Brief Review

There has been a significant lack of posting from me, I know, in the last three months... to put things into perspective, since February's events I have been busy doing other things, such as concerts, shows, holidays and seeing my girlfriend most days. As such, birdwatching has been shunted to the side - for the time being. Another reason for the halt in the hobby may be because I'm simply getting bored of what Kent has to offer. As far as I know I have seen most of what this beautiful corner of England has to offer, and my sights continue to drift to foreign locales where different, more exotic creatures live. I can't help feeling far more exited at seeing a Black Kite in France than a pair of Marsh Harriers at Stodmarsh. Hmm...

Well, I suppose I might as well report on a recent music tour to Spain. I did no real birdwatching whatsoever, but still managed to see hundreds of Black Kites, Common Buzzards, a Golden Eagle, 2 Nuthatches, Griffon Vultures, 3 Alpine Choughs, Yellow-legged Gulls, 2 Ravens, several Rooks, Jackdaws and Carrion Crows, a Peregrine, an escaped Lanner Falcon, a few Spoonbills, 1 White Stork, dozens of Cattle Egrets, a few Little Egrets, 3 Grey Herons, a Serin, a handful of Sardinian Warblers, singing Nightingales and a Manx Shearwater and 64 Gannets on the return journey through the Bay of Biscay. Well, I really wasn't loking for them all... almost all were seen from the coach when I was bored (my iPod ran out of power) and the others from the top of Fuente De and its foothills and from the Pride of Bilbao.

Well, I'll try to post the next thing I do... but for now, here are three photos from Spain (please bear in mind I did not take my long lens for safety reasons, so this is the best I could get).

The Young Birder Strikes It Lucky

It's been several weeks since I managed to do any birding; none, in fact, since Spain! I have been spending more time with my girlfriend, I must admit, so birdwatching chances have been thin on the ground, but one must put priorities before hobbies.

However, today I found myself waking early a sunny day with nothing planned, so a walk to Bockhill to search for spring migrants was called for. About time too!

I did a circuit of Ringwould first, just to wait for the sun to reappear from behind a dense cloud cover; whilst walking around The Forest I noted Chiffchaff, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Blue and Great Tits, Song Thrush, Blackbird, Wren, Kestrel, Woodpigeon and Pheasant, but nothing out of the ordinary. Not yet anyway.

After 1o minutes or so, the sun appeared and I set off via the village allotments. In the allotments I added Barn Swallow, Robin and Feral Pigeon to the day's list, before moving on. The Lynch was full of singing birds, including a male Blackcap, a Chiffchaff, wrens, robins and other small birds. Further on, on the path leading up to Kingsdown Woods, I found a Whitethroat, which managed to evade my camera all the way up the path, before flying off deep into the field of oilseed rape, where it was impossible to see or follow.

I came out the other side of the woods, hearing Goldcrest, Green and Great-spotted Woodpecker, and walked along the shaded path to the Rabbit viewpoint, a style which overlooks a small rabbit warren, often frequented by magpies, starlings, woodpigeons and blackbirds, alongside their long-eared furry friends. Two of the rabbits today had eye problems (myxomatosis?), but the young bunnies were all very eager to bound about the field and munch on the grass.

On the hill in Kingsdown leading down to my local patch, I found myself metres away from a Great-spotted Woodpecker. The bird was not an easy subject, as it frequently disappeared behind the post it was perched on, before eventually disappearing completely, but I did obtain some satisfactory shots.

Next stop: my local patch. Boy, it felt good to be back on the gravel/chalk terrain of Old Parker's after so long. The Fulmars were busy nesting, so fewer adults were flying back and forth, more sitting in their crevices in the cliffside. Other birds present included large numbers of Whitethroats, Jackdaws, House Martins, Linnets and Herring Gulls, two flyover Black-headed Gulls and the female Kestrel.

I spent a lot of time photographing the whitethroats as they sang from various perches. They are such beautiful birds in their own right, and should not be overlooked. I saw none of these birds in Spain; on the contrary, I saw about five times more Dartford Warblers in one day there than all the Whitethroats I saw today! Still, they were pleasant to watch and listen to, and kept me on my toes trying to photograph them.

I met Kingsdowner at the end of the patch; he was doing a breeding birds survey of Old Parker's Cap, and would have gone further but was called home. Shame... Before he left I photographed this stunning adult male Wheatear as it perched on the stone structure.

On the way back Steve and I heard a rasping call to our left and a Whitethroat popped up very close to where I was standing. I snapped a few shots before it decided enough was enough and took off into the undergrowth. Steve quoted: 'You really do get all the luck, don't you?'. Well, we'll see, Steve.

I spent a while strolling along the clifftop, but I saw nothing new; no good views of Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps like I had been hoping for, so eventually I decided to head home via a detour past the golf course. On the way there I found a colourful male Linnet sitting in a bush, which did not take off instantly, so it was more than worth photographing.

After dilly-dallying around in the north end of the golf course, I decided to take the detour round the south side instead. As I continued I noted an increase in the numbers of Meadow Pipits, House Martins and Barn Swallows, especially the former, as they rose from their hidden spots in the long grass before the golf course.

Whilst I was watching one of these Meadow Pipits, I looked up to see two swallows flying overhead. If I had already taken some good swallow photos this year, I would simply have overlooked them, but I desired a good photo this time. So you must understand my great surprise when, after a swift double-take, I realised that one of the swallows was no less than a Red-rumped Swallow!

I eagerly snapped several more shots as it flew further north, until it was too far to bother.

What a great find!

I later discovered that the bird had been seen at 8:00, and I saw it at about 10:45, so it was still hanging around. Where did it go I wonder?

I'll be off to Stodmarsh next week, I hope.

Donana Birding: Day 4

Day 4 started off well as the sunniest day of the week, and so it remained. Not a cloud in sight, not even a wisp of one! We left the campsite at 8:35 for one of my favourite birdwatching sites in the Donana region, the Dehesa del Banco. I visited this site earlier in the week en route to the Valverde Centre, but the views had here of some bird species are just too good to see once!
Our first stop was at the Arroyo del Partido, which was rather empty, except for good views of Corn Bunting, Barn and Red-rumped Swallow, Sand Martin and a Zitting Cisticola; Great Reed Warblers and Nightingales served as a background chorus.

We soon reached the Dehesa del Banco, and as usual we passed several Black Kites and a couple of Ravens perched on the poles in the vast pineforest surrounding both sides of the road. The posts were covered in the usual Crested Larks and Corn Buntings, with small groups of Spanish Sparrows perched on the wires near the small pools of water. The Bee Eaters were showing particualrly well this morning, with some birds allowing approach of up to several feet from the front of the car!

We stopped for a break at the top of the Dehesa track, listening to the raucous colony of Spanish Sparrows and watching as White Storks, Black Kites and the odd Booted Eagle flew to and from their nests within the copse. Just to give you a glmpse of the size of the colony, here's a photo of the eucalytpus trees... but it's nothing compared to the incessant buzz of noise one hears when standing close-to!

(This photo was taken from the road; the track is beyond the green section)

Whilst waiting at the end a Woodchat Shrike flew down and landed next to a Bee Eater on a post, providing a very good moment for a photograph.

I'd forgotten just how small Woodchat Shrikes were! No bigger than the Corn Buntings they share the wires with. We were on our way back when I saw a small bird on the wires by the road. It was a stunning male Whinchat - I've never seen one so well-coloured! My photos are rubbish, as it had been facing us, so you canot see the large black cheeks so well, but it was very vividly marked!

I got out of the car to stop and search for the bird, but it must have hidden itself on a perch in the ditch, for I did not manage to relocate it. However, whilst searching, I heard strange calls and tried to find the source. It was a high trill, raven-like, but short, fast and repetitive. After a few minutes scanning the sky I picked up a shape. Pratincole, I thought at first, but no - too bulky. I took a few shots and scarcely had time to examine them when I heard louder, closer calls from behind. I wheeled around and snapped several shots of the four birds that whizzed past.

PIN-TAILED SANDGROUSE!!! And I thought we'd never see one!

Ok, so my photos aren't great, but the birds were moving further and faster all the time, still calling. My thanks go to John Butler, the late Donana Bird Tours Leader - without your help I would not have known to listen out for their calls and thus would have overlooked one of my favourite bird species! Thankyou so much.

We moved on to the Dehesa de Abajo at length, leaving the sandgrouse still whizzing around the Dehesa on their early morning flight. At the Dehesa de Abajo, the mixed stork/eagle/kite colony was as busy as ever, and the White Storks were busy collecting nest material.

Down on the big lake were a pair of displaying Black-necked Grebes, but by the time I had reached the hide they had already gone far out to the middle of the lake. This photo of a Black-necked Grebe (one of a group of six) made up for missing them though.

We visited the Canada de Pajaros, a 'nature reserve'. Humph. They can call it that, but I will never believe them. It is more of a captive-breeding programme for rare birds. The owners of the 'reserve' look after injured birds and set them free. Well, the birds seem to end up domesticated. The Cranes never left the 'reserve', so as they are now more of an attraction I am not sure whether to count birds that have decided to stay and live in a captive-breeding centre to my list. The worst was yet to come...

Aside from keeping Smew, Goldeneye, Goosander and Hooded Merganser on the lake (why on Earth? They must hate it in Spain), they had all the common Spanish species of birds locked up in cages. Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Common Waxbills, Calandra Larks, Greenfinches and Kentish Plovers all shared a pen, whereas in another cage Avocets, Black-winged Stilts, Collared Pratincoles and Whiskered Terns flapped about. This is madness... why keep common birds such as these locked away for the public to view when they could just as easily take two steps out of the zoo and see just as many of the same species, and in far better plumage too!?! I ask you; I was so enfuriated I must admit I was in a bad mood for a very long time. I will complain to the couple who own the place in due course. I know they're just trying to run a business, but still... this is madness. Madness, I tell you...

On the way back I saw a lovely Southern Grey Shrike, but a passing lorry scared it off. As a result I still have no photos of this 'common' yet elusive bird. However, this Woodchat Shrike posed well for us near the same spot, as did the following Whinchat.

After some time to recover at the Dehesa del Banco from my fury/emotional outburst, we returned to El Rocio, where I decided to calm myself by watching the Whiskered Terns on their pool. It was so calm, just to sit and watch the terns fishing for tadpoles, with the sandpiper species, a Glossy Ibis, egrets galore and several lark and wagtail species flying about my head. A Little-Ringed Plover even dropped in, but more about that angry little bird next time. For today, just a trio of photos of the terns, and one of the pair of Ravens seen nearby.

Next time, Day 5 and 6: El Acebuche and La Rocina revisited!

Donana Birding: Day 3

The third birding day was not as wildly productive as the second, but then the Valverde Centre and the Corredor Verde are, in my opinion, possibly one of the best birding sites in Donana. Anyway, today we visited the Marismas de Huelva and the Laguna de El Portil.

The Laguna de El Portil is supposed to be a very good site for both White-headed Duck and Ferrugionus Duck (mostly in winter), the latter I was hoping to find. I had no luck with either, and the path led us straight to the water's edge, as walking along the legal path meant that it was near impossible to ID the birds on the water, as they were so distant. A walk around the water's edge produced 2 Little-Ringed and 1 Kentish Plover, Black-winged Stilts and several Mallard, whilst in the air above I saw House Martin, Common and Pallid Swifts, Barn Swallows and a Booted Eagle.

We searched for the main quarry here, the elusive Mediterranean Chameleon. Elusive it certainly proved to be - we never found one, not here nor at Punta Umbria, where a 'sizeable' population resides! I'd forgotten just how hard it is to find one. They are almost always in white broom bushes, but there were simply thousands of these bushes along the coastline... Whilst looking for the blasted chameleons (masters of disguise just doesn't sum up how well concealed they are), I disturbed many Dartford Warblers from the scrub, some in pairs. I'd lost count of the number of Dartford Warblers I had seen by the end of the day, they were so numerous! Unfortunately I was on the wrong camera setting (seems to happen all too often!!!), but I took a photo of the only warbler which did not fly away instantly.

We gave up trying to find one eventually, but not before I had done a little naked-eye seawatching and spotted several Yellow-legged and Lesser Black-backed Gulls and a few Sandwich Terns. Once again I had not expected to see the latter, as they are chiefly winter visitors, but it seems that I should now expect them to still be around in April!

Now, onto the best part of the day. Mum drove us into the Marismas del Odiel, where we hoped for close views of Spoonbills. We drove along the saltpans, which were worryingly dry (it had not rained for severak weeks), and because of this there was little about, only a distant male Montau's Harrier drifting over the saltmarsh. Eventually we reached a small lagoon where several stilts and gulls were gathered. At the time I thought I saw a Slender-billed Gull among them, but I could not find one later. However, I was in for a surprise!

I had got out of the car to photograph a close Little Grebe when a car pulled up behind ours and a woman came out and stood next to me. Within seconds she asked (in Spanish, of course) whether I had seen a 'focha cornuda' on the lagoon yet. Well, my Spanish is not in the perfect condition it once was, but I did know what a focha cornuda was instantly. How could I forget when there was a poster of one outside my old spanish classroom when I lived out there? Focha Cornuda means Crested or Red-knobbed Coot, so you must understand that I was absolutely thrilled when the woman explained that there was a pair of these rare birds nesting on the lagoon. She told me that the red-knobbed coots had been breeding on the lagoon for several years now, and she had found them herself.

Well, I was excited and trained my eyes on every coot I could see on the lagoon. After a brief scan I learnt that they were all just Common Coots, and I was a little disappointed. The Spanish lady waved a cheery goodbye and headed back in her car to Huelva, I guess. I thought it might be worth checking the gulls one last time, so I walked up and out of the raised track. As I was about to join the road, I checked the reeded margin of the lagoon to my right, where my eye was caught by a coot. And would you believe it - ?

What unbelievably fantastic views of one of Donana's scarcest and shyest birds, a Red-knobbed Coot! I have not seen one since when I was living in Spain, and my family and I were lucky to see two of these rare coots fighting with three common coots. However, this must be my best views yet, no more than a couple of metres away! Simply stunning! It swam off into the reeds, from whence it did not return, and I ran back to the car, punching the air with joy. Yessss!

We left the Marismas later, but we did find one pair of Spoonbills close to the road, so the target was achieved along with the unexpected bonus!

As we drove back, mum decided to investigate the Camino de Moguer, an area of Donana which is supposed to be very productive for woodland birds. Let's put it this way; we say barely anything we wanted to see, and too much of what we didn't. I'm talking, of course, about illegal fruit farms. There were miles of plastic covered strawberry plantations, filled with Moroccan immigrants, most likely illegal workers. It took us a whole hour and a half to leave the massive plantations hidden away within the pinewoods, and by the time we had 'escaped', we were shocked right through. Vast tracts of stone-pinewoods had been cleared for these probably illegal farms, and the habitat left behind was completely lifeless. Shocked. Just shocked...

Away from that now, and back to the real Donana! In the afternoon we revisited El Acebuche, in the hope of finding something worth photographing. It was rather quiet, but I did see Hoopoe, Stonechat, Red-crested Pochard, a Mallard family, White Storks, Red-rumped Swallows, a Red Kite, Savi's Warbler, a couple of photo-worthy lizard sp. (Large Psammodromus, perhaps?) and a Purple Heron, the latter hunting quite close to one of the hides.

And next time, I will tell you of Days 4 and 5; Surprises at the Dehesa del Banco and Barking Bonuses!

Donana Birding: Day 2

OK, so I'm sorry, I've been really slack about posting, like last year. I promise now to tell you of day two, even if it is five days late!!!

I woke up at a more reasonable time on the second day, at about 7:55 (yes, I jotted all of this down - sad, huh?). I was woken as usual by the noisy House Sparrows calling from their roost/nest site in the thatched roof of a large shelter just outside the cabin. Other bird calls heard as I wandered around the campsite included Goldfinch, Serin and a large number of Bee Eaters as they perched on the wires by the camp and made a few early morning forays.

Mum spent some time looking for her small lens, so we delayed leaving until 8:30. It turned out to be in her bag later, so it was rather a waste of time, but never mind.

Our itinerary today was the Jose Antonio Valverde Centre, via the Dehesa del Banco and finishing with the much-appraised Dehesa de Abajo, home to Europe's largest White Stork nesting colony.

We had not gone far when we stopped to photograph a flock of Bee-Eaters on the wires close to the road. Due to the fact that I obtained some much better photos later, I won't post my earlier images.

We soon found the turning to the nearby town of Villamanrique. The most common birdcall by far came from the ubiquitous Corn Buntings, which seemed to be on almost every fencepost! Other birds including many calling Quails, singing Crested Larks and Serins in the orange groves, a Woodchat Shrike on a fence and two male Montagu's Harriers soaring together over the fringes of Villamanrique. Black Kites were omnipresent too, and I managed to take a semi-decent photo of one of them as we passed through the woods of the Raya Real. From my experience I can safely say that there is almost always a Raven, Common Buzzard or Black Kite perched on these posts, and occasionally a Common Kestrel, Booted Eagle or even a Spanish Imperial Eagle may use the posts.

We quickly arrived at the Dehesa del Banco, where the fields were filled with feeding Cattle and Little Egrets and a few Spoonbills and White Storks. The fenceposts along the track were lined with birds, mostly beautiful Bee-Eaters, Crested Larks, Corn Buntings, Woodchat Shrikes and Spanish Sparrows from the colony in the small copse of eucalyptus trees in the middle of the Dehesa, but I also found a migrating Northern Wheatear which had stopped to rest on the barbed wire. I have heard that the Dehesa is a prime miration route, as the many fenceposts and wires provide excellent perches, and the stand of eucalyptus serves as a landmark. Rollers, Turtle Doves and Golden Orioles have all been seen to use these posts, but I have never seen any of them here.

After about 15 minutes of listening for sandgrouse and having no luck, we left the Dehesa del Banco for the long, bumpy road leading to the Jose Valverde Centre. We had not gone far when we found another Black Kite perched on a pylon at the side of the road. This was the first one which did not take flight immediately as we stopped to photograph it.

We took a different route to the centre this time. Whereas last year we got to the Valverde Centre (eventually) by taking a sandy road through open country which only produced a white-morph Short-toed Eagle, this year we went along the track which followed the Corredor Verde (Green Corridor), so called due to all the tamarisks bordering the road edges.

The first bird we saw was most unexpected; a Black Stork was standing in the middle of the field, and I took a few photos before it took off. The light was against it, but its the closest I've got to one of these birds before. As I had still to find out, coming a week earlier meant that more winter visitors had not yet departed.

We investigated the Casa de Bombas to check for anything out of the ordinary, but the only birds present were a pair of Common Kestrels (presumable nesting in the building), several Spotless Starlings, a few House Sparrows and a Common Sandpiper on the riverbank.

Further on we turned west and headed towards the Valverde Centre, where I noticed a sudden increase in one species of bird in particular: Northern Wheatears. It was interesting to see the variation in their plumage. I was slightly confused by one, which lacked the strong colours of a Northern Wheatear male, yet also lacked the ochre colour of a Black-eared Wheatear. Any ideas?

After a kilometre or so, marshy lakes began to form around the road, where large flocks of Greater Flamingo and Spoonbill and individual Little Egret, Glossy Ibis and Grey Heron were feeding.

Other birds present included some stunning Black-necked Grebes, a few Short-toed Larks and an unbelievably close Great White Egret, perched on a wire (!) by the road. This certainly makes up for seeing one in the distance last year!

Eventually we reached the centre, where I immediately made for the viewing point from the cafe, from which one can observe the vast Glossy Ibis colony, mixed in with tamarisks full of Night Herons, Little and Cattle Egrets and the odd Squacco Heron. None of the latter this year, but I did have cracking views of a Great Reed Warbler right in front of the viewing point, singing its heart out.

We left for the track which led alongside the main lake (the Lucio del Lobo) to look for other birds, namely Purple Heron. Alongside hearing many Great Reed and Savi's Warblers, Purple Gallinules and Greater Flamingoes, and seeing Black-winged Stilts and a flyby Squacco Heron, there was not a lot else, so we headed back to the centre, from which I spent a good twenty minutes photographing the Glossy Ibises as they flew back and forth from their nests in the reeds.

We drove on a little further in the direction we had been walking, where I saw a very distant Griffon Vulture and a very close Cattle Egret, and I took perhaps the best photo I could have done on the whole trip of the latter bird (this isn't it, but it's only cropped in from the right-hand side and shows you just how close the bird was - for the better photo, check my flickr).

We headed back on the route we came last year because mum wanted to photograph a Purple Heron. This year the birds were much more wary, so I took no great photos this year. However, I spotted a flash of red as a small bird flew alongside the car, and when it landed in a tamarisk I identified it as a female Common Redstart. Nice and close, too!

Further along the dirt road we found a small flock of Short-toed Larks, and one remained in the road as we drove up to it. It watched as we stopped and I took some nice photos of the bird, despite the shadow.

We left the Valverde Centre and the Corredor Verde for the Dehesa de Abajo, where we had amazingly close views of nesting White Storks right beside the road, and from the hide I was very fortunate to watch both Black-necked Grebe and a male White-headed Duck swimming past quite close!

Next time (whenever it is) I'll tell of both Days 3 and 4, as they were rather short.

Donana Birding: Day 1

The thunder is clashing outside and rain is beating down on my window... what a contrast to this time last week, when I was resting on the patio drinking a batido... yes, I have returned from a week's birding in the Coto Donana, and have finally edited all my photos. Now I can tell you of this year's adventures, starting with the first day:

Well, after the flight I could barely get any sleep (it was surprisingly very cold), so at 4:00am I decided that I would stop trying to sleep and just get up. It was still dark, so I played around on my phone, watched a video that my girlfriend had recorded on it (I don't know why she filmed me dancing in Jesus Christ Superstar the night before...) and read a litte. Eventually the sun rose, but alas! It was so misty I could barely see the gate in the hedge from our cabin! Nevertheless, come 8:00 I left the campsite, eager to start the Donana birdwatching week; this may be my last for some time, as this time next year I think it's the Pyrenees I'm visiting! The first birds to show themselves were the noisy Serins, Goldfinches, House Sparrows and Spotless Starlings of the campsite; if you visit the campsite La Aldea in El Rocio these are the four species you are guaranteed at any time of the year!
I left the campsite into the open fields surrounding El Rocio, where I disturbed several Crested Larks and Meadow Pipits. The latter I had not been expecting, as they are winter visitors, but it seems that coming a week earlier changed the species of birds I saw dramatically! Other birds in the field included Bee-Eaters on the wires (I've been waiting to see them all year!), Cattle Egrets by the road and, although not a bird, a Granada Hare which sprang from the mist-covered pasture as I got close.

Further around the town, near the Puente de Ajoli (where I had such good views of a Squacco Heron last year), I found a small depression in the fields filled with water. The small temporary pool had attracted many birds, including Pochard, a juvenile Black-headed Gull, 3 Common Snipe (another winter visitor), 2 Black-tailed Godwit and three birds I saw every time I visited: a young Glossy Ibis, a Common Sandpiper and many Whiskered Terns. The former two birds were rather wary, but with time the latter birds got used to my presence and I was able to sit and watch them for an hour, with the birds often coming within touching distance. The light was not too good, but in the hour I sat by the pool it improved. Other birds seen while I was photographing the terns included Skylark, Crested Lark, Raven, Jackdaw, Black Kite, Barn Swallows and House Martins.

As I followed the dirt track around town I noted singing Cetti's Warbler and Nightingale by the Puente de Ajoli, Spanish Yellow Wagtails (iberiae race), a silent Sedge Warbler with calling Great Reed Warblers and Purple Gallinules from within the reeds and large flocks of Greater Flamingo, Whiskered Tern, Black-tailed Godwit, Black-winged Stilt and Spoonbill on the Madre de las Marismas, El Rocio's great marsh.

After a quick cafe con leche for mum and a Cola Cao for me, we left for Donana's most important visitor centre, El Acebuche. I was overjoyed to see a brand new White Stork nest, right outsude the cafe! The two birds were not shy at all and allowed close approach.

Into the pinewoods! In the woods we saw Great Tit and Iberian Magpie, the latter attracted close with bread as usual.

From the hides I could see Common and Red-crested Pochard, Hoopoe, Stonechat, Serin, Common and Pallid Swift, Little and Great-crested Grebe, Coot, Moorhen, Mallard and Black Kite. There was not much activity though, and no sign of any Purple Gallinules, so we left, but not before seeing and photographing the Red-rumped Swallows which nest in the centre!

However, a better photo opportunity came on the road between El Acebuche and La Rocina, where the resident Common Buzzard (I have seen the same bird perched on the posts in this area on most days) was seen perched on a fencepost right next to the road. There were no cars behind us (for once), so I was able to take quite a nice shot. My favourite buzzard photo so far, certainly!

Now, I seem to have a predicament as far as photos for the afternoon of that day is concerned. They have just disappeared! They vanished as I was trying to download them onto my almost-full computer! So, you'll have to listen to my words alone.

We visited La Rocina next, where in the pinewoods we saw Sardinian Warbler, Short-toed Treecreeper (I had nice photos of one :( ), Serin, Dartford Warbler, Iberian Chiffchaff and Melodious Warbler. Grey Heron, Spoonbill, Mallard, Common Pochard, Red-crested Pochard and Little Egret were the only birds on the lake. In the scrub we saw two Booted Eagles soaring high.

On the way back I stopped at La Madre de las Marismas to watch a 100+ flock of Collared Pratincoles as they came to land on the marsh with many Whiskered Terns, Black-tailed Godwits and Greater Flamingoes. I walked to the Puente de la Canaliega and back and saw both types of Swallow, Sand Martins, American Crayfish (an introduced species which is thriving), Crested Lark and Cattle Egret. The best bird however was a single Griffon Vulture soaring high over the marsh - I saw none last year, so this sighting really takes me back to the years when I lived in Spain.

And that's Day One. Tomorrow, I'll tell you of Day Two: Egrets, Egrets, Everywhere!

Kite-High

Just a short note to say that, after returning from a whole day's rehearsal of Jesus Christ Superstar, I spotted a large hawk in the sky while going home on a main road, which on close inspection turned out to be a Red Kite, soaring to the west. The sunshine enabled me to see it ver well, depsite the bird's altitude; the forked tail, the reddish colouring and beautifully marked wings. It certainly brightened up my day - a kite already, and I'm not in Spain yet!

The rest of the day (before the kite sighting) was spent rehearsing and parading through Canterbury. If you were there midday and you saw an oddly-dressed crowd following a student carrying the cross, I was among them. It was fun, but somewhat tiring.

Tomorrow I have the chance to go birdwatching somewhere as my school is closed due to the death of a sixth-form student. It would be nice to go somewhere to check for migrants or breeding birds, but I am thinking of where to go within feasibility... Stodmarsh, Sandwich Bay or Bockhill? Hmm, I'll think about it...