Tuesday 29th September
A few days ago, Geoff Culford WhatsApp me.
“I remember you saying your bogey bird was Black-shouldered Kite, and there’s been a report of a bird at GuadalentÃn. Fancy a morning’s birding?”
Well, it would have been rude to say no, wouldn’t it?
So, this morning Geoff and I set off at about 7:00, and a hour and a half later we were on site and ready to go. Chasing one bird is normally heading for disaster.
It was a bit dull and overcast when we arrived. Geoff had been sent a few photos of the bird’s location, and luckily the buildings in the background gave us a few clues as to where we needed to be.
So off we went, wandering the tracks and generally looking like two men who knew exactly what they were doing?
The first bit of birding produced six-plus Hoopoes, lots of Northern Wheatears, several Marsh Harriers, two or three European Buzzards and Common Kestrels, lots of Southern grey Shrike.
All very nice, but unfortunately not the bird I’d been waiting years for to photograph well!
Still no Black-shouldered Kite.
Geoff then said, “Let’s go down here for a bit.”
There were plenty of Swallows drifting around, so I asked Geoff if he could scan through the ariel flock.
A few seconds later:
“I’ve got the bird!”
Brilliant!
Then came the bit that made me fall off my perch.
“Not one… not two… not three… but four Black-shouldered Kites!”
Now that’s how you break a bogey bird!
After 40 plus years of looking for one, Geoff had only gone and found me four.
Typical ! unbelievable?
Of course, finding them was only half the battle. Now I needed a photograph.
The birds were a field away and, naturally, there was no nice convenient path leading to them. Why would there be? That would make things far too easy.
We watched them for a while, and eventually the Black-Shouldered Kites started hunting. We followed them around, and full marks to Geoff — unselfishly he managed to get me into a position where I actually had a chance of getting a photo.
Over the next hour or so, the birds were active and flighty, moving from one place to another and generally doing their very best to make sure I didn’t get a decent photograph.
Eventually, two of them settled down in good light.
Camera up.
Focus.
Press shutter.
Done!
The curse was finally broken!
I have to say, I vividly remember an encounter with Black-shouldered Kite at Palm Farm Road, with Trevor which is probably best forgotten, easy to say.
Much harder to erase from the memory!
There was also a trip to Portugal looking for them, and another trip to Gambia.
And after all that travelling, searching and waiting, I finally got one in the bag — and not just one, but four!
You couldn’t make it up.
By about 10:30, with the Black-shouldered Kite safely under the belt, we decided to do a bit more birding.
We added three Black-bellied Sandgrouse, which showed well as they circled around us along with Spectacled Warbler, Common Sandpiper, Greenshank and plenty of the usual suspects: Cattle Egret, Serin, Little Grebe, Black-winged Stilt, Meadow Pipit's, Iberian Green Woodpecker, Chough, Jackdaw, Sardinian Warbler, and Corn Bunting.
We poodled around for a bit longer, eventually hit the quiet period, and decided we’d had enough and job done.
I was back in the house by ten past two.
What a brilliant morning!
It’s only taken me 40 plus years of birding, trips abroad, countless hours looking at the sky and probably far too much money spent on petrol and optics to finally get a half decent Black-shouldered Kite.
And then, when it finally happens, Geoff finds four of them.
You’ve got to laugh.
I’m still not satisfied, of course. I always want a better next time one closer, or one in perfect light, or one sitting on something more photogenic.
That’s birding.
But for today…
Bogey bird: DONE!
There was one other moment that's which is well worth a mention from a dead hollow tree while having a wee a Dormouse appear it showed well, first for me never seen one before. I had time to go back to the car and get the camera and press the shutter happy days.
A very good start to autumn after an incredibly hot summer
Have fun, go birding.
Make some news.
Cheers,
Bryan
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