Off to Sunny Spain

11th February 2012

Though happy to get away from the winds and rain of Skye, it was not anticipated that the bad weather would follow us. Temperatures in Spain plummetted to all time lows as we visited the Ebro Delta and Aragon. Lake Gallocanta in Aragon was frozen and the wintering grounds for thousands of Common Cranes, at 4000' was exposed to an icy siberian blast which meant few walks and most birding was from the car. Migration often starts in February in Spain but apart from a few Black Kites there was little sign of anything on the move. Highlights so far have included 64 Great Bustards in the steppe areas west of Lleida where we found lots of Black-bellied Sand Grouse but no Pin-tailed. A search for the rare Dupont's Lark proved unsuccessful. Birds of prey have so far included Golden Eagle, Booted Eagle, Merlin, Hen Harrier and as ever no shortage of Marsh Harriers. An obliging Moustached Warbler at the Ebre was a first and it was good to catch up with many favourites including Purple Gallinule and Glossy Ibis as well as regular Skye species like Black-tailed Godwit and Jack Snipe. There is a selection of images in the overseas section of the Gallery and we hope to visit a few Catalonian hotspots in the coming week.

Bob

THE BOOK

"A glorious little gem"

AMAZON

"A book such as this has to look backwards and the author does so succinctly, looking at the work of several of the pioneering naturalists before picking out the publications of JA Harvie-Brown and the Rev. Hugh Macpherson. I know this book fills a real gap in the information available for the Isle of Skye and it will surely sell well at local bookshops."

Andrew Currie Miscellany West Highland Free Press

"A total of 238 species have been recorded, with 14 of those 'red listed' as of high conservation concern ... another innovation has been the inclusion of Gaelic names for some birds. While this is not uncommon in a few other books, the addition of some regional Gaelic names is very unusual and very welcome."

Ray Collier Country Diary 'Up in the Skye' The Guardian

"Illustrated with beautiful photographs of current birdlife on the island, the publication also features sketches by Jean Thomas of The Little Gallery, Portnalong, stimulating the reader's interest further and allowing them to identify species they encounter on Skye."

The Hebridean