As far as I knew Trumpeter Finches couldonly be found in Spain in Almeria Province. I've seen them on the coast at the Cabo da Gata in the past. Imagine then my surprise when Kathy and I came across a couple along the road at the old town dump. What's more there was clearly a breeding colony since at least one juvenile was present with a couple of adults. The old road is cut through rock here and the pock-marked profile here looks good for the breeding site.
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| The breeding site? |
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| The original sightings |
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| And again |
There needed to be a water source nearby and I couldn't figure out where it might be then I remembered the leak at the Water Tower which is only about 300 metres away on the ridge. A check next morning turned up trumps - a significant colony of more than a dozen birds!
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| Male Trumpeter Finch |
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| A wary group |
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| Trumpeter Finches |
A bit of checking (with Mick Richardson - Granada Wildlife in Loja) found that Trumpeter Finches were known to be moving into North-east Granada including a colony at Gorafe, about 45 minutes away from us in Galera. Nevertheless it was exciting to find them and just wonderful that they are in our village. We'll be able to follow their progress or otherwise in the future.
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Male again
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