The water mill at Alcala de Guidiana is really living up to its name!

My stopover at Hotel Oromana (Alcala de Guidiara) paid dividends in the form of 5 Azure-winged (Iberian) Magpies. The Rio Guidiara here is normally a placid affair but is now a raging torrent, 3x the usual width & overwhelming the old mill buildings.🪶

A last gasp effort finally produced good views of Trumpeter Finch, previously only heard (not by me!). No photos of the birds but here are some of the atypically verdant Fuerteventura landscape. Our guide has never seen it so green. Trip highlight - last afternoon's displaying Houbaras 🪶

I've left the Canaries & now staying over near Seville in the rather grand Hotel Oromana preferring not to risk the drive south into heavy rain, floods, road slips, etc (see photos) until tomorrow. It helps that there are A-z Magpies in the park that surrounds the hotel 1/2

No bird lifers today but the Atlantic Lizard (Canaries endemic) was new to me. Final highlight 2 displaying Houbaras!

My last Canarian endemic species of bird, Fuerteventura Chat, was today's highlight. But also had several endemic subspecies (Egyptian Vulture, Kestrel, etc).

Another BoC shot of the very obliging Houbara Bustard on Fuerteventura this afternoon - amazing stuff! 🪶

Here's one of three Cream-coloured Coursers we saw earlieron Fuerteventura this afternoon 🪶

Views of Houbara Bustard on Fuerteventura this evening. BoC shots.

Fuerteventura this evening - why did the Houbara Bustard cross the road? To let me get a photo with my mobile phone obviously!

Tenerife Day 2 - disaster! My Kowa TSN 55A decided to disassemble itself ... 🤬 Tenerife Chaffinch & Blue Chaffinch both ✅ Great volcanic scenery but not a good day 🪶

Sunset with Dragon Trees (Tenerife), the end of a good day birding 😀

Tenerife - Record shot of Laurel Pigeon (✅), later I had a flight view of Bolle's Pigeon (✅), many Canaries, Tenerife BlueTit, more Canarian Chiffchaff (still split 😁) and later Tenerife race of European Robin (ought to be split) - mellow Woodlarkish song, smaller red bib & whiter below🪶

The two most striking things about Santa Cruz have been the absence of historic buildings (this church c1500 being an exception) & birds. 1st large "European" town I've visited with no sparrows & 1st coastal one without gulls constantly overhead. Few pigeons & the odd Collared Dove. Few parks too.

Heading for my mid-winter jaunt in Cadiz province via the Canaries (Tenerife). Staying over in Santa Cruz. A big town but with an excellent botanic garden with many singing Canarian Chiffchaff. They survived the Avibase toll so a full ✅. Few birds but many Monarchs🪶

Another dusk session at Grove Ferry (Kent) produced 16+ Marsh & 2 Hen Harriers (ad. male & female). Lower numbers than recently perhaps due to extensive management work creating more open water (esp. below the ramp & beyond the Feast Hide). Well done @naturalengland.bsky.social team 🪶

News that my old schoolfriend & birding pal, Phil G. (now resident in Oz), has finally caught up with his nemesis bird, Little Auk, prompts me to post my photo of the last one I saw a few years ago - happily sitting on the roof of Brancaster Golf Club (Norfolk)! 🪶

A new Kent site for me today, the bushes behind the sewage works in Faversham - birding takes you to such salubrious locations. My reward was enjoying good views of the Pallas's Warbler found there a few days ago. Later found a putative Siberian Chiffchaff elsewhere (albeit another sewage works!) 🪶

Hickling raptor roost this evening - 20+ Marsh & 3 Hen Harriers, 3 Buzzards, Merlin, 3 Kestrel, Sparrowhawk Barn Owl, 4 Cranes, Woodcock, Bittern & flocked of Pink-feet ... and second helpings of Black-winged Kite.🪶

That speck in the tree really is a Black-winged Kite (Hickling,Norfolk). UK tick & change from seeing them in Spain🪶

Greensted Church - the oldest surviving wooden church dating from the early 11thC. I've been meaning to visit for the best part of 60 years! An astonishing survival.

OK It's not the best of views but every now and again the fact that I can step out of my front door & see this wonderful building - Canterbury Cathedral - peeking over the roof tops just makes me stop & stare.

In these dark days, it is worth remembering that goodness persists in this world. 10 yrs ago tonight, Liz went missing. Neighbours, friends, former students & complete strangers went out on foot, bike & car to search for her. She was returned @ 21:30 none the worse, unlike me, for her adventure.

My talk on "Birds in History, Myth & Folklore" to Canterbury RSPB Group seems to have gone down well this evening. They'll have to wait a long time before someone else includes an image of a man peeing against a wall in a talk on birds! I just couldn't resist! 🪶

Seasalter (Kent) – a frozen sea, a snow shower and 4 ½ hours of waiting in bitter cold but no Siberian Thrush (only seen 3x since found in the circled area 200-250m from viewpoint). At least I was better off than the guy who was next to me, he’d driven up from Devon. Good sunset though!🪶

Another opportunity for insomniacs to catch up on some sleep - I'm giving a talk on "Birds in History, Myth and Folklore" on Friday 9th January at 7.30pm in Blean village hall.

Following the publication of an updated list (inc. some new ones), I've posted a short blog on the humedals (= 'wetlands') of Cadiz Province. Some are tiny ephemeral pools & others huge areas of saltings but a few likely sites still aren't listed birdingcadizprovince.weebly.com/cadiz-birdin...

It's always a worry when, after spending several hours putting together self-assembly furniture, you find you have a screw left over ... 🙁!

Another late afternoon session at Grove Ferry (Kent) - 23 Marsh Harrier & 4 Hen Harriers (3 adult males & 1 ringtail) in to roost plus a fly through Merlin. Impressive moon rise. 🪶

Out to Stodmarsh AM for Bean Geese etc. Home to prepare lunch ... straight out again at 11:30 to look for Ross's Gull seen at Swalecliffe (N Kent coast) but no show. ☹️ Grove Ferry late afternoon - consultation prize Peregrine, 6 Hen (3 ad. male stunners) & c20 Marsh Harriers in to roost 🪶

I've lived within sight of Canterbury Cathedral for the best part of 50 years but this magnificent building still has the power to stop me dead in my tracks. An added bonus since I moved here is that now you've a good chance of spotting a Peregrine arcing around the towers.🪶

Pleased to note more management work in Stour valley (Kent) at Grove Ferry. Two diggers excavating a small pool north of the ramp. Mound there a refugia for animals when flooded but also act as viewing area. Also 2 ad male Hen Harriers in to roost @ 3:30

Good to see the RSPB taking a firm line on this issue - "Guidance that can be ignored is not enough. We need to make nature integral to building new homes, not an afterthought or a corner to be cut" - well said, but perhaps I'm a tad biased.😀🪶 www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...

I'm currently trying to do some research for a talk on birds & folklore I'm giving to my local RSPB group. I'm struggling to find much online about the folklore concerning swifts ... mainly because everything's drowned out by Taylor Swift's 2020 album of that name! Who knew? I didn't! 🪶🤣

Good to see management work at Stodmarsh NNR (Kent). A new wide ditch running from the Lampen Wall to & beside the Reedbed Hide. Reeds cut back around the pool in front of the Reedbed Hide - looks very bare at the moment but should be great by the spring. 1/2🪶

A pleasant surprise to discover this attractive mural today in Canterbury but better still to see further evidence of their activities along the Stour nearby

I never tire of telling my friends that Alcala de los Gazules (Cadiz, Andalucia) is a fabulous place to visit (although they may tire of me telling them). Hosting birding friends & showing them the area is always a joy. This video showcases a favourite walk ... www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nUZ...

I sometimes forget how lucky I am living near this amazing building, Canterbury Cathedral. The new stonework was glowing in the low sunlight. Better still, the local Peregrine put on a fine display weaving around the towers - not hunting, just playing. Below all but me were oblivious to the show.🪶

The challenge was to post a gif of a movie you've watched more than six times. Hard mode: no Stars (either War or Trek), LOTR, or Marvel. To be honest, I'm not sure that there is one I've watched that often but "It's a Wonderful Life" probably comes closest & is happily seasonal!

A wonderful morning in Canterbury, first seeing two lovely former students (one by design, the other by chance), both of whom are doing very well in their chosen careers, & then seeing evidence of fresh Beaver activity (1st for some time) not far from the city centre. Splendid!

"BB" @britishbirds.bsky.social arrived this AM & it's shocking to consider that I've been getting it for c60 years (bar one year), originally via a newsagents. The cover artwork by Darren Woodhead is one of the most handsome ever in my view. A champion of the "less is more" school of wildlife art!

No photos but good to see Dartford Warbler & Little Owl (increasingly scarce in east Kent) on a pleasant ramble around Oare this morning in pleasant sunshine. 🪶

I first saw Firecrest at Portland in the 60's, in the 70's I was taken to their secret breeding site in the New Forest & in the 80's to a secret breeding site in Kent. Just seen 2 in woods (where they also breed) near my house in Canterbury - now arguably commoner than Goldcrest in east Kent! 🪶

I'm giving a talk on 'Spring in Cadiz Province' this coming Tuesday afternoon (25/11) for Gravesend RSPB Group (Kent) at 14:00 at the Masonic Hall (25 Wrotham Rd., Gravesend, DA11 0PA). All welcome!

Sometimes life sucks, particularly when you're of a certain age. En route to my hometown for a wake for an old school pal, I'm thinking of another contemporary who's just started radiotherapy this week for an aggressive cancer. Then, out of the blue, I hear a Kent friend has suddenly passed away😢.

Awareness that a few Pallid Swifts turn up in the UK in late autumn is relatively new & probably boosts reports. It's a bit left-field but I wonder (esp after colonisation of mainland Portugal) whether the odd Plain Swift is being dismissed as Common but could we confidently identify lone birds?! 🪶

Dusky Warbler on Thanet this AM which showed well intermittently. Also Whitethroat there. Then a desultory look for Pallid Swift (I see too many in Spain to be very bothered). Here's the habitat which held the Dusky - there's miles of similar stuff on Thanet which could hide a dozen Dusky Warblers!🪶

East Kent was awash with rarities today 8/11 - Desert Wheatear, Pallid Swifts, 2 Dusky, 2+ Yellow-browed & 5+ Pallas's Warblers. I only saw the Pallas's at Hope Point (Bockhill) - 3 brief glimpses - as it was very elusive covering every inch of the hawthorn scrub there.

A nice chap just knocked on my door in Canterbury & handed over my wallet -lost near Dover a few weeks ago. He apologised profusely for not being able to deliver it earlier (it's a 40-mile round trip). It's good to have your faith in humanity confirmed. I hope he enjoys the bottle of red I gave him!

Interesting tour & wine tasting at Balfour Winery (Marden, Kent) yesterday (1/11). Good wine but most impressed by their concern for conservation/biodiversity. No need to drive - train to Marden & free shuttle bus. Great day out with kind weather.