Google Earth can be a very useful tool when it comes to location scouting. Although at times it can be a bit misleading - you sometimes can't see a fence on satellite images - it does provide you with a good general overview of an area. Today I went on a birding trip with two objectives in mind: I wanted to see what bird species I could spot on the opposite side of a wetland that I had visited before, and upon finishing this recon walk, I wanted to take some photos from a hill overlooking the valley. Those photos would look better at sunset, so I decided to start my visit in the afternoon.
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| Black Stork |
The first encounter worth mentioning was with a hunting Kestrel. The bird seemed so focused on its prey that it was hardly bothered by my presence. I was able to witness its hunting skills for almost fifteen minutes, in which I saw the bird flying from branch to branch, overlooking the grasslands and occasionally diving down when it thought it hat spotted some prey.
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| Male Kestrel landing on a branch |
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| Did it spot something edible in the grass? |
The easy to follow trail led me past grazing cattle and before arriving at the bank of the estuary, I witnessed an unforgettable spectacle: a flock over almost two hundred Goldfinches came flying towards me. One of these birds is already beautiful, but when you see them in these numbers, it is difficult to find words to describe such a wonder of nature.
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| Two hundred Goldfinches flying towards me |
These colourful birds also let me approach them and observe their behaviour: every other minute or so they flew off to a different part of the grassland to feed, each time displaying a splendid, synchronous wave of colour against the blue sky.
After observing them for a while, I noticed one European Serin had mingled with the flock and I was then able to photograph it flying amongst the other birds. |
| Two hundred Goldfinches and one European Serin … |
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| … flying from spot to spot … |
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| … to forage for a while … |
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| … and then simultaneously fly off again |
I could have watched this marvel for hours, but it was time to continue to the estuary, bearing in mind that I had to leave this place well before it got dark.
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| Goodbye flying jewels! |
I had seen this place through my binoculars from various different angles: during another nearby visit and at the beginning of a spectacular walk starting at Bornos. At first, I was slightly disappointed at not seeing dozens of different bird species, especially after the amazing encounter with the Goldfinches, but soon I saw some movement down below: a group of Glossy Ibises, wading through the shallow water, soon joined by many White and even Yellow Wagtails!
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| Yellow Wagtail |
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| Part of the flock of Glossy Ibises |
It's funny that in many languages, this apparently dull bird, is referred to as 'Black Ibis'. Under great lighting conditions however, you can appreciate this wader bird's true beauty. Its plumage contains brilliant brown, green and blue feathers. I therefore much prefer its English name, the Glossy Ibis. Its scientific name, Plegadis falcinellus, derives from ancient Greek 'plegados' and Latin 'falcis', both words meaning 'sickle', referring to the bird's distinctively shaped bill.
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| The flock of Glossy Ibises taking to the air |
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| Seen from above they do look much darker |
Fortunately, the Ibises didn't fly far away and let me enjoy their graceful beauty. Another solitary bird called my attention: I spotted one single White Stork a bit further up the wetlands.
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| Only one White Stork? |
Minutes later a small group of Storks descended from the sky. More White Storks to join their solitary mate they had left alone earlier? Absolutely not! I could barely believe my eyes. It was a flock of Black Storks coming down in wide circles, to the very spot where I had crouched down to photograph the Ibises!
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| Goodness gracious, Black Storks! |
I had occasionally spotted this species before, but never twenty of them together! Neither had I noticed before that they actually have an amazingly coloured neck, similar to the Glossy Ibis. It is only when you spend so much time out in nature that you come to realize that there is much more than meets the eye!
Some of the Black Storks even landed relatively close to me, before taking off again and allowing me to shoot some amazing photos with El Torreón, the highest mountain of Cadiz province, in the background.
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| Watch out, guys! |
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| Soon the White Stork joined its black brothers |
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| Some of these images left me absolutely speechless |
I knew it was going to be hard to surpass these photos, even from the top of a hill overlooking the valley at dusk, but I decided to go anyway. On my way to the car I spotted Sparrowhawk, Long-tailed Tit and a Black Kite, a species which is now migrating north and which I had hoped to see in larger numbers, remembering a sighting in a previous year near the same spot.
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| Black Kite |
Although I was welcomed by a male Stonechat, the climb to the top of the hill turned out to be a quite hazardous experience. Carrying heavy gear on a slippery path is never easy. |
| Male Stonechat encouraging me at the foot of the hill |
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| The climb to the top was trickier than this photo suggests |
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But I guess it was worth the effort | | Group of Cattle Egret flying to their roosting spot |
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| View from the very top of the hill just before sunset |
Yet another unforgettable birding experience!
Henry.
