Home Page  Cottage Accommodation  Location  Tariffs  Booking  Contact
 Walking Holidays  Working Holidays  Photographic Holidays  Painting Holidays  Car Hire  Getting There
 Learning Spanish  Spanish Cooking Holidays  Bird Watching  Touring The Alpujarra  Chauffeur Tours  Dual Centre Holidays
 Write a Book  Management Reflection  Horse Riding  Children's Farm Holidays  Guests comments  Airport pickup


Guest Diary

We would like to thank David, Judith and Geoffrey for writing the comments below on the bird life they observed whilst they were here. As you will see they have been cautious in their notes. However we would recommend that anyone wishing to come to see a particular bird should check with an appropriate reference book beforehand.

We would welcome a similar venture from other bird watching guests.

David, Charly and Miriam stayed in our holiday cottage Águila. Judith and Geoff stayed in our holiday cottage Halcón.

Click here for details of our holiday cottage accommodation

Bird Watching. Cortijo Nogales. April 3 to April 10 2005

This is a brief account of a week bird watching at the beginning of April. The weather was cold and cloudy at first but sunny by the end of the week. Migration was under way, but a lot of summer visitors had not yet arrived (e.g. the bee eaters). Some winter birds were still around. We are not expert bird watchers by any means, more walkers with binoculars, so if we could see them, anyone can! Having said that, I think we were lucky because quite a few of the species we saw only once.

There is a lot to be seen immediately round the cortijo. An early morning walk taking in the scrubby gully just to the left of the exit gate, the path behind the cortijo to the end of the road and the short path (first on the right) going up through some trees to cortijo Robles always proved interesting.

The following list is in order of sighting. “The road” refers to the long track,’ left and right’ in the direction towards Orgiva. The Acequia is the one 2 fields above the cortijo which heads off into the mountains and dries up after about 2 kilometres. The ‘ridge’ is the high ground behind the cortijo extending for miles up, eventually, to Pico de Valetta. Driving up the first decent right turn after the 2 water crossings, or turning right when the tarmac begins accesses this area. The path to Capileira starts on the left just before the first water crossing.

J=just one or 2 seen during the week. F=few. C=Quite common. Seen most days. A=Abundant

April 3-4.

Buzzards 2. J
Raven C		 Jay. C
Serin. A
Bonelli’s eagle J (Mature. White body, dark wings and tail) + probable immature bird. Rock bunting A
Cirl bunting C. (Try the trees in the ‘garden’ of cortijo Robles.)
House sparrow. C
Robin. A		 Blue tit. A
Great tit. A
Coal tit. A
Wren. A
Wood pigeon. C
Chaffinch. A
Short toe tree creeper. F
Mistle thrush. C
Green woodpecker. C
Black redstart. C		 Blackbird. A
Stonechat. C
Red-legged partridge. F (Acequia)
Grey wagtail F (Acequia)
Magpie. C
Kestrel. F
Feral pigeon.
Crag martin. F. (Around crags below Capileira)
Peregrine falcon J. (One only perched in tree high on ridge).
Scops owl. Heard every night but never seen. Could someone tell me how you find the damned things?		 Sardinian warbler. F. (La Cebadilla was a good spot)

April 5th.

Swallow. C
Red rumped swallow. F (by the river at the bridge. Orgiva)
Cetti’s warbler. J. (Heard but not seen. In scrub on L of road. Quite near cortijo. 		Spotless starling. C
House martin. C
Little egret (Orgiva)
Woodchat shrike. F

April 6th. Trevellez gorge. Fantastic walk from Busquitar down into the gorge, up the other side and back via a different route.

Blue rock thrush. J
Golden eagle J Not a definite sighting, but very likely). 		Goldfinch. F
Bullfinch. J

April 7th. Lots of migrant swallows and martins arriving. We went up the ridge behind the cortijo as far as the snow line but did not see alpine accentors. The ‘fire look out point’ is excellent for raptors and the ground higher up was very good for larks. We can’t separate crested from Thekla larks, but on balance thought they were mainly crested.

Long tailed tit. F
Booted eagles 2 J (possible newly arrived. Pale phase. )
Choughs C. (Feeding in grassy fields on L of road between the Buddhist turn off and the Z bends. Also flying across the valley) 		Wood larks C. (Singing wood larks were common here)
Crested/Thekla larks. F
Skylark (uncertain record)

April 8th.

Bonelli’s warbler. J (A pair in the trees on path to cortijo Robles)
White wagtail. J (Pampaneira)
Black wheatear. J (Seen in ‘garden’ on path out of Capileira towards Abuchita). 		Blackcap. F (Naute valley)
Siskin. J (Winter bird)
Pipit? Water.Swift. F (La Cebadilla. I would not recognise a pallid swift if it sat on my nose)

April 9th. Bérchules.

Hoopoe. J
Cuckoo. J (Heard only)
Chiff chaff.

Disappointments. It is churlish to be disappointed, having seen so many fantastic birds. No vultures. We heard nightingale and Firecrest but never saw them. More information about these species would be welcome. No Rock thrush or Azure winged magpie. Alpine swifts and bee-eaters had not arrived. No Crested tit. No dippers.

David Oakley
Judith Lane
Geoff Lane

Our guests have asked Questions and answers: Click the highlight for full information.

The Alpujarra with a Difference: for full information on a particular topic click on the link below:

 Home Page  Cottage Accommodation  Location  Tariffs  Booking  Contact
 Walking Holidays  Working Holidays  Photographic Holidays  Painting Holidays  Car Hire  Getting There
 Learning Spanish  Spanish Cooking Holidays  Bird Watching  Touring The Alpujarra  Chauffeur Tours  Dual Centre Holidays
 Write a Book  Management Reflection  Horse Riding  Children's Farm Holidays  Guests comments  Airport pickup