Birding on the Steppe of Eastern Spain
By sheer coincidence I was fortunate enough to spend two days up on the steppe this week. The second day was with a group of local birders, some relative beginners, others experienced. The group worked superbly well, with knowledge being readily shared, and the more “eagle-eyed” being on hand to point out the birds! After the usual coffee stop, we drove across the fields of this vast wide open area of eastern Spain in our hunt for Great Bustards. Some of the group had never seen these birds before, so our quest had added value. After 10-15 minutes of searching, we were rewarded with magnificent views of a flock at least 25 birds. Whilst in the same spot we also had good views of Hoopoe, Linnet, Skylark and Spotless Starling. The wind was becoming quite severe so we opted to strategically park the van at the next lagoon and use it as shelter as we scanned the water and the shoreline! We were once again rewarded as the lagoon held Flamingo, Teal, Shelduck, Shoveler and Gadwall. The scrub by the shore gave fantastic views of a Southern Grey Shrike whilst…