Spanish Travels 1/5-8/5/18

I've just returned from a week's break in the Costa del Sol in Spain where my wife and I once again stayed in the busy resort of Fuengirola. While it was not a wildlife holiday and was more of an r'and r' sort of thingy I did once again get out for varying amounts of time to see what sort of naturey type stuff I could kick up in the surrounding countryside.

Sunrise at the beach and the Rio Fuengirola.

Part One - Fuengirola and its surroundings.

Roof top neighbours.

Amongst the high rise hotels and blocks of flats of the town itself there is not much wildlife to be found. From my balcony I saw Yellow-legged Gulls on a daily basis as well as Spotless Starlings which were nesting in the flats opposite. Good numbers of swifts included many Commons but also Pallids. One feature of the birdlife is that the dawn chorus includes the wheezy, buzzing trill of Serins which is a song I get fed up with fairly quickly, the little yellow beggars are everywhere.

A trio of warblers, Cetti's, Sardinian and Melodious.

The castle and its surrounding park are more interesting in winter but still have a few birds in the warmer months. Apart from the squawking flocks of Monk Parrakeets it's the monotonous calls of Collared Doves and Feral Pigeons that fill the air. Robins are quite rare around here in the summer but the area around the castle holds at least one pair. My favourite bird on this trip was a Boneli's Warbler that showed well one morning. One curious thing that I did observe on this visit was House Martins feeding on the ground, I had no idea that they did this kind of thing.

Ground feeding House Martin and White Wagtail.

Walking along the river produced a few goodies, there was a lot more water this year though sadly much of the river itself is obscured by bamboo thickets. These and the neighbouring trees and shrubs hold a healthy population of both Nightingales and Cetti's Warblers, the latter often showed well even if usually for short periods of time. Another warbler that can be found here are Isabellines, several pairs are in the area and their songs provide a break from the numerous Blackcaps. Both Common Sandpipers and Little Ringed Plovers were seen  and on one occasion an immature Night Heron too. Bee-eaters often passed high overhead, betrayed by their distinctive calls and I saw Booted Eagle on two occasions.

Common Sandpiper and Little Ringed Plover.

The nearby hills which lie a little to the northwest of the town were the home of several pairs of Stonechat and many Sardinian Warblers. The zip zip calls of Fan-tailed Warbler were frequently heard though often drowned out by the songs of several Wrens. At least two Melodious Warblers were on territory in this area and one was very showy indeed. Also a little on the showy side were a pair of Short-toed Eagles that called loudly as they circled the area.

Requisite rubbish record shot, Booted Eagle.

Before I finish this section I just want to point out that I couldn't find any Woodchat Shrikes in what looked like very good habitat, I hope this does not reflect a general decline, Spain won't be the same without them.