Serra de Ronda - Part four and day four

Day four – The Osuna Triangle.

Peter had so far survived my daft Welsh humour but the day was young. This steppe area holds an abundance of birds with some real specialities too, and already we were seeing good numbers of Corn Buntings, Crested Larks and Turtle Doves. A diversion along a rough track paid off with the sighting of a Great Bustard taking flight which joined two others at the edge of a field. Rabbits scurried quickly into the roadside vegetation and Iberian Grey Shrikes and Spotless Starlings were here and there. A pair of White Storks had constructed their nest on the top of an electricity pylon and a Black Kite passed by. At least eight Calandra Larks were counted. Stopping off on a deserted railway bridge gave commanding views over a salt marsh area which was being grazed by the local black fighting Bulls. Feeding around the feet of these animals were Cattle Egrets, Black-winged stilts and Lapwing, and at least eighty Glossy Ibis were feeding in the damper sections. Also evident were at least fifty Collard Pratincoles albeit they were quite far out. Scanning across the scene with his telescope, Peter picked out four Black-bellied Sandgrouse which had come in to drink, and to our amazement they flew in a little closer, but they were difficult to find in the camera, but I was lucky to get a half decent picture of two of them before they flew off again.

Two of the four well camouflaged Black-bellied Sandgrouse.

This was a really good species to see and was to be followed soon after by a Black-winged Kite perched in the top of an Aloe tree. A pair of Stone Curlew flew quickly out of sight. We took several different tracks leading to derelict fincas where a Little Owl was briefly seen, but showing much better were several pairs of Roller, the blue shimmering in the strong sunlight. Turtle Doves were seen and more Black Kites and several Common Buzzards were passing through. A female Marsh Harrier took off from the corner of a field to our left and then a male Montagu’s Harrier took flight as well.

A Hoopoe called close by but stayed well hidden, and four Short-toed Larks flew across the field. In a damp patch on a track, several Spanish Sparrows were drinking, and a nearby old generator housed in a tower had been converted into a breeding station and was occupied by Spotless Starlings – and to my amazement, three pairs of Rollers – all of which were duly flying around the area and showing off their amazing bright blue plumage. After lunch in a nearby village we visited another Laguna area and watched Grey Herons close to a breeding colony of Cattle and Little Egrets in the Tamarisks, Red-crested Pochards, a male White-headed Duck, more Black-necked Grebes, Glossy Ibis, Black-headed Gulls and two distant Night Herons. A Purple Gallinule made its way slowly along the base of the Tamarisks.  A Great Reed Warbler was in competition with several Reed Warblers. A second Laguna saw numerous Greater Flamingo’s and Gull-billed Terns this time with several Whiskered Terns mixed in, Yellow Wagtails and well over fifty Ringed Plovers with a Little Stint mixed in and numerous Curlew Sandpipers. A Common Sandpiper and a Greenshank was a nice little surprise and a pair of Lesser Kestrels circled overhead. On another track, an Egyptian Mongoose quickly ran from one side to the other, too quick for a photograph but this was a lifer for me and a lovely little sight.  The day was soon over – time really does fly when you’re having fun, and on the way back to base we watched several more Montagu’s Harriers and six Collard Pratincoles perched up in a ploughed field.

Glossy Ibis feeding

All pictures copyright of N J Davies