A nice video, from 2023, of Arko swimming from the days when the dogs could make it to the swimmy hole.

Here is the weekly monitoring list from the Fundacion Migres for this autumn for the week September 21st to 27th September. The wave of raptors continues but numbers are dropping with around 4000 less birds counted in this period.

I will share weekly as I find it fascinating. They post to their Facebook page Here is a link to their website

Rita looking cheeky while standing in the strawberry patch. She eventually laid down after making a nest!

How can we believe anything we see these days?

I'm very late posting this list. Anyway here is the weekly monitoring list from the Fundacion Migres for this autumn for the week September 14th to 20th September. The wave of raptors continues. I will share weekly as I find it fascinating. They post to their Facebook page Here is a link to their website

I wonder what these two were chatting about?

A pretty cool seed pod.

How to tell if you have a Booted eagle flying towards you. Yep the 'landing lights' are the give away.

A pale form Booted eagle was flying around above the house, this colouration is the more common of these eagles.

Some more European Bee Eater shots. It's hard to not to try to photograph these beautiful birds when you bump into them. Not hearing that many now, I think the majority are probably settling into their wintering destinations on the African continent.

Here is the weekly monitoring list from the Fundacion Migres for this autumn for the week September 7th to 13th September. There's been a big drop in the numbers of White Stork and Honey Buzzards this past week and a rise in the Short-toed Snake Eagles. I will share weekly as I find it fascinating. They post to their Facebook page Here is a link to their website

Who else is migrating at the moment? Well Short-toed snake eagles are. This is one who tried to cross when I was there in September 2022.

"So this gorgeous Short-toed Snake eagle tried to make the crossing to Africa this morning. A short way across the Strait of Gibraltar, it changed it's mind, and flew back to Spain. Better luck next time."

Here is the weekly monitoring list from the Fundacion Migres for this autumn for the week of August 31st to 6th September. There's been a big push from the birds again this past week. I will share weekly as I find it fascinating. They post to their Facebook page Here is a link to their website

Migration has been in full swing for a few weeks now. Who else is heading off to Africa for the winter? Well Booted eagles are. If you check the migration crossing figures from the lists of previous posts you'll see their numbers are rising and many are passing from Europe to Africa.

This picture belongs from this little story from September 2020.

"I heard an eagle calling yesterday while eating breakfast, I immediately went outside with the camera. I couldn't see it, nope, not anywhere, but I could still hear it calling. After about 10 minutes, I spotted it sat near the top of a pylon. I waited and waited and waited thinking any minute now it will fly. 15 minutes later I decided that the eagle was clearly taking a rest. I asked Richard to drive me up the road so that I could see which eagle it was, and, if I was lucky, maybe photograph it. An hour, or so, later it was calling and flying with it's "friend", who was a pale form Booted Eagle. It's one thing to see eagles flying around, it's another when you get the chance to see them perched and relaxed. I feel privileged to have been able to spend some time with this Booted Eagle ❤ Safe journey to Africa friend."

As we are on the theme of European Bee Eaters here is an adult to compare with yesterdays Juvenile. You can see how much brighter the adult is and it has the elongated tail feathers just about visible in this picture. I took this way back in 2014.

One of the European Bee Eaters I came across the other day. This is a juvenile, by the time it returns in Spring it will be as bright as it's parents. It's still beautiful even if it's not as bright as it's parents. Wishing all the birds safe migrations to their wintering grounds.

Remember folks, they don't just eat bees, they don't decimate a beehive, they eat a mixture of insects. Just a badly named.

Here is the weekly monitoring list from the Fundacion Migres for this autumn for the week of August 24th to 30th. I will attempt to share weekly as I find it fascinating. They post to their Facebook page Here is a link to their website

There appears to have been a drop off in numbers from most species this past week.

A memory of Khumbu from an overnight trip into the Sierra Nevada mountains from 2011.

The music is by Café Quijano and the song is La Duquesa.

Here is the weekly monitoring list from the Fundacion Migres for this autumn for the week of August 17th to 23rd. I will attempt to share weekly as I find it fascinating. They post to their Facebook page Here is a link to their website

The Black Kite numbers are decreasing and the Honey Buzzards are increasing by the thousands.

Black and white Rita on a humid walk.

That moment when you question your decision on your choice of hobby!

Here is the weekly monitoring list from the Fundacion Migres for this autumn for the week of August 10th to 16th. I will attempt to share weekly from this point on as I find it fascinating. They post to their Facebook page Here is a link to their website

The numbers are increasing for most species except the Black Kite has a few thousand less this week.

Migration has started, birds are now crossing the Strait of Gibraltar after breeding and heading to their wintering grounds on the continent of Africa. Here are the weekly monitoring lists from when the Fundacion Migres started the count for this autumn on 13th July. I will attempt to share weekly from this point on as I find it fascinating. They post to their Facebook page Here is a link to their website

Rita looking down towards the Mediterranean sea (in the haze) this morning wondering why it's wonky 🤭

When you end up in the wrong bed!

Made a new tiny friend today. She is a European Dwarf Mantis, I believe she is Ameles spallanzania, but if you know better please let me know. She can not fly and she does not cannibalise the male whilst mating like the Praying Mantis.

There are aliens 👽 in my campo 🤭 Insects are fascinating.

This is what happens if you are a tree and caterpillars get hungry! I am not sure but Google lens tells me this tree (from another picture with leaves and flowers) is a Prunus padus (Bird Cherry) and is infested with Bird Cherry Ermine moth caterpillars. The internet assures me that although the caterpillars look to do a lot of damage the trees are resilient and typically recover quite quickly. I hope so because virtually every tree in the area had the caterpillar nests on them.

Yesterday we went scrambling in the mountains of the Sierra Nevada. The scramble ends on the summit of Veleta standing at 3394m. We sat having lunch and met a very friendly Ibex ❤️

Lilium pyrenaicum (Yellow Turk's Cap Lily) Found only in the Pyrenees and northern Spain.

As the heat cranks up in our part of Spain .... I'm wishing I was back in El Chalten in Patagonia.

A Marmot and his friend. On a recent trip into the mountains of the Pyrenees I came across this cute scene. It seemed that the marmot was just hanging out on his rock with his bird friend a Northern Wheatear.

I was very happy that the timing of our trip to the Pyrenees coincided with the flowering of the Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium calceolus) again. It had been in flower for 5 days and flowers for around 15 days. It brings me such joy to see this wonderful orchid. @WildOrchids

Many large yellow slipper type flowers with 4 deep wine colour petals, one from the top, one from the bottom and one on each side. The two on the sides have a twist in them. The leaves to these orchids are green. All the vegetation around is green.

Saturday afternoon snoozes 😴

Two cats sleeping.

Back from a fantastic 3 weeks up in the Spanish/French Pyrenees mountains where we got to spend some time with the Marmots in the area 😍 Bit of a wobbly video, long lens, no tripod!

A video showing a marmot eating grass and looking up occasionally

We are back hiking in the Pyrenees mountains and enjoying the company of the fun Marmots.

Arko advertising the latest in skin care!

Black and white husky with pale blue eyes looking quite proud of himself with green slime across his muzzle.

Easy to lose the dogs at the moment 😂

A video starting off with the photographer walking through long green grasses with olive trees either side. There is movement in the front of the photographer as two dogs start to appear out of the grasses into a small clearing and then heading off into the next section. A Nightingale bird is singing.

A white dog standing with her back to the photographer looking like she is taking in the view. Lower down beside a tree is a black and white dog standing in tall green grass. The view is looking down towards a reservoir and the Mediterranean sea through the mountains.

Two dogs, one white, one black and white stood on a mountainside among short green bushes. The mountains to the side of them have a line of light grey clouds over them and beyond that a very moody sky.

Greeting the early morning sun.

A five second video showing a corn poppy gently moving in the breeze. The sun is shining and the birds singing.

Some fun plants from walking yesterday in Europe's only true desert, Tabernas. Always a special place to walk seeing the true specialist plants that we don't see in our area.

Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum (Slenderleaf iceplant)

Limonium lobatum (Winged sea-lavender)

Cistanche phelypaea subsp. lutea

Cynomorium coccineum (Desert thumb)

Some call the Northern Bald Ibis the ugliest bird in the world 😱 they might not be the best looker in town but they are full of character thanks to their unique looks! Whilst in the Cadiz province for the week we visited the critically endangered birds yesterday. It looks like the reintroduction site is doing well with many pairs sitting on and building nests. I believe there are now over 50 pairs 😍

The very unique looking northern bald ibis. One bird is sat on a nest of twigs with a small piece of greenery showing, which the other bird stood on the edge of the nest site brought. The birds are large black looking, feathers are quite iridescent in sunlight. They have spiky crazy feathers surround the back of their heads. A bald face with a long pink beak. The nest sites are on a sandy coloured cliff ledge.

Sometimes you take a picture, not necessarily a good one, but you feel you could write a story from that one picture. For me, this is one of those pictures 🧐

A photo showing a black and white husky standing on a green grass terrace surrounded by wildflowers and some olive trees. The dog is looking down the terrace towards a white dog and a human who are walking was from him. A cloudy light blue sky and mountains in the distance. The photo has a white boarded frame around it.

Sing along now 🌈

A picture showing a rainbow arching through a lightly clouded sky over a Spanish village set on a hillside with many green trees.

If you like birds, particularly the vulture kind, you will enjoy this live webcam from a Bearded vulture (known also as a Lammergeier) nest. The chick is a couple of weeks old now, I first started when there was just an egg being incubated by the parents. I check in a few times a day. Fascinating stuff. https://www.tierpark.ch/news/webcams/

I'm seeing this Common Kestrel regularly on the dog walk at the moment. Maybe she is claiming this territory as hers for the breeding season? Or maybe she is just out hunting the same time I walk the dogs! Not quite silent sunday 😁

A common Kestrel just taken off from the top of a metal pylon. She has her wings raised. Her underneath body and wings are light beige with black dots and strips. Her tail is striped black with black edging. She has yellow legs.

Love these two ❤️ They are showing their age but they are still keen to get out for a walk even if its only half an hour.

Two dogs, one white and one black and white, ears alert and mouths open making them look like happy faces. Stood on the edge of an olive tree terrace with small white flowers.

A Stone Marten caught on the camera trap recently having a drink. Cute little thing. They often visit and I've even had them bring their young along!

A ten second infared video from a camera trap of a Stone Marten taking a drink of water. It has it's front two feet in the water bowel.

What a perfect day we had, topped off by a close encounter with a Bearded vulture (Lammegeier) on the drive back down the mountain. Photos to come.