Doc.B's Nature Blog

Well,I have taken a pretty rubbish panoramic view from my outside balcony to give you all a sense of what I can see.In front are some reeds,very healthy,showing there is some water somewhere below ground,I have found if you crop and zoom in the very distance straight ahead are the montes de Gaucin.Gaucin is a typical white washed hill top village,much loved by Ex pats.A tadge nearer is a slightly askew M mountain called Sierra Crestellina which overlooks another typical Andalucian village called Casares.This village sits in a prime position to study both passerine and raptor migration in Spring and Autumn,fab,.place.The largest mountain more to the right is the Sierra Bermeja.Further right you can see one of the golf course holes and in the right corner close to the building is the Bay of Casares.So you can see I have a fabulous panoramic view to bird watch from. What is also useful is that the golf course runs down in the direction of the sea in a wide cut which tends to funnel passerines up and down past my apartment during periods of migration.Also very handy the apartment faces N.,so I get shelter from the prevailing E.and W.winds but the benefit of seeing raptors relatively close heading against the winds.With my telescope set at 50X I can ID birds of decent size way up to Sierra Crestellina and sea birds in the Bay of Casares.

So birding from the balcony today was quite productive with crystal clear vision,jolly cool in the shade but a pleasant 22 degrees in the sun.I noted during various coffee breaks etc,86 + Wood Pigeons,4 Collared Doves,150 + Spotless Starlings.,7 Black Redstarts incl 2 males and 2 adult males,55 + feral Pigeons,17 + Griffon Vultures,5 Crag Martins,.1 male Stonechat,1 female Sardinian Warbler,1 Blackbird,plenty of House Sparrows,and at least 10 adult Gannets.