Tuesday 8th May (Monfrague)

On Wednesday 2nd May Mr. Kite and His Lady arrived in the Extramadura. The Joint was parked in the camp site and soon the cheeky azure-winged magpies were checking out the new arrivals . Now these colourful characters are a wonderful sight with their black caps. Warm buff bodies and azure blue wings. Their behaviour makes them a delight to watch as they hop, bounce, fight, chase sparrows and peck the morsels from your table or just sit on your saucepan eating your cous cous.

Spotless starling thrilled as they built their nests in the broken roof tiles of the toilet block. House sparrows, goldfinches, blue tits, cukoos, chaffinch, blackbirds, nuthatch and house martins made their appearance on the site.

Overhead booted eagles, black kites and a white stork circled. In the hint of sunshine Mr. Kite put on his walking boots and walked a long a track adjacent to the road where corn buntings and crested lark flew around and called to each other.

In the cloud, gloom and rain Mr. Kite walked around the local area watching blackbirds, stonechats, hoopoes, collared doves, kestrels. Spotted flycatchers, yellowhammers, greenfinch, long tailed tits, swifts, bee-eaters and a common buzzards.

Mr. Kite then looked a little more carefully and  found woodchat shrike and a southern grey shrike. In the cork oaks the shrikes were a common sight. Soon an Egyptian vulture took to the air flapping powerfully to take it’s large black and white body off the ground. Rock doves required less effort and the red rumped swallows never seemed to touch the ground as they continually flew around.

Great tits, wood pigeons and tree pipits soon caught Mr. Kites attention before a singing warblers was spotted on a telegraph wire. This yellowy singing warbler was in full song but continually turning to sing in different direction. A melodious warbler was looking for a mate. Overhead a short-toed eagle expended valuable energy looking for food before a dashing little kestrel plummeted from the sky onto a tapas of some kind.

The first sunny morning of the tour was Sunday 6th May and Mr. Kite packed his new bicycle and set off to Miranda de la Tajadilla. The new machine was a joy to ride on the warm Spanish road. To cut a long story short Mr. Kite reached his target and was pleased with the warm sunny air. The water from the dam had stopped leaving pools of water where the fish were stranded. Unluckily for them six grey herons and a great white egret enjoyed the easy pickings before being joined by a black stork. Now this was a stunning sight the black and white stork with the red legs and bill feeding with grey herons and a great white egret. Three large birds at the same table for once; eating the same lunch.

Nearby a little ring plover and pied wagtail picked at food on the edge of the pools where two red deer were gently sipping water. On the cliff opposite a raven was having a hard time with a griffon vulture whilst the crag martins flew backwards and forwards along the cliff face.

In the heat Mr. Kite cycled slowly back to The Joint stopping to look in the scrub land where a subalpine warbler and black-eared wheatear were located. Following a good day out Mr. Kite enjoyed a tipple of Campo Cruz. Cheers.

Monday 7th May (Mirador de la Portilla del Tietar)

Mr. Kite looked out of The Joint window into a cloudy sky. Soon Mr. Kite and His Lady were heading to the Mirador. Passing cormorants, jays and a pair of red-legged partridge they reached the Mirador as the rain started.

Ten minutes later the rain stopped and Mr. Kite and His Lady set up The Superscope facing the cliff on the other side. Soon large brown griffon vultures were being studied with their long necks, shaggy plumage and powerful beaks.

Then it was time to focus on two eagle owl chicks. Now these two fluffy down covered attractions played to the audience at they walked to the edge of the niche and looked out. The occasional peck at each other, a short sleep before their large attentive eyes opened for a further scan of the world outside where they would have to compete. Surrounded by vultures on a cliff their’s is a precarious world.

Soon a pair of Spanish imperial eagles appeared making loud nasal sounds to make their presence known. These large black eagles with hints of white on their back and wings moved the griffon vultures away from their nest by touching them. Aerial combat displays took place as the vultures were pushed from their rocky perch onto one further away. The eagles celebrated with ‘high fives’ as they touched legs in the air and rolled over in flight.

At times the eagles landed on the ground where their powerful bodies could be seen. A great hooked beak looked the part to tear a rabbit to pieces.  But that hooked weapon did not stop a black kite continually diving towards any sitting eagle. The eagle had to continually raise it’s head and open it’s beak as the kite swooped time after time after time over the Spanish imperial eagles head. No rest for the wicked. However grand and rare this bird one black kite was not to be subservient to a Spanish imperial eagle.

For more than four hours Mr. Kite and His Lady watch a flying display of Spanish imperial eagles. griffon vultures and black kites. The eagles flew low and high; banked and rolled showing every conceivable feather. The eagle owls continued to show new behaviour and plumage as the turned their back on the audience and moved in the niche.

Of course not everything that was exciting was large and raptorish. A dazzling blue rock thrush sat above the eagle owls showing that he too was worth looking at. A black redstart; not an ordinary black redstart but a giraltarienlfis made an appearance. Black as the ace of spades with two shiny white streaks on it’s body and a tinged blue cap he was a stunner.

So Mr. Kite and His Lady had a great day out in The Monfrague National Park. To celebrate they had a tipple or two of Maternus Premium Pilsener. Cheers from the place where those azure-winged magpies are magical.