Bird Place of the Month and Zoom Book launch of Navaselva.

I have to choose this place as a contrast to the January ‘Bird Place of the Month ‘ by Cabanas de Tavira. This one is in the Sierra Aracena, so it is inland and up a hill. We were amazed by the numbers of mainly crag martins flying out of the minaret tower of the old mezquita at Almonaster in the Sierra Aracena. This post has lots of bird links to follow and the invite to the zoom launch of Navaselva, the Call of the Wild Valley.

It was one of the hotter days like a UK summer. We tried to work out if the crag martins had just arrived back or perhaps they had not left.

Almonaster is famous for its ancient monument, the mezquita, or little mosque. It is part of the remains of the rich Arab culture in Andalucia before the Spanish King and Queen conquered the area and the Arab rulers left. So also did many more. Places like the mezquita were changed into churches. Almonaster is well worth a visit and is in the western end of the Sierra Aracena and is particularly interesting when they hold the Islamic festival in Autumn.

Can you see the dots in the sky as the crag martins just flew off together from the tower?

Now the mesquita is a monument and being looked after. Once we were able to climb the tower but now that is closed off. And the crag martins are grateful and in greater numbers than I have seen before. I wonder if these birds go back to when the mosque was first built. It is their special craggy rock face.

The amazing sight was how whole groups of them would fly off from the tower creating a swooping and sweeping effect through the air downwards at first, then up, down and around. It was like a ripple through the blue sky. And impossible to catch the movement on a phone. Am not sure if even the Lumix would have worked as the movement was fast, fluid and then they flew in different directions, eventually coming back to the tower in smaller groups.

crag martins find a ledge to rest on at Castaño Del Robledo

There were other birds too like us enjoying this extra warm day. A griffin vulture soared high above the valley and then two storks were very nearby almost floating up and down past us as we too were up high on the hill. Some blackbirds and warblers were giving voice nearby and we think we saw some early swallows.

Higher than the stork from the mezquita of Almonaster

But back to the Crag Martins. Yes, they prefer crags, high up places, and around the Sierra there are quite a few castles and fortresses to add to their choice of nesting place. The ones photographed above may have been trying out the nesting site of pallid swifts at Castaño de Robledo’s old monument photographed some years ago. Below is from inside the Mezquita but more April/ May when nesting and some of these are young ones. We have also seen swifts nesting inside when at a musical poetry event there.

Info on Crag Martins – these flights we saw were probably the birds being gregarious or enjoying one another’s company before the serious business of mating and finding nesting sites. For this it seems they do not tend to stay in a large colony but reduce to about 10 together. Southern Spanish crag martins may not need to go far from their breeding sites in winter but they like about 20 degrees as that must mean some abundance of insects. They possibly might fly off to the Algarve or nearby Costas if it gets too cold up here in the Sierra Aracena.

So I will be cheeky and let them be my bird of the week too, thanks to I J Khanewala. Do link there if you can. Recently there have been egrets and sunbirds and the current one is the Asian green bee-eater so a kind of cousin to the European one that is also one of the main characters in my novel. Have a look at Bird of the Week for this different looking character from the east. https://anotherglobaleater.wordpress.com/

If you want to join in and share important places for birds please leave your link in the comments throughout February. As it was the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch last week do just show your garden and list the birds you see. We can have a little crossover from end of Jan to February. The birds do not care about exact dates.

From last months Bird Place of the Month, following mine being Cabanas on the Ria Formosa I have the following links to estuaries from

1.https://www.toonsarah-travels.blog/gallery-the-birds-of-the-saloum-delta/

Some amazing birds in West Africa on the Sahel and possibly a key place for the birds that migrate to and from Europe with Toon Sarah and her travels. Sarah loves to travel and photograph with great skill so do take a look.

 2.  https://naturewatchingineurope.com/2021/10/09/winter-birds-at-the-tejo-estuary/

Many of the birds that migrate back from Africa or over winter from the north of Europe need the waters of the Tejo or Spanish Tagus estuary near Lisbon. Annie has some history of visiting here from 1989. She has plenty of European birdwatching information on her blog so really worth a visit too.

Do join us for Bird Place of the Month and I would love anyone who can to join me with Bridge House Publishers to zoom launch my book. Thursday February 22 – 7pm UK time. The event is free but you can register to obtain the link here at Event Brite.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/navaselva-an-evening-with-georgina-wright-tickets-804907218157