Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Albacete in August

 We were very fortunate to select of of the coolest days of the month to visit several sites around Albacete. The day started with a somewhat bizarre sighting of a Little Owl sitting in the middle of a field in broad daylight.Despite August not been the best month for watching waders, we managed to find good numbers of Black Winged Stilt plus Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plovers and a Greenshank.
Our patience and searching rewarded us eventually with good views of Great Bustard out on the plains. Kestrels were out hunting in good numbers, and other raptor highlights included Booted Eagle and Buzzard.
Greater Flamingoes were present at a number of sites, as were large flocks of Bee Eaters.
Other sightings included Woodchat Shrike, Lapwing, Black Necked Grebe, Little Grebe, Red Legged Partridge and Crested Lark.