A stormy day on the steppe
Yesterday I spent a wonderful day birding the steppe and lagoons of our region with a client from Spain. A very experienced bird watcher, naturalist and conservationist, she was eager to discover this unique habitat and the birdlife that thrives here. After a comfortable and easy journey from Valencia, we stopped at our first spot to check out a small lagoon and area of floodwater. On the water we saw Shelduck, Flamingo, and Little Grebe. The reeds held a pair of Great Reed Warbler, which after a little patience we managed to see. Corn Buntings were calling from the nearby fenceline, and Tree Sparrows were active in the surrounding scrub. A pair of Little Ringed Plovers were scurrying around the mud on the shoreline. A Buzzard passed low overhead, whilst Swallows, House Martins and Swifts were all feeding above in the beautiful blue skies. Our next spot was nothing more than a “prospecting” site that overlooks the vast area of cereal fields that cover this region. We had a good view of Crested Lark and some scanning and effort gave us views of a pair of Stone Curlew. A little…