Surviving the Summer

Cordoba is renowned for its scorching hot summers, with temperatures regularly in the 40s in July and August. This poses a problem for birds as they risk overheating and death. Songbirds have have a relatively large body surface area through which they absorb heat and so to counteract this they become inactive during the hottest parts of the day. Unable to sweat, they can be seen panting in an effort to maintain their body temperature and will seek water sources for hydration and bathing. This is advantageous for birders as if you find the right spot, all you have to do is sit and wait for the birds to come to you.  

One such spot is the spring at Fuente del Elefante in the sierra next to Cordoba. It becomes a hive of activity with Long-tailed tits coming down in family groups for a dip as well as Great Tits and Blue Tits. Goldfinches, Serins and Chaffinches are also frequent visitors as are warblers like Bonelli's and Sardinian. The songbirds are usually forced to retreat when a Jay or a group of noisy Azure-winged Magpies decide it is their turn. 

Bonelli's Warbler

Bonelli's Warbler

The shade of the bushes around the stream also provide protection from the heat of the sun. Here Blackbirds, Wrens and Robins hop along the ground in search of small insects. 

Robin

Southern Skimmer

The large fig trees next to the aqueduct attract Golden Orioles and groups of squabbling Spotless Starlings. Hawfinches can be seen feeding in the treetops and this August I saw a male Bullfinch too. This is an unusual sighting. The Sierra Morena is at the southern tip of their winter range but finding one this far south in the middle of the summer is unexpected as their breeding range is in the far north of the Iberian peninsula. Eduardo de Juana and Ernest Garcia in their book 'The Birds of the Iberian Peninsula' say that there have been occasional reports of stray Bullfinches in the south of Spain in the summer months (Monfrague in July 1997 and the Sierra de Mijas in June 1998). 

Bullfinch

The cork oak forest is the ideal area for Nuthatches and Short-toed Treecreepers to show off their acrobatic skills as they search for food. Crested Tits are also common and Spotted Flycatchers can be seen sallying from their perches to hawk insects flying close to the ground. 

Crested Tit

Larger soaring birds, with their relatively smaller body surface area are able to cope with the heat better and take advantage of the warm thermals to reach cooler air at higher altitudes. This area is home to a colony of Griffon Vultures as well as Booted Eagles.

August is also a time when many species start making their way south to Africa frequently stopping off in the Sierra. Large numbers of Bee-eaters pass overhead filling the skies with their noisy chattering as they go. Others such as the Western Olivaceous Warbler (also know as the Isabelline Warbler- the adjective Isabelline is given to other species of birds such as a shrike and wheatear because of their greyish brown colour) descend from the mountains to the Guadalquivir valley on their southern passage.

Western Olivaceous Warbler

The wealth of species here shows us how birds have adapted remarkably well to the blazing hot temperatures of the Andalusian summer and that in fact it is us birdwatchers who seem less capable of coping!