Trevor coming from the 7th of June

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Breadbasket of Europe

Ukraine's war and thee unforseen circumstances?

Yecla 27th May

Early starts on the road by 7:20

Although the war in Ukraine may seem a long way away, the effects are being felt here in Costa Blanca, In response to shortages caused by the conflict, almost every available square meter of land has been turned over to agriculture. Wheat, barley, Maze, silage, and other crops like vineyard's, olive groves, orange and lemon tree plantations which now cover areas that were once fertile natural scrub-land. Now turned over to intensive farming. 

Ukraine is globally recognized as the "breadbasket of Europe" due to its vast, highly fertile chernozem (black) soil and ideal climate.

Before the ongoing conflict, this highly cultivated region was a primary agricultural engine for the continent and the world:

Wheat: Historically ranks as one of the top five global exporters.

Sunflower Oil: Typically the number one global exporter.

Corn & Barley: Consistently ranks among the top global suppliers.

The impact on local wildlife has been dramatic. Habitats that were once excellent for birding have disappeared beneath cereal crops and the intensive farming of fruit and vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, soft fruits and poly tunnels ect. 

Black-throated Black-eared Wheatears

 With the war entering its fourth year, you can spend almost an entire day driving around searching for birds and barely see anything of note in areas that were once full of life.

Even so, today’s visit to Yecla was enjoyable, although hard going. The new normal seems you have to put more effort in too get a result. It was great to get out with Geoff, despite the difficult conditions and increasing heat, We still managed to see more species than if I’d stayed in GA.

Crested Lark
 This bird got me thinking initially I though it was a Thekla because of the bill but no its juvenile Crested lark

What was especially noticeable were the omissions not a single Pallid Swift, Bee-eater, Roller, or Woodchat Shrike. These are normally the “filler birds” between the highlights, such as Golden Eagle, lesser Kestrel, which unfortunately we also failed to connect with today.

Black -throated Black-eared Wheatears

That said, we still recorded around 12+ Hoopoes, both Black-throated and White-throated Black-eared Wheatears, Rock Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Calandra Lark, Thekla Lark, Corn Bunting, Black Wheatear, Crested Lark, little Owl, Greater Short-toed Lark, Chough, Buzzard, 6 Common Kestrel, and we heard several Golden Orioles. And lots of the little things like Serin, Linnet, Green Finch, Gold Finch, and common birds

Have Fun go birding

Cheers Bryan 

The search for the Holy Grail ( A Proper Cornish Pasty )

History of a pasty

Oggy, Oggy, Oggy

In the Cornish language, a Cornish pasty is known as an “Oggy”. When the Cornish pasties were finished cooking and ready to be eaten, the wives would go to the mineshaft and shout down: “Oggy, oggy, oggy, In response, the hungry miners would enthusiastically yell back: "Oi "oi "oi.

Cornish Pasty

A week’s visit to the beautiful Isles of Scilly
7th – 14th May

A little bit of fun and a tongue-in-cheek humor the search for the best Cornish Pasty on the Isles of Scilly, so I made it my mission, if not my duty to find the ultimate Oggy.

With a bit of local birding thrown into the mix.

Blackbird 

Greater Black backed Gull

It wasn’t my intention to pursue every half-moon-shaped pasty I came across, but I sort of fell into a trap. And having not tasted that golden, egg-washed crust, filled with meat and veg for a few years,

 I was practically salivating before I even got off the boat ( Scillonian III ) which had just docked on the Quay of St Mary's on the Isles of Scilly.

At this point, I have to admit and be honest, I’m a recovering Chocolate addict. I was once addicted to Chocolate Coco Pops

Kellogg’s Coco Pop

 I even had counselling for my Kellogg’s Coco Pops habit. It took a while in rehab to get off that creamy luxury chocolate milk and cereal treat, a hard habit to break,  but with counselling and support from my friends, I managed to control myself.

Dunnock

However, trying to walk past a bakery, tea shop, or café without stopping for an Oggy was virtually impossible. The smell of a freshly baked Oggy was unbelievable. I was drooling like a French Bulldog, slobber practically dripping from my mouth.

French Bulldog

Some days I was eating two or three pasties a day… breakfast dinner and tea with the odd sausage roll thrown in for good measure.

Wren

The judging criteria was simple:

• A golden egg washed crusty pastry
• Stacked to the brim with filling
• Good value for money

So I began my quest and have undertaken to find the best pasty on the Isles of Scilly the worst was from Tresco and closely followed by St Agnes the others were mediocre bought in. But top Oggy jointly goes to the local bakery on St Mary's and a tea garden near Pelistry.

 

Song Thrush

To let off steam

And I loved my return to my much-loved Isles of Scilly, and seeing my birding mates was something to be treasured, but I was taken aback by the prices for everything, and I know that, having been in catering for the best part of 35 years on the islands the cost of carriage to and from the Island is one of the highest costs. But to put it into focus I find it hard to justify a jacket potato with beans at £12:95. A large glass of 250m wine at £10:00

Sausage mash and gravy £22:95

St Agnes Lighthouse 

Someone's taking the piss

The Turk Head the most South Westerly pub in the UK

Have Fun Go Birding Make Some News

Cromwell's Castle is a prominent 17th-century artillery fortress located on the northwestern shoreline of Tresco in the Isles of Scilly, England. Sitting right on the waterline, it was built by Parliamentary forces to guard the narrow New Grimsby harbour channel between Tresco and Bryher

Really nice day with Jeanette and Geoff

 4th May 

 Gull-billed Tern

Although the elements were against us first thing in the morning, heavy dark clouds and spitting with rain very low light levels and a change of plan from the Mountains of Montnegra to the local area, Jeanette seemed to have a plan so Geoff and I just went with it. Good job because it paid off

Three very good birders has its benefits in what gets seen and with a big chunk of luck

 Gull-billed Tern

I think a its a big list but no mega bird or anything out of the ordinary for the time of year but an enjoyable morning's birding,

 Sardinian Warbler

Some of the Highlights included Gull-billed Tern, Whiskered Tern, Little Tern, Mediterranean Gull, Audouin's Gull, lots of Woodchat Shrike and Iberian Southern

Mediterranean Gull,

 Grey Shrike, A few Squacco Heron  lots of European Rollers, little Owl, Bee-eater, Turtle Dove at least 6, Red-rumped Swallows, quite a few Nightingales, Tree Sparrows, Great Reed Warbler, and Reed Warbler, Cetti's Warblers,  Little Ringed Plover, Kestrels, 

Zitting Cisticola

San Felipe 

Collared Patincol, good numbers, Marsh Harrier, Sardinian Warbler, Zitting Cisticola and Corn Bunting are numerous. There are several sightings of Common Cuckoo.

Squacco Heron 

We did have a bit of a laugh as we kept seeing birds on tinned roofs Shell Duck, Cattle Egret, etc

I've not mention all birds seen 

Squacco Heron 

Common Cuckoo
This bird look like it had a tough time on migration 

Go birding have fun make some news

European Roller

Cheers Bryan

El Clot Galvany

  

 Yesterday's visit to the Clot de Galvany I managed to get a few frames off of on a Sedge Warbler heard many time mostly at San Felipe. 

 I was near the Dry hide at the Clot I could hear a Sedge Warbler calling never thought it would pop out, or sit up for me but it did I've haven't pressed the camera button on a Sedge Warbler in Spain for a while so I was happy to get a few shots off before it dropped back into cover.

Sedge Warbler

Sedge Warbler

all the usual suspects are still there

House Sparrow

And back at my casa I took some photos of the resident House Sparrows ripping the flowers off my Bottle Brush Tree 

House Sparrow

Good Friday turned out to be a very Good Friday

Friday the 3rd April

 It's not very often I have a purple day but today was one of them, not too many species but it turned out to be a Classic.

Wood Lark

The plan was loosely to see what we see at Magimo Mountain so there wasn't any plan. 

The first stop we got lucky with Little Owl, a bonus bird, as we travelled through the lower levels picking up Coal Tit, Crested Tit, Great Tit, Treecreeper, and Chaff Finch. Heard and saw Wood Lark from several different areas but impossible to photograph due to the low position of the sun.

As we travelled up towards the higher ground bird song got less but we did get Wren in several places, and Crossbill, Mistle Thrush, and at the top, there was nothing, I was starting to think another crappy day.  Until we returned down the Mountain to the Wood Lark site and it just happened how can one bird, make your day well it just did, and out came Celebration Werther's Original creamy butter candy.

Wood Lark love those hind claws 
 

Wood Lark 

 Nice photos of a very good bird, feeling upbeat and optimistic we set off to Montnegra doing the reverse high to low track to be honest it was slow the odd Red-rumped Swallow, Grag Martin. Griffon Vultures and Chough A very brief view of a Subalpine Warbler disappearing into the scrub and no sign of any Woodchat Shrike. 

Undeterred

 We kept going It was early afternoon and birding had slowed up considerably. 

 At the historical site for Trumpeter Finch, it is still dry, I inspected it and cleared it out of some crap but unfortunately, there's no water at this site, so it's done and finished but we did find an area close by where the Trumpet Finch does pop in and out.

Trumpeter Finch

Trumpeter Finch

We went up and down the main track a few times looking for Blue Rock Thrush but only heard the bird, Black Wheatear showed distanty then out of the blue came 2 Bonelli's Eagles.

Bonelli's Eagle

Which showed brilliantly and what a sustained showy performance they gave,  A nesting pair,  what a display they put on over the next 15 minutes absolutely wonderful to watch 

Bonelli's Eagle

Bonelli's Eagle

 

Bonelli's Eagle with leg ring number 740

And to end our day a White-throated Black-eared Wheatear showed very well not a big species list today

White-throated Black-eared Wheatear

White-throated Black-eared Wheatear

 But some quality birds and a few photos thrown in which is great as it's not every time that i go birding that I get to press the camera shutter button. So it really was a Good Friday

Big Thanks to Geoff

Not mentioned every species seen

Bonelli's Eagles

Make some news go Birding have fun

Cheers Bryan

Migration in full swing

  

Sunday the 22nd

A good extended morning birding especially the early part of the day we start at the visitor center San Felipe, Jeanette, Geoff, and I. And at the car park of the visitor centre was buzzing with Hirundines 

Alpine Swift

Alpine Swift, Pallid Swift, Common Swift, Red-rumped Swallow, Barn Swallow, House Martin, also tucked away in the far corner was a Stone Curlew probably nesting somewhere near.

Stone Curlew 

Great Reed Warblers calling from lost of different locations and occasional Reed Warbler big numbers of Cette Warblers,  surprise of the day was a Sedge Warbler,  Red knobbed Coot, Marbled Duck, in good numbers, but not so good for waders as the water levels are high, European Snipe, Little ringed Plover, Black winged Stilt, Purple swamp Hen, Glossy Ibis, all showing well

Little Bitten (4) Squacco Heron, Grey Heron, sound of the day has to be Zitting Cisticola there just everywhere, closely followed by Corn Bunting. 

We left San Felipe to explore the areas around there, Booted Eagle showed well with one pair displaying with aerobatic performance tumbling zigging and zagging very impressive, Buzzard and Marsh Harrier Common Kestrel were also seen.

Booted Eagle

Marsh Harrier

El Pinet

Water levels are very high but hundreds of Sandwich Terns, and Slender-billed Gulls are nesting there, and good numbers of Avocet also Iberian Yellow Wagtail,

 Iberian Yellow Wagtail

Avocet

Last stop Clot de Galvany 

All the usual suspects there but no sign of Ferruginous Duck

Great time out there Birding 

I've not mentioned every bird seen.

Have fun

Make some news

Thanks to Jeanette and Geoff