Bird watching in Almeria

Almerimar Today Bird Watching with John Witham

We have just updated part 2 of the series of articles on bird watching by John Witham to include pictures. Read More for details.

Collared Dove

Many thanks to John for all the effort he is putting in updating this series of interesting articles.

As I indicated in my first note, the Puntas Entinas is a huge area of wild countryside encompassing sea shore, salt lakes, scrubland and cliffs within a stretch of land measuring roughly 16kms in length and less than 1 km in width. The cliff top road between Almerimar and Roquetas may be considered as a useful boundary offering views over the nature reserve to the sea as well as an easy way of gaining access to the more distant areas which are beyond a leisurely walking distance.

It is not really a practical proposition to cover the whole reserve in one trip, nor is it viable to describe it in one article so I will divide it into four manageable chunks.

The view from the cliff top will quickly show you that a long stretch of water separates the seashore from the cliff side so I will deal with these as two separate excursions.

The third excursion will cover the area around the lighthouse whilst a fourth will explore the stretch between the lighthouse and Roquetas.

If we start with the cliff walk side you should enter the reserve at a point near to the horse riding stables. Sadly much rubbish is deposited here but don’t be in too much of a hurry to get deep into the scrubland. Fortunately birds do not hold the same standards as we bird-lovers and many birds live happily at the fringes near to the stables. Many of these will be familiar to UK birdwatchers and include Sparrows, Collared Doves, Greenfinches and Magpies but patient watching will soon reveal a number of breeds rarely or never seen at home.

Housesparrow


Collared Dove	Greenfinch	Magpie

Black Redstarts and Stonechats are frequently seen chasing flies from their look-out posts on rocks or the tops of bushes. Their short acrobatic sallies usually end with them returning to the same take off point within a few seconds and they can make several flights in a minute. The males of the species (in most birds) are the more striking and easier to identify. The males of each of these are predominantly black, the first having a red rump and the latter having a red breast with a white vicars collar. The females however are dull brown and sometimes difficult to identify from other species of similar size living within the same habitat.


Black Redstart	Stonechat

To see hundreds of pictures of these, or any other, birds click onto any of the major internet search engines and search for the bird type you wish to view. Many of the sites will also give much background information that will assist in identifying the breed.

Walk a little further into the reserve and look towards the section of cliff face which has numerous holes. Some of these are small enough to act as cosy nest sites for the thousands of Rock Martins that you will see swooping for flies throughout the Almerimar area.

Rock Martin

Slightly larger holes and ledges provide nest sites for Kestrels whilst you may well see Bonelli’s Eagles in the larger caves. Even if you miss seeing the eagles at their nest you should see them frequently flying over the golf course and scrubland searching for small creatures such as lizards, mice, rabbits and birds such as pigeons to add to their varied diet.


Bonellis´ Eagle	Kestrel

In the scrub you should see Crested and Thekla Larks scurrying along the ground foraging for shoots, seeds and insects. Both are so similar in appearance that the best way to distinguish one from the other is by their song.

Crested Lark

A clearly defined path runs the length of this section of the Salinas through to the lighthouse area of the reserve. From this path there are a number of convenient spots to view the many types of waterfowl who reside in the reserve. The most impressive of these are the hundreds of Greater Flamingos who now appear to be domicile throughout the year. Whilst these have clear tinges of pink in their plumage one needs to see a flock of them flying into the sun to really appreciate their deep crimson colouring.

Flamingos

Find a convenient lakeside rock and settle down (a cushion helps) to view a myriad of waders, ducks, and gulls with an occasional Marsh or Hen Harrier flying overhead. The lake shore line is muddy and just a little smelly, the type of environment that supports the worms, larvae, molluscs and shrimps that form the diet of most short legged wading birds. Longer legged waders such as Grey Herons and Little Egrets can wade in deeper water and catch small fish and frogs. This then is the perfect situation to discover many of the hundred or so waterfowl, waders and water dependent birds who live in or travel through Southern Europe.