On a sunny day half November which still seemed like late spring, I decided to go our well-known Torrox Lagoon in the South of Jerez de la Frontera. Despite still having relatively hot days, I was hoping to spot the wonderful Bluethroat that I had seen in winter in the same location. I was eager to see this brave little bird, not less than a wonder of nature: how such a small creature had managed to fly back to the very same spot all the way from the north, and probably from the Netherlands, where it had been ringed.
The first birds I saw were some White Wagtails, playing in the grass. In total there were tens of them all along the track I was about to follow. While I was checking the canal at the beginning of my planned route, a blue flash flew by: a Kingfisher! This was a good start, it seemed. Barely fifty metres further I spotted several Mallards and Spoonbills before I checked the reedbeds below for anything special. And yes, two amazing yellow eyes with dark pupils were motionlessly staring at me. Little Bittern!
I lacked an extra pair of eyes to keep track of all the birds that were surrounding me. Two foraging Meadow Pipits allowed me to get pretty close and take some intimate shots.
A dozen of Chiffchaffs led me to the bridge that separates the two sectors of the lagoon, where I heard an unknown call that turned out to belong to a juvenile Great Crested Grebe. The adult bird was teaching it to dive, but still had to feed it the fish it had just caught. A truly tender sight!
Walking around the second sector of the lagoon, I spotted more juvenile Great Crested Grebes. In late spring I had seen courtship behaviour and little later an adult sitting on its nest, but after today's visit it can be officially confirmed: Torrox Lagoon is a suitable breeding area for this gorgeous species!
I had a good look around to see if there was any sign of the Red-knobbed Coot I had spotted a few months earlier, but I only saw the Eurasian Coot swimming around, joined by Greylag Geese.
Before climbing up a hill from which I had a great sight over the lagoon, I spotted several Stonechats, one of my favourite species.
There were also a great number of Zitting Cisticola, readily posing in front of the lens.
Much to my delight I then saw a few more Great Crested Grebes, including juveniles!
The birds of prey of the day were Kestrel, Buzzard and Booted Eagle.
My hopes were high when I finally arrived at the part of the area where I had seen the Bluethroat in several occasions. I sat down for a while and watched Cormorants and Redstarts fly by, but spotted no sign of my little blue friend. I guess I will have to wait another couple of weeks.
Recently the Council of Jerez had offered for sale some ground right next to the track surrounding the lagoon, with a licence to open a bar and sports facilities, but no-one has been interested so far.
This area is a real jewel and should be kept as natural as possible.
In spite of not seeing my beloved Bluethroat, today's visit fully lived up to the expectations. No fewer than 39 different bird species were on display!
Comments