Perfect Storm
one of my previous Birding visitors contacted me and said he was flying into Alacant for a 4-day trip to go Birding Serra de Cazorla and would I like to join him. A freebie
I said Yes of course
The distance involved was immense, Google Maps said the travel time was 4:30 and us not knowing the mountainous terrain, just how much time it might add to the journey time, we headed off from GA at 6:45 on the southern route stopping off at Guadalentin Valley. Birding by 8.30, all the species that were predicted were soon on the list.
Highlights, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, "point blank" twice they looped low around our heads and you've guessed it, the camera was inside the car what an opportunity missed "Oh shit" Hope this isn't gonna be a trend for the trip?
So off we set off from Guadalentin Valley, after first breakfast at around 12:30 travelling through Totana, Lorca, Basa, and onwards north to Serra de Cazorla, all was going well along the motorways. The hire car an MG which is normally associated with high performance, couldn't fart its way out of a paper bag. It was tediously slow making headway as we headed up the mountains of Serra de Cazorla,
Around and around we went, up and down on these little one-vehicle roads twisting and turning as we climbed over the top, "I was feeling a little travel sickness" only to go down to the bottom of a valley and start it all over again on the next mountain the MG car was running out of puff at the slightest incline, it's not a car to climb mountains.
The highest peak is 1,847 meters, the highest we got to 1,475 meters Ben Nevis UK's highest peak is 1344. 527 meters. At one point I thought I was gonna have to do CPR on the car as it struggled up yet another mountain. My mate was losing patience with the car. The Sat Nav was having an epileptic fit showing the route to the hotel it was like spaghetti drawn across the screen sometimes pointing in the direction we just come from. You couldn't write this
Unbelievable
I was starting to get bad vibes we'd been travelling most of the day. The hotel still looked miles away a Cote Rios, we eventually arrived at 5:45 at the hotel, a quaint rural hostel which was more than adequate for our needs, and more importantly, around the garden birds singing their heads off "Great I thought" We sat in the garden listening to Bonelli's Warbler. Golden Oriental, stunning Grey Wagtail, Black Cap, Song Thrush, Robin, Serin, Chaff Finch, Black Redstart, Stonechat, Hoopoe, Scops Owl and many more
We sat there with a few glasses of red wine till dusk listening to the chorus of song and looking forward to the following morning and going Birding.
Second day
Couldn't see the Forest for the Trees
Early start it was so good to hear so many amazing birds singing, but there was a problem the forest was so dense and bird songs carried such a long way away, also the canopy was so high it was neck-breaking to see anything, the most common song heard was Golden Oriole there must be thousands of Golden Oriole at Serra de Cazorla,
At a river weir, which was very noisy, we saw Nuthatch, Wren, Serin, Blue tit, Coal Tit, Blackcap, Robin, herd / seen Golden Oriole, Treecreeper, Crossbill, Great spotted Woodpecker, Mistle Thrush, but hardly any opportunities for photography due to the low light levels in the forest.
Up on top of the world
High up at the viewing platform hoping for a lammergeier to drift by. We did get to see many Griffon Vultures and a pair of Bonelli's Eagle, and Booted Eagles. Raven, We put in some considerable time there on the viewing platform staring into the wide blue yonder and burning up in the 40° heat
Back at the hostel
And debating our days birding and writing the list of birds, it was disappointing and just how difficult it was to see the birds. We sat on the balcony looking up at a small patch of blue sky hoping for anything to pass by, and at that moment a lammergeier pass over it was brief, but enough. It doesn't take much to make us happy.
Lightning does strike twice
Some of you readers who visit my blog might remember my disastrous visit to Yecla and the flat tyre episode in February titled Mad Days Birding. Well as we were celebrating the flyover of the lammergeier with a glass of wine the hotel proprietor called to us from the garden below he was very anxious and articulate about something was wrong with the car, we rushed down the corridor and into the car park and found the offside door window completely shattered there was no attempt of breaking in it's just something that happens with laminated glass it spontaneously explodes due to a fault in the manufacturing process. Maybe something to do with the heat or altitude. I've heard about this before where laminated glass tables and glass doors explode for no reason, but never heard it on the automobile.
We reviewed the situation and decided that the following morning we had no alternative but to head back to Gran Alacant. We patched the offside window as best we could with cardboard and tape and made preparations to leave early the following morning taking the northern route back. It took us seven and a half hours to reach Gran Alacant it was a bit of a nightmare getting back as it was like driving through a wind tunnel with the offside window missing, not to mention the three-a-half hours of driving in circles of ups and downs and twists and turns to get back onto something that looked like a straight road.
Make some news and have fun
Big thanks to John Robinson
Cheers Bryan
Photos to follow
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