Birding in Spain Granada Province - Sierra de Loja
Granada Province - Sierra de Loja
Living in the South of Spain, I enjoy every year again the arrival of the Ring Ouzels. Normally this happens in the second half of October. They winter in the mountainous areas of Andalucia. They can be seen in the Sierra de las Nieves, in the valley of Libar and in the Sierra Nevada and neighbouring Sierra de Loja. Interesting to go out and have a look....
On the 11th of November I went out birding with a good friend and birding guide who lives close to Loja. Before we left for the mountains, we searched the land for other species. Normally the Little Busterd is wintering there in groups of 200+ and also big groups of Stone Curlews are always there in winter.
The little bustard is very difficult to approach being in big groups, only in flight I could make some acceptable shots. They are grazing the fields but it seems to be that always there are birds checking what happens around. No change for me this time
Driving around it this lovely area we also found some other species, feeding in the remaining water what has been a small river in the rainy season. Unfortunately the water pipits had gone, but were replaces by the meadow pipits and some others
The Ring Ouzel is omnivorous, eating a wide range of insects, earthworms, rodents, lizards and berries. It nests in bushes or amongst rocks, laying several pale blue eggs, mottled with brown, in a neat cup-shaped nest. It is territorial and normally seen alone or in pairs, although loose flocks may form on migration. When not breeding, several birds may also be loosely associated in good feeding areas, such as a fruiting tree, often with other thrushes.
The adult male is all black except for a white crescent on the breast and a yellowish bill. The wings have a silvery appearance due to white feather edgings. The male sings its loud and mournful song from trees or rocks. The female is similar but duller, and younger birds often lack the breast crescent. The juvenile has brown plumage. In Sierra de Loja most of the over wintering birds are probably from the Pyrenees Mountains, because those are distinct from the birds coming from the north of Europe by the more domintant white fishscale pattern.
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