Visitors

Saturday saw the visit of friends to Cordoba to do some birdwatching. The pressure was on to show the best that Cordoba has to offer. Fortunately, at this time of year there is lots to see as we also have many birds visiting the area, passing through on their migration north. 

We started our day with a stroll along the Guadalquiver near Molino de Martos in the city. There were lots of Grey Herons, Black-crowned Night Herons, Little Egrets and Cattle Egrets along the edges of the river. Cattle egrets get their name from their habit of following cows around, eating insects and small vertebrates disturbed by them. It is an efficient way to feed as they can obtain up to 50% more food than by foraging alone. They have earned a favourable reputation with famers as they can help to reduce the number of flies and ticks which bother the cows. They have also experienced a rapid natural expansion in recent years and have even been found in my native Ireland. 

Cattle Egret with its summer plumage

Soon we also spotted Common Whitethroats, Willow Warblers and beautiful Subalpine Warblers with their distinctive white moustache. The reeds were busy with the activity of Reed Warblers and Sedge Warblers. 

Subalpine Warbler

The misty morning was brightened by the colourful and exotic plumage of our first Bee-eaters of the year and a pair of Rose-ringed Parakeets. The later are not native to Spain but a feral population exists in many Spanish cities, with SEO/Birdlife estimating that there were 20,000 in Spain in 2015. There are calls for culls by some who consider them a threat to native flora and fauna.

Kingfisher

Kingfishers also offered good views, choosing the wall in front of us as its fishing perch. Interestingly, kingfishers aren’t blue at all! Take away the sunlight and they are actually a rather less exciting murky brown as their feathers have no blue pigment. They get their blue appearance through the structure of their feathers scattering blue light, through a process called the Tyndall effect. Just as we were getting ready to move on, my friend Ron found a Little Bittern as he was scanning the far river bank. However, it was a bit too far to get a great view of it without a scope. 

Next we headed north east to the Observatorio de Aves at Villafranca. Many birds pass this point on their migration north and members of SEO were there to record the migration. There were large numbers of black kites and white storks circling in the thermals. The odd Griffon Vulture passed by and then something bigger. There isn’t much bigger than a Griffon Vulture but a Cinereous Vulture (also known as a Black Vulture) is. With a wingspan of up to 2.8 metres it is one of the world’s largest birds of prey. Its wings are broad and dark which help to give it a menacing appearance. This was our first in Andalucía as we had only previously seen them in La Mancha where we had observed them at their treetop nest site. They are currently listed as Near Threatened but their numbers seem to be on the up in Spain as a result of better protection and feeding stations. Vultures used to feed on the carcasses of livestock but in the wake of the BSE crisis farmers were forced to remove dead animals quickly. This meant vultures starved and so the government took action and set up these official feeding stations where food can be provided for them. 

Cinereous Vulture

A lone Booted Eagle soared overheard and shortly afterwards a Black Stork. Black Storks are secretive birds that like quiet wooded areas close to water. They migrate alone or sometimes in groups. Birds that pass this way are on the western migration route. After wintering in West Africa they either, cross the Sahara or fly around it. Next they cross the Strait of Gibraltar and head north across Spain, France and Western Germany, covering around 250km a day. 

Black Stork

Montagu’s Harrier and Hen Harriers also passed before we decided to go to a nearby restaurant for some lunch. It was a good decision to bring our binoculars to the table as we were treated to a couple of flyovers from more raptors. First we had a Short-toed Eagle (or Snake Eagle) hanging in the wind above us. As their name suggests they hunt snakes and are protected from venomous bites by scales on their legs and thick feathers on their thighs. They typically crush or remove the head of the snake before swallowing it.

Short-toed Snake Eagle

Then we saw the resident pair of Bonelli’s Eagles. The adults are easy to identify with their dark wings and whitish body. They are very fast, usually capturing their prey by dashing from the cover of trees or by stooping down on their target, which is usually a small to medium sized bird. In Spanish they are called Águila Perdicera because of their reputation for taking partridges (perdiz). 

After lunch we decided to head back to Cordoba on the scenic route. This meant turning off the A4 motorway and taking the CP-263 towards Santa Cruz. This is a quiet road which heads through the ‘Campiña’- a dry area of cereal fields. It is very much lark territory and it was not long before we had seen Short-toed larks, Crested Larks and the larger Calandra Lark. Every few metres we passed a Corn Bunting singing loudly from its perch. Ron taught me how to identify the sharp call of the Zitting Cisticola as it flew around in front of us. 

Corn Bunting

Before long we had added Yellow Wagtails, Wheatears, Goldfinches, Spanish Sparrows, Kestrels, Woodchat Shrikes, Red Legged Partridges, Raven and Swifts to our list. As we stopped the car to scan a large tree in the adjacent field for raptors a pair of buzzards lifted off and circled around. A little further on up the road Ron spotted another promising looking tree. He suggested it would be ideal for Black Shouldered Kites. A quick scan with the binoculars revealed nothing but just as we pulled away a Black-Shouldered Kite appeared, prey in its claws, and landed in the tree. We were able to watch it eating its lunch through the scope.

As we approached the end of the road we stopped once more and saw a Marsh Harrier floating over the fields. And then, what was the highlight of the day for me rose up from the fields- a Golden Eagle. Its powerful, deep wing beats lifted it into the sky. It was chocolate brown with large white patches on the wings, which told us that is was a first winter juvenile. It was a great way to round off the day and brought us up to an impressive 11 different bird of prey species for the trip.

Golden Eagle

Home Bird

The Easter break provided me with the chance to go back to Northern Ireland to visit family and do a spot of birdwatching while I was there. The urban garden of my parents’ house provided me with the opportunity to see nearly twenty species at close quarters. Many of these we can see in and around Cordoba such as robins, great tits, blue tits and long-tailed tit. The latter are unmistakeable pink, black and white balls of fluff with ridiculous seven centimetre long tails. They are social birds usually seen travelling in family groups. Their small size means they are vulnerable during cold winters and so they huddle together at night in order to minimize heat loss and even take turns in the coolest spots. This altruistic behaviour is not confined to roosting. They take part in co-operative breeding with the youngsters of one brood often helping their parents raise the next one.

Long-tailed tit

Another visitor to the garden was the dunnock, most likely attracted by the bird feeders. It was often seen foraging on the ground under bushes and between plant pots. It is quite unassuming with its grey and brown plumage. However the dunnock lives quite an interesting life. Females are known to form relationships with two males (polyandry). The two males, the dominant alpha and the beta, will work together to defend their territory from intruders. Occasionally a single male will also form a relationship with two or more females (polygyny). 

Dunnock

Another polygamous bird is the Eurasian wren which could also be seen foraging on the ground for insects. This tiny bird has one of my favourite scientific names- Troglodytes Troglodytes, meaning cave-dweller due to its ability to squeeze into tiny holes when looking for food. The wren has a troubled history in Ireland where it was traditionally hunted on St. Stephens Day (26th December). This was because it was believed to have betrayed the Christian martyr. Fortunately today a fake wren is hunted down and tied to a pole and interestingly a similar tradition takes place in Galicia in the north of Spain during the Caceria del rey Charlo (Chase of King Charles). 

Bullfinch

Other visitors to the garden included coal tits, bullfinches, goldfinches, chaffinches, blackbirds, Wood pigeons, common starlings and blackcaps. Blackcaps are a common sight in and around Cordoba. However, these warblers are a fairly new addition to the gardens of Belfast. Their numbers seem to be increasing due to the rise in the number of people putting out seeds for birds in winter. Only the adult males actually have a black cap, the females and juvenile males having a brown cap. Treecreepers were also seen creeping up the bark of trees in the hunt for insects. They are very similar in appearance to the short-toed treecreeper which can be seen here in Cordoba, but they are whiter below with a slightly short bill. Redpolls, another species which we don’t have in Andalucía, were another regular sight. 

Redpoll

We were also fortunate to be able to visit the RSPB’s Window on Wildlife centre at Belfast Lough. This site is close to the city’s airport, the harbour and major road and rail routes yet it is home to a wide variety of birds. In fact, one of the volunteers there told me that he had seen over 100 species in the last calendar year. Not bad! Our visit coincided with low tide and we were able to see black-tailed godwits feeding in the shallows and a reed bunting on the mud. There were surface feeding ducks including teal and shovelers and diving ducks such as pochard and tufted ducks. The resident buzzard was trying to avoid the attention of the hooded crows and we managed to spot a few Mediterranean gulls hiding among the black-headed gulls. 

Black-headed gulls in a courtship display

Black-tailed Godwit

On our last day in Northern Ireland we headed to Tollymore Forest Park at the foot the Mourne Mountains. It was a cold day with a little drizzle helping to remind me why I live in southern Spain. Our short walk provided us with a couple of interesting finds. A flash of yellow on the head of the bird hopping along the branches of a Douglas spruce told us that we had seen a goldcrest. Europe’s lightest bird weighs in at 4.5 - 7.0 grams – that is about the same as a 20 cents coin. The British Trust for Ornithology’s (BTO) Garden Bird Feeding Survey has shown that goldcrests take advantage of feeders in cold winters and in fact we were lucky to spot one in the garden in Belfast too. A harsh screech alerted us to the presence of a couple of Eurasian jays, their blue wing patches standing out even in the poor light. 

Eurasian Jay

As we walked along the Shimna River I spotted a dipper perched on an exposed rock at the edge of the fast flowing river. I have never seen them in Andalucía so seeing one here was quite exciting. They are remarkable birds, well adapted for feeding underwater. They have flaps that go over their nostrils when they are submerged, well-developed wing muscles to push against the current and they can even hold onto stones with their feet to prevent them from getting carried away by the water. 

Dipper

As we were taking off our boots to get into the car a sparrowhawk flew overhead. It was a fleeting glimpse but, nonetheless a good way to round off my time back home.