End of December

As can be appreciated from the images above, the juvenile Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), featured in previous posts, seems to have acquired a taste for oriental food. Goldfish must be a lot easier to catch than native sea fish, so someone's garden pond has now become a convenient Chinese Takeaway for this young bird.

The photos were taken on 24/12, and the Osprey was seen again on 31/12, in the Dos Pinos area.

Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia)

Another repeat sighting at the end of the month (26/12) was this solitary Spoonbill. The surroundings in which the bird was photographed will probably appear incongruous to birders familiar with the usual haunts of this species. The edge of the concrete irrigation basin can be seen, together with a fleshy-leaved Kleinia nerifolia bush to the right.

On 18-19/12 I came across a single Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus), feeding in the bottom of an empty basin, and spotted a Hoopoe (Upupa epops) calling from the top of an electricity pylon on 19/12, apparently getting off to an early start with its territorial behaviour.