RONDA - SIERRA DE LAS NIEVES - RONDA CENTRE - DOLMENES DE ENCINAS BORRACHES TRACK
WEATHER; wall to wall sunshine, light breeze. Top temp 32C
We made our epic journey to Ronda before breakfast, setting out at 6am we had an easy, traffic-free drive and arrived at a roadside restaurant just after 8am. We had made one stop before breakfast, about 10km south of Ronda, where we found our first Black Wheatear, it was brief sighting by just four of the group. We enjoyed our toast and coffee before making the short trip into the Natural Park of the Sierra de las Nieves.
Our first sighting was of a family party of Wild Boars! They trotted across the main track as we turned into the Park.
Wild Boars taken by David Adams
Our first bird was a Rock Bunting, it was drinking from a dripping pipe on the ground.
Rock Bunting
Then a Common Redstart was found, followed by Willow Warbler & Chaffinch and as we walked into the open scrub area we added some birds of prey.
Common Redstart - we saw numerous in the park
Honey Buzzards galore
Black Kites and Honey Buzzards were rising up from the woodland and Griffon Vultures circled above the hiugh ridges of the mountains. At a water trough we watched an Orphean Warbler, that got the group buzzing, we also saw Spotted Flycatcher, Willow Warbler, Eurasian Nuthatch, a Jay, Blue, Coal and Great Tits, Robin and Chaffinches.
Orphean Warbler at the trough - by Tony Moore
Willow Warblers at the trough
a Nuthatch imposing on the Great Tit gang
Willow Warbler with Blue Tits
Walking back along the track to the car we disturbed a group of Woodlarks and saw three more Common Redstarts, the sky began to fill with Honey Buzzards too!
Our first stop in the rugged terrain further into the reserve produced a good number of Crag Martins, they fed along the raodside, we couldn't see Black wheatear or Blue Rock Thrush but we found two more Rock Buntings.
In the scrub a Dartford Warbler popped out and sat still for us, amazing it looked like it was sunning itself in the morning light. A few butterflies dashed about, Grayling, Small Copper, Spanish Chalkhill Blue, Small Copper and meadow Brown.
Dartford Warbler by Tony Moore
We hear and saw our first Red-billed Chough, a Eurasian Sparrowhawk, two distant Ravens and a barrage of raptors, they just kept on coming.
Red-billed Chough - taken in Ronda by Tony Moore
Further along the track at a stream we added Grey Wagtail, Coal Tit and we heard Firecrest. In the distance we saw three very large birds circling over a ridge. On closer inspection with the scope, they turned out to be BLACK VULTURES! Wowz! That's the first time I have seen them at this site, I know there have been recent re-introductions.
Black Vulture, a very distant shot by Tony Moore
Driving back to Ronda, the group opted for a lunch break in the town cenrte, I left them to it and drove back to the reserve to spend an hour or so watching a small number of species visit the water trough. The group had sightings of at least 20 more Red-billed Chough near the famous bridge in Ronda.
more Chough in Ronda by Tony Moore
After lunch we an effort to see more species along an open track just south of Ronda. We walked into a huge wide open basin surrounded by enormous limestome cliffs. We quickly picked out at least three Black Wheatears, then apair of Thekla's Larks gave us the run around and we found three Northern Wheatears. Moving further into the valley we stumbled upon a flock of 20+ Rock Sparrows, also Goldfinches.
Finally we found two of target birds! The male Black-eared Wheatear was a stunning male, with a plumage just like a spring bird.
the valley of the Dolmenes (dolmen - an ancient stonework usually consisting of two upright stone holding up a large cross-piece. Often used as burial tombs.) taken by Kate Adams
Then we got onto a warbler in the tamarisk scrub which turn out to be another stunning bird, in 'spring-like' plumage, it was a Spectacled Warbler! As we walked out we noted a single Spanish Ibex standing on a diistant ridge, it was seeing us, safely back to the bus.
Spectacled Warbler
We left after that and made two stops in the mountains on the way back, hoping for perhaps a Bonelli's Eagle sighting, which never appeared. We stopped at the white village called Gaucin, where I had a home for 16 years.
Black-eared Wheatear, a cracking bird taken by Tony Moore
At Sierra Crestallina near Casares we made our final stop to look for eagles! None appeared but we enjoyed the many vultures along the ridge of the mountain. We were back at our hotel in tarifa at 6:15, it had been a 12 hour outing, the group said that they enjoyed it and it was well worth the effort.