A couple of months in Galera was, as always, good fun and very relaxing but we were a bit handicapped by just having an old camera with us while the new one was being repaired. So just a brief post for a few pictures. There was one pressing issue though - would the Trumpeter Finches have returned? I found them in the summer of 2015, breeding around the village, and last summer there were at least 50 present. However they disappeared last winter which was a bit more turbulent than recent times, and I was concerned to see if they had returned. The good news is that they had, though I only ever saw between 6 and 10.
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| Juvenile Trumpeter Finch |
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| Juvenile Trumpeter Finches |
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| Trumpeter Finch |
The majority were juveniles so they had bred successfully. We couldn't find them in the last couple of days we were there, in late August but they could still have been present, it was hard in 40c. Now to see if they're there in December and maybe try to work out what they're up to.
The Lesser Kestrels were present in Maria at the abandoned hamlet and there were, again, good numbers of juveniles. The other birds were highlights from the same area.
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| Little Owl |
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| Little Owl |
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| Hoopoe |
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| Male Lesser Kestrel |
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| Male Lesser Kestrel |
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| Bonelli's Warbler |
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| Juvenile Lesser Kestrel |
These Spanish Ibex were in Castril Gorge and apparently invisible to the groups on the suspended walkway. They were pretty unconcerned and we had great views.
Back to Maria for this Red Fox which hung round the Area Recreativa bar, being fed by the Barman . The Stone Curlew landed on the road before heading off and a couple of smart insects - Cardinal Fritillary and Thread-winged Antlion.
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| Red Fox |
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| Stone Curlew |
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| Cardinal Fritillary |
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| Thread-winged Antlion |
The last few pictures are from our usual drop-in site at The Hoya de Baza, which always seems just about to be swallowed up by the agricultural conglomorates but just about survives for the moment though the Lesser Short-toed Larks seem to have gone. A gathering of about a hundred Red-rumped Swallows was very impressive as was a juvenile Squacco Heron the first we've seen in these parts.
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| Red-rumped Swallows |
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| Red-rumped Swallows |
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| Red-rumped Swallows |
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| Squacco Heron |
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| Squacco Heron |
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