Spanish Nature

30/10/2024

My November article for Costa Connection Magazine magazine and deals with frustrations of summer residents going and late winter birds arriving. Plus a disaster turning my birding in October on its head. Edited to include the Redwing photo.

26/10/2024

We are just finalising the 2 tour's details for the Andalucia Bird Society to Morocco next spring. 36 members are going (2 groups of 18) and it prompted me to look through some of the photos from the Society's tour to the same areas last year. Amazing tour and Temminck's Lark was one of the many super birds we saw.

18/10/2024

My October article (the 2nd this month) for SUR in English and it focuses on our Great-spotted Woodpecker. I very much hope you might enjoy this brief article and maybe leave a comment or two?

07/10/2024

An article in the ABS website (link below) describing my autumn migration here in Andalucía, which began as early as July and is ongoing as I write. Hope you enjoy a short read? Comments welcomed as always. Link: https://www.andaluciabirdsociety.org/newsflash/flyway-to-africa-bird-migration/

04/10/2024

SUR newspaper article for October (Friday 4th October) is my take on Osprey migration and how it is being used to link schools along the migration flyway. Just a short article and hope you might enjoy reading it.

26/09/2024

A ramble on how nature helps bring perspective and solace during an otherwise troubled time. A short personal article on my journey to enjoying nature. I hope you might enjoy my brief account. https://www.andaluciabirdsociety.org/newsflash/solace-in-nature-an-advantage-to-enjoying-nature/

24/09/2024

Great-spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major hispanicus. A common resident in our part of Spain and largely sedentary, but young birds are known to disperse considerable distances and some adult individuals can have a tendency to wander, which has led to the recent colonization of Ireland, while some vagrants have been recorded as far away as North America.

Our resident bird Dendrocopos major hispanicus is darker on the underside than it's northern brethren, but you should also look hard at individuals as the African subspecies Dendrocopos major mauritanus have been discovered breeding in Malaga province, particularly Sierra de las Nieves and other nearby woodlands; this subspecies, particularly the male, is quite distinctive with pale below and red in the center of its breast.

The local population appears to be increasing, unlike its small relative to the Lesser-spotted Woodpecker, which continues an alarming decline. The Great-spotted Woodpecker occurs in Eurasia from the British Isles to Japan, also in Africa from Morocco to Tunisia, areas too cold or too dry to have suitable woodland habitat appears to be the only limitation to this wide distribution.

23/09/2024

Smaller migrants are passing through in good numbers at the moment and planning a few sorties to a few favoured areas. Chiffchaff are starting to arrive adding to many Common Redstart and Pied Flycatcher. Good time to be on my local patch.

07/09/2024

Fall of Willow Warbler here yesterday and as usual they were feeding on insects populating Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare). The first couple of weeks in September each year see this warbler peak during their migration. Another highlight was 5 adult Egyptian Vulture along with over a 100 Griffon Vulture circling and feeding on a distant carcass.

29/08/2024

Trying to portray the best of Andalucía within the limitations of my monthly article for the Costa Connection magazine September edition. Hope you enjoy my piece and tried to get the most salient points across..... VIVA ANDALUCÍA!

26/08/2024

Living in the mountains it is always a bit of an adventure to get down to the coast and visit migration points and wetlands. Barbate Marshes was quiet for a wetland area that just seems to get better as time passes, but so many holiday makers around might explain the lack of birds there, but the odd wader and several Flamingo made it worthwhile. Here a Dunlin.

19/08/2024

Migrating birds like Osprey cross national, cultural and religious boundaries and have great potential to link communities separated by hundreds if not thousands of miles.

15/08/2024

Lovely to have a Spotted Flycatcher bouncing around in the garden this morning. A real entertainer and obviously finding plenty of insects.

09/08/2024

Immigration no problem. My August article for the newspaper SUR is topical given recent events.

31/07/2024

My August article published in the Costa Connection magazine and it very much focuses on Griffon Vulture. Hoping might enjoy this short read.

25/07/2024

Some of our wildlife is actually thriving in this heat in my mountains. Regular encounters with this beautiful, somewhat fearsome creature, like some relic of a bygone age. Ladies and gentlemen I give you the most wonderful Ocellated lizard or Jewelled lizard (Timon lepidus).

25/07/2024

To this aged birder this is the best news I have had in a very long time and may this trend continue towards even more sensible conclusions on other birds.

In a major taxonomic shake-up, redpolls are to be lumped into a single species. Currently, three species are recognised: Lesser Redpoll, Common Redpoll and Arctic Redpoll.