This index contains articles where the subject matter is anything related to a species of bird or birds in general.
‘You want to watch birds in a city? Why? You’ll see only pigeons!’ I have been hearing these kinds of comments all my life and nowadays I allow myself a wry smile. Don’t just think that city dwellers without an ounce of interest in wildlife … Continue readingHow to be an Urban Birder
Back when I wrote this article during autumn, Turtle Doves were passing through nearby at La Janda, near Facinas. I saw scores of them drifting over sunflower fields only to hear the distant sound of gunshot and come to the sickening realisation that this species … Continue readingChallenging times for Turtle Doves
Every few years a bird book comes along that threatens to exhaust superlatives. Despite the manifold worries that 2020 has brought, it will go down in the history of ornithological publishing as being one of the few years that gave us two such works; “All … Continue readingBook Review – European Breeding Bird Atlas 2
The Corn Bunting Emberiza calandra is one of our most abundant and widespread songbirds in Andalucía with the males’ jangling keys song delivered from a prominent perch; a common sound in Spring and Summer. The bird is particularly associated with farmland, cultivated deheseas and more … Continue readingCorn Bunting (Escribano triguero)
Wheatears are an Old World family of chats in the genus Oenanthe, widely distributed throughout Europe, Africa and Asia, though one species, Northern Wheatear O. oenanthe is a long distance migrant with breeding populations in NW and NE North America. In all there are (depending … Continue readingThe Wheatears of Andalucia
The Black Wheatear Oenanthe leucura leucura – A personal tale by Peter Jones “Wheatear a folk etymology of white and arse, or more simply put ‘white arse’, never was this more appropriate than for this LBJ (Little Black Job) the Black Wheatear, where the white arse is … Continue readingThe Black Wheatear Oenanthe leucura leucura
I have various species of warbler present here at the Finca. Some like the Cetti’s, fan tailed and Sardinian are resident, whilst the Bonelli’s and Melodious are summer breeders, still others like the Chiffchaff, Willow, Garden, Reed and Whitethroats are only seen during passage and … Continue readingCompetition amongst Winter Warblers.
Bonelli’s Eagle Aquila fasciata has its European stronghold in Andalucía. Rightly it is an iconic species of the region. A medium sized eagle, it is a much sought after and prized species by resident and visiting birders. Here we replicate our text from the summer … Continue readingBird of the Month – July 2020
The summer so far has seen a fairly mixed set of fortunes for my local birds. All the warblers seem to have enjoyed a good breeding season and so too our raptors (one local pair of Bonelli’s Eagle raised 2 chicks this year). However, the … Continue readingA Summer Birding so far..
Virtually every morning now, the sun rises and very quickly becomes the great inhibitor to forays on foot in search of birds. For me woodlands and riverside walks are bearable early mornings, but temperatures quickly rise to make this a little uncomfortable as early as … Continue readingCanned Heat Birding
