During the last few days of 2020, I had to dedicate some time to getting in the olive harvest. Usually we invite a few friends around to help and it turns into a social event, but this time, because of Covid, we had to do it on our own. This meant that the usual 2 day task turned into a 4 day task, which limited my available days for birding. So, it was even greater enthusiasm that I headed to the mountains not so far from our house in the highland interior of Alicante with my friend Bea.
She had never managed to get a view of Alpine Accentor, so this was our obvious target for the day. This tough yet very pretty little bird is one of my favourite winter visitors to our region, so for me, it´s always a delight to see them. I somehow find a special attachment to these birds, probably having spent a great deal of my life in the mountains, and each winter I await their return with anticipation.
The highland interior of rural Alicante
The previous days had been very cold in this area, with sub-zero nights and plenty of thick frost. Indeed, one morning we were without water until 11:30am as the pipes had frozen solid! The day of our birding trip, however, was cool but with clear blue skies and no wind. We began our walk up through open pine forests to a small peak which is usually reliable for Alpine Accentor. On the way we saw Chaffinch, Great Tit and were also treated to some stunning views of Griffon Vultures in flight. As we were above one of the gorges in which there is an established colony, we were able to see them in flight at our eye-level, always a very special moment. We paid extra attention to the way in which they held their huge wings when soaring, gliding and descending and enjoyed some excellent close-up views.
A Griffon Vulture glides swiftly past our vantage point
Once on the summit, we began our search for Alpine Accentors. Although it was midweek, there were a few small groups of people around, enjoying the winter sunshine and fresh air. Two of these groups were sitting right where I was hoping to see the Accentors, which blunted my hopes slightly. We spent 10 to 15 minutes scanning the surrounding crags and boulders but all to no avail. We decided upon a strategy of stopping to eat something in the hope that as time passed, and the closer lunchtime became, more people would disappear back down the mountain.
Our strategy seemed to be working and we soon found ourselves with just a handful of people around, so we recommenced our search. A further check of the crags turned up nothing, especially disappointing as an Alpine Accentor would be a “lifer” for Bea. A single bird then flitted between boulders, and I thought we were in luck, but upon closer viewing it proved to be a Chaffinch. Then I suddenly heard a dry “tchik-tchik” call and turned to see a bird flying up to a high perch. Quickly raising my binoculars, I could see the bird from behind. Everything looked right so I made sure that Bea was also seeing it. Then the bird turned, revealing the characteristic throat pattern and russet red streaked flanks – it was indeed an Alpine Accentor! We were both delighted, but the view was distant, and one of the wonderful things about these birds is that they are usually very bold, allowing for really close-up views. At least we knew that there were some around, so we continued our strategy of waiting for the remaining people to disappear for lunch, in the hope of better views.
Alpine Accentor
After a further wait of around 15 minutes, we strolled back up to the top of the peak. As if on cue, right in front of us on a stone wall, a beautiful Alpine Accentor appeared. We both reached slowly for the binoculars and enjoyed some fine views. The bird was very relaxed so we didn´t go any closer. It stayed right there for a good few minutes, allowing us both to photograph it in beautiful winter sunlight! We were absolutely thrilled! There are times when effort and patience make the reward even sweeter.
Bea photographing the Accentor – it perched on the rock at the far end of the stone wall.
Thrilled with our sightings, we too decided to descend from the peak, not to go home for lunch but to head for a gorge where we were hoping to see some other mountain species that make this area so fascinating. Having parked the car at the mouth of the gorge, we set up the scope and scanned around. The first bird that we saw was a male Blue Rock Thrush, his plumage shining in the late afternoon light. A few minutes later we also found the female. Sardinian Warblers and Black Redstarts seemed to be everywhere, and there were a few Chiffchaffs in the surrounding bushes too. We continued scanning with the scope and eventually found another of the day´s target species – Black Wheatear.
Blue Rock Thrush
The sun was beginning to sit very low in the sky, but we decided to take a short walk into the gorge, enjoying the sight of Griffon Vultures circling in the last hours of daylight before returning to their mountain ledges for the night.
The last hours of daylight in the mountains of Alicante
We found more Blue Rock Thrushes and a couple more Black Wheatears to round off what had been a superb day in the mountains of Alicante, and indeed my last day of birding of 2020. Here´s to looking forward to many more special days out in the field in the new year.
Written by Dave Warrington.