300th Species for my Spanish Bird List.
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Rufous-tailed Bush Robin (Alzacola Rojizo / Cercotrichas galactotes). |
My good friend Juan and I drove to a site in the north of neighbouring Malaga Province after a tip off from some Malaga birders that Juan knows about a site for
Rufous-tailed Bush Robin (Alzacola Rojizo / Cercotrichas galactotes). We arrived at the spot where Juan had understood was the right site and started birding, we quickly picked up a nice male
Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus),
Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus),
European Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur),
Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor),
Greater Short-toed (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla) and
Crested Larks (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata),
Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica),
Western House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica),
European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris),
European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis),
Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina),
European Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus),
Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala),
Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) and
Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus) but there was no sign of the
Chats.
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Rufous-tailed Bush Robin (Alzacola Rojizo / Cercotrichas galactotes). |
Juan was then doubting that we were in the correct place as the crops in the area did not correspond with was he had had described to him so he contacted the chap that had kindly given us the info in the first place and we as suspected were not in the right spot. Armed with some new directions we were at the correct place in a few minutes and with in 5 minutes we were watching the bird perched on a vegetation covered chain-link fence. What a cracker it was and showed well for us, after some time a car passed us by and parked right by the bird and it did not seem bothered at all so we jumped in the motor and using it as a hide we approached the singing bird. We stopped and the first thing the
Robin did was to fly over, hover half a meter from the window and land on the wing mirror to have a look at us before flying back on to the fence and preening for several minutes but just out of sight of the scopes.
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Rufous-tailed Bush Robin (Alzacola Rojizo / Cercotrichas galactotes). |
We continued to watch the male sing from the fence and the female who was spending time on the ground near the car for a while. In the same area we saw and heard
Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata),
Zitting Cisticola (
Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis),
Eurasian Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus),
Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa),
Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus),
Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra),
Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulga / Falco tinnunculus) and
Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto).
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Rufous Bush Robin (Alzacola Rojizo / Cercotrichas galactotes). |
Our next spot was around a couple of lagoons which Juan knew about but I had never visited before, here we recorded
Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus),
Northern Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax),
Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirundo daurica),
Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius),
Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus),
Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus),
Pied Avocet (Avoceta Común/ Recurvirostra avosetta),
Black-necked (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis),
Great Crested (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus) and
Little Grebes (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis),
Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinula Chloropus),
Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra),
Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Anas clypeata), Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina),
Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos),
Red-crested Pochard (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina) and
White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala).
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Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathinerum). |
A few dragonflies were seen including
Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator),
Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope),
Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) and
Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathinerum).
We then travelled back towards home calling in a Arroya Marin near Archidona so that Juan could have a look at the plants of
Iberian Orchid (Ophrys vernixia) I had found just the week before but when we got there they had gone past their best. We did see or hear several new species for the day including
Eurasian Wren (Chochin paleártico / Troglodytes troglodytes),
Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator),
Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata),
Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla),
Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia),
European Robin (Petirrrojo / Erithacusrubecula),
Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos),
Melodious Warbler (Zarcero Común / Hippolais polyglotta),
Eurasian Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius),
Hawfinch (Picogordo / Coccotraustes coccotraustes),
Common Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus),
European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster),
Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris),
Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs),
Coal Tit (Carbonero Garrapinos / Periparus ater),
Cetti’s Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti),
Bonelli’s Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli),
Eurasian Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus),
Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula),
Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla) and
Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki).
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Long-tailed Blue (Lampides boeticus). |
Several species of butterfly were seen as we walked along the track, these included
Bath White (Blanqiverdosa / Pontia daplidice),
Spanish Brown Argus (Aricia cramera),
Clouded Yellow (Colias crocea),
Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus),
Long-tailed Blue (Lampides boeticus),
Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe),
Large White (Pieris brassicae),
Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas),
Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus),
Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) and
Small White (Artogeia rapae). We then headed back to Huetor and Juan continued on home, on the way we did pick up three nice species to finish off a great day,
Calandra Lark (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra),
Blue Rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius) and
Common Quail (Codorniz Común / Coturnix coturnix).
2 comments:
Hummmmm... Rufous Bush Robin. Nice pictures, congrats Mick¡¡
Sounds like a good day Mick! Yes, nice photos :)
Andy Mountford
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