards, Pochards, Mallards, Shelducks and Coots, plus a pink mass, of Greater Flamingoes on the western side. In the reedbeds, Reed and Great Reed Warblers were singing, and I was surprised to see a Water Rail (which I think was also surprised to see me!) And in the surrounding area, Woodchat and Southern Grey Shrikes, Turtle Dove and House Martins.
Along the fringes of water, a Lapwing ...
Little Ringed Plover ...
... Gull-billed Tern ...
... Common Sandpiper
Across on the other side of the lagoon, a pinkish smudge which is in fact the colony of Greater Flamingoes
And back on my side of the lagoon, a Water Rail that popped out of the reeds
Having seen all there was to see there and with the heat haze getting up, I decided it was time to make my way slowly back towards home, with a stop at the EDAR (sewage farm) of Campotéjar, Molina de Segura to have my sandwich lunch, arriving there at about 15:15. This was quieter than I had expected, although I did finally get to see my first Little Bittern and Squacco Heron of the year, Other birds of note were many Swifts with Pallid Swifts mixed in with them, Swallows, Sand Martin, Reed and Great Reed Warblers, a Whiskered Tern, a pair of Common Terns, Pochards, Red Crested Pochards, White-headed Ducks, Little Grebes, Sardinian and Cetti’s Warblers, Bee-eaters, a pair of Little Ringed Plovers and a Common Sandpiper, and for me a surprise, a pair of Black-necked Grebes in full breeding plumage, obviously together. Possibly a failed breeding pair, as I don’t think they breed at Campotéjar.
Not too many birds, but the place was brimming with dragonflies - here a Lesser Emperor
Nor was it short of swifts, mainly Common, but with a few Pallids thrown in
One of a single pair of Common Terns that may be nesting on one of the artificial islands
A pair of Black-necked Grebes with a couple of male White-headed Ducks
First broods of Swallows are now out of their nests
Record shot of a feeding Whiskered Tern
Now working my way back to the coast, I called into the Salinas at San Pedro del Pinatar just before 7pm, not really expecting to see much, but just in case a breeding plumage White-winged Black Tern might be floating around (as it’s the time of year for them!). Well no luck there, but I did see 20 Little Stints, nearly all in their full reddy-brown breeding attire, plus 12 Curlew Sandpipers also in their ‘red’ form, Turnstones, Sanderlings, Ringed and Kentish Plovers, Black-winged Stilts, a single Reeve, Slender-billed and Black-headed Gulls, and about 1,000 Greater Flamingoes all in the same lagoon (maybe gathering to go off somewhere?).
Little Stint - almost in full breeding plumage ...
... and a Curlew Sandpiper that's definitely there
Wow, what was that I trod on???
With another bird on passage now, Ringed Plover
My last call of the day was into the sailing club area of Los Urrutias on the Mar Menor. Here the local people are complaining bitterly about the state of part of the beach which due to recent winds has gone ‘wild’ and is a bit smelly, but the wildlife are loving it – to the extent that there are more waders than ever there now (considering the time of the year). This time I had 6 Curlew Sandpipers (three of which in their breeding plumage), Redshank, Little Stints, 10 Ringed Plovers, 4 Kentish Plovers, Little Stint, Sanderling and Turnstones.
And then back home for an early night!! Not a bad day out at all, with 85 species seen and 7 species of lark in a day!
That’s all for now, so happy birding,
Richard
Birds seen during the day:
Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis); Black-necked Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis); Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutes); Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides); Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis); Little Egret (Egretta garzetta);Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus); Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna); Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos); Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina); Pochard (Aythya ferina); White-headed Duck (Oxyura leucocephala); Black Kite (Milvus migrans); Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus); Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni); Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa); Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus); Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus); Coot (Fulica atra); Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus); Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta); Stone Curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus); Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius); Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula); Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus); Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus); Sanderling (Calidris alba); Little Stint (Calidris minuta); Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea); Ruff (Philomachus pugnax); Common Redshank (Tringa tetanus); Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos); Turnstone (Arenaria interpres); Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus); Slender-billed Gull (Larus genei); Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis); Audouin’s Gull (Larus audouinii); Gull-billed Tern (Sterna nilotica); Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvichensis); Common Tern (Sterna hirundo); Little Tern (Sterna albifrons); Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybrid); Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Pterocles orientalis); Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus); Woodpigeon (Columba palumbus); Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto); Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur); Little Owl (Athene noctua); Red-necked Nightjar (Caprimulgus ruficollis); Common Swift (Apus apus); Pallid Swift (Apus pallidus); Bee-eater (Merops apiaster); Hoopoe (Upupa epops); Dupont’s Lark (heard only) (Chersophilus duponti); Crested Lark (Galerida cristata); Thekla Lark (Galerida theklae); Calandra Lark (Melanocorypha calandra); Short-toed Lark (Calandrella brachydactyla); Lesser Short-toed Lark (Calandrella rufescens); Woodlark (Lullula arborea); Swallow (Hirundo rustica); Red-rumped Swallow (Hirundo daurica); House Martin (Delichon urbicum); Sand Martin (Riparia riparia); Spanish Wagtail (Motacilla flava iberiae); White Wagtail (Motacilla alba alba); Black Wheatear (Oenanthe leucura); Blackbird (Turdus merula); Cetti’s Warbler (Cettia cettia); Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus); Great Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus); Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala); Woodchat Shrike (Lanius senator); Southern Grey Shrike (Lanius meridionalis); Magpie (Pica pica); Carrion Crow (Corvus corone); Raven (Corvus corax); Spotless Starling (Sturnus unicolor); House Sparrow (Passer domesticus); Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs); Serin (serinus serinus); Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris); Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis); Linnet (Carduelis cannabina); Corn Bunting (Miliaria calandra).
Total, 85 species.
Postscript: This visit was a week ago, and a lot can happen in a week! Since my search for Red-footed Falcons last weekend, I have seen TWO locally. And it seems that at the moment they are more common than Common Kestrel in Spain - with flocks of up to 97 having been seen in the north of Spain, flocks of 17 and 40 seen in Mallorca, flocks in Tenerife where unfortunately they have been gathering at the airport, and over 20 have been killed in collisions with aircraft. They have now probably been seen in all Spanish provinces (on Friday, 5 seen together around Pétrola, where I went). Plus they have reached Portugal and Madeira – next stop the U.S.? Watch out for one near you soon!
Post Postscript: Don't forget you can get more up-to-date local birding news from my FaceBook page - just look for 'Richard Howard' and ask to be my friend!
Excellent
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