Tour Day 3

The start of day 3 found us heading out into Murcia and the sierra Espuna's. A number of species can be found here that our group members were keen to see and with the outside chance of December's Alpine Accentors still being in the area, there was potentially a lot for us to see. We began at the highest point and on arrival it was clear that finding the Accentors could be tricky due to the large amount of snow that had fallen since our last visit. Despite an extensive search we couldn't pin them down, however we were treated to a number of other good species including; Ring Ousel (14 including a number of singing individuals), Redwing (6), Fieldfare (1), Mistle Thrush (4) and a single Blue Rock Thrush.

Crossbill

Short-toed Treecreeper

Once we dropped down to the lower elevations the temperature was much higher and as a result the birds were much more active. We spent the afternoon birding the pine forests adding a number of species to the trip list such as - Short-toed Treecreeper (3, above), Crossbill (numerous, above), Song Thrush (2), Firecrest (5), Goldcrest (2), Siskin (8), Crested Tit (10+), Long-tailed Tit (numerous), Great Tit (3), Greater Spotted Woodpecker (1) and a single Black Kite. The Black Kite was totally unexpected and could possibly be wintering in the area. Another good successful day with lifers for all the group members and with steppe species on the menu for tomorrow, more will hopefully follow.