RECENT GARDEN RECORDS

Here are some photos taken from our garden or thereabouts in the last few days. First of all the lunar eclipse on 15th inst. The horizon had a sort of reddish mist when the moon came up, already eclipsed, and the moon itself was so red that we didn’t see it until it was pretty high in the sky. The last photo shows the penumbra sliding off the moon and its normal colour coming back from the left. While we took these photos a Nightjar was churring away. Two or three always breed close to the house.

Then this handsome toad turned up in the garden two days ago. 

 Some notable records from Villanueva de la Vera over the last few days. On 7 June we found a female Bullfinch about 400 m from the house. Lots of Bullfinches normally winter here but this was the first time we’ve ever found one in the breeding season. On a cycle ride last Saturday we saw a lovely Orphean Warbler singing in the dehesas to the south of the village, the first time we’ve heard one of these in the breeding season too.

SURPRISE PACKAGES IN GREDOS

The site.

Last Sunday, on a recommendation made by our friend Santi Villa, we tried out another site in Gredos. And what a site it turned out to be!! All the normal high-mountain stuff was still very active, singing away and giving amazing views from atop rocks, Broom scrub and telegraph wires. Especially obliging were the wonderful Bluethroats, which I was able to photograph right from the roadside

We also saw Alpine Pipits, a Tawny Pipit, Whitethroats (a very high density), Spectacled Warbler, Yellow Wagtail, Ortolan Buntings, etc. Here’s a snapshot of a Whitethroat.



This Wheatear, otherwise quite shy as a species, came close enough for me to get a semi decent snap.

Skylarks never stopped trilling high in the sky.

We saw a total of 8 Rock Thrushes, also quite shy and never coming very close. Two males once sat side by side quite amicably on the cables and then one of them attacked a nearby female, as you can see in the photo.

The big surprise came as soon as we arrived at dawn, when we heard first the tick-tock song of a Snipe and then saw him drumming overhead, the first we’ve ever seen breeding in Spain. I believe these to be the most southerly breeding snipes in the whole of Europe. Truth is it seem really weird to be hearing drumming snipes, so many of which we’d heard a couple of years ago in the Shetlands, in the same site with such Mediterranean species as Rock Thrush, etc. We even managed to get this shot of it flying overhead.

Another surprise came when we found a male Red-Backed Shrike at a height of 1909 m but it didn’t give us a chance to photograph it.

We also found these orchids, which we think are Robust March Orchids, Dactylorhiza etala subsp. sesquipedalis. If any blog visitor could confirm this identification we’d be grateful.

Already dead chuffed with the morning’s birding, we were on the way down the mountain when this wonderful Ocellated Lizard slithered into view to give us the last snap of the day.



BIRTHDAY TREAT IN MONFRAGÜE

Today, on my fifteenth birthday, I spent a splendid morning in Monfragüe. The first presents, as soon as we got to the castle, were these dawn views.

A trio of White-Rumped Swifts was hawking overhead.

Although you can’t see the white rump in the photo (they’re too quick!), it is a White Rumped Swift!

A Blue Rock Thrush kept us entertained. The male seemed to be sick of feeding a nagging youngster who he was keen to get off his hands by now.

If you keep begging me for food I’ll give you a cuff round the earole

Red-Rumped Swallows were also flitting about and perching on dead trees, while the Griffon Vultures also gave us some striking images.

An Imperial Eagle flew over, its white shoulders glinting in the sun.

On a nearby road bridge I tried to snapshot the lightning-quick Alpine Swifts, who flew in and out of the bridge in screaming groups, seeming to have a great time.

Other birds seen during a splendid birthday morning included Peregrine Falcon, Chough and Black Wheatear.