Pajero del Dia (1 Viewer)

[Mark Etheridge]

(Bird of the Day)
Guess where I am folks B

I'll use this thread to give you your daily dose of Spanish avifauna, but I'm still not hooked up to my home broadband out here so there may be a short delay before your first goodie comes through. Oh the benefits of having local bars with free internet access....

For non-OUSA members, I frequently visit Spain during my time off from a North Sea Oilrig, and when she who must be obeyed lets me, I take myself off on birdy photo expeditions and show the best in here.

The location is under my Avatar, I am near the famous El Hondo reserve and a few others. :t:

Hasta Luego
Mark

 

[Mark Etheridge]

Bird of the Day 15 May

Cor blimey it's chilly in Spain today, a positively Baltic 18 degrees. Not much sun either, with grey clouds overhead :C

Never mind. Haven't done much birding today but a quick trip past one of the local Salinas (salt pans) produced this rather lovely Slender-billed Gull in a spot of sunshine, which has that rosy tint of a full breeding adult, best seen at this time of the year.

A major rarity elsewhere, this bird is fairly common around the Costa Blanca and can be seen fairly easily, and at close range too!

I have been told I'm going to some sort of Fiesta tomorrow so the only Spanish birds I will be seeing will be in fancy dress. It's a tough life....:king:

TTFN
Mark

 

[Mark Etheridge]

BOD 16 May

Well that was flippin' noisy...

Nobody does noise like the Spanish at a fiesta. They were letting off guns for something like 4 hours this afternoon as the Christians defeated the Moors for the umpteenth year running and my ears are still ringing. The odd thing was that the House Martins nesting in the town square (the centre of the activities) carried on flying about as though nothing was happening, or they'd gone stone deaf like me and couldn't hear anything...

So I'll have to cheat for today's bird(s), here's a shot from yesterday when I took the SB Gull, these are Kentish Plovers, not one of my best shots but a nice little group. They're very common in the right location (saltpans again) and quite easy to see and identify among various small brown waders.

The weather has improved a little, I broke out my Bermuda shorts today....

TTFN
Mark

 

[Mark Etheridge]

BOD 17 May

Here's something that's as common as muck but with a difference.

I know there are Collared Dove fans among the readers of this forum, and for some strange reason other birders detest them, including some out here believe it or not - a Spanish birder sitting in the hide was making "poof" noises while I was clicking away at this pair.

(I think he was going "poof" because he disapproved of my choice of subject, there was a Purple Swamphen knocking around at the same time, but too far away for a decent shot. I don't think it was for any other reason.....)

Anyway, have a look at this pair and see what you make of them (it's not a light effect or shadow). They Are a pair because they were doing naughty things out of camera shot. :eek!:

TTFN
Mark

 

[Debra G.]

Aaah! How can anyone NOT love them? They're so nice-natured and pretty. And the males always make me chuckle with their solemn hoo hoo hoos and bows when they're trying to court the females! (Wonder how Dainty's getting on in rehab...)

Thanks for the pics as usual Mark!

 

[Mark Etheridge]

BOD 18 May

A visit to Spain just wouldn't be complete without a sighting of one of these delightful chaps.

They are extraordinarily wary, and seem to have a 100 yard exclusion zone as far as humans are concerned. If they can see you, they'll be off if you try to get closer, so the best way is to make sure they can't see you. This one is about 20 feet away, I'm in a hide which thankfully does not contain a bunch of rowdy Spaniards (see above) and lest you think I'm tarring all the Spanish with the same brush, this bird was first spotted by a Spanish birder who was there with me.

The weather continues cool and overcast, but the local mozzies are as irritating as ever

Bite count on my body = 7 :C

TTFN
Mark

 

[Ken Hall]

Hi Mark,

I think you mean pájaro, not pajero, which I believe is a slang Spanish term for w**ker. :eek!: For this reason the Mitsubishi Pajero had to change its name in Spanish speaking countries.

 

[Mark Etheridge]

Whooooooopppppssss!

:h?:
I was parked up on a farm track the other day and was approached by a local chap who asked me what I was doing there. I told him (in my very fractured Spanish) that I was there to "ver las Pajeros" and showed him my nockies and camera. He went away laughing, which I put down to the Spanish mystification with odd British pastimes.

I think I may have been mistaken with that opinion.....:C

I need help - how can I change the title of the thread without looking even more of a "what you said"?

I don't want everyone to think I am a person who carries straw and sells it (which is one definition I have since found).....

 

[mayoayo]

...Oh man!...Straw Salesman!...thats a good nickname for someone

 

[Apodemus]

Hi Mark,

I think you mean pájaro, not pajero, which I believe is a slang Spanish term for w**ker. :eek!: For this reason the Mitsubishi Pajero had to change its name in Spanish speaking countries.

I was just going to point that out!

In South American countries, it doesn't carry that meaning, so you can be a "gato pajero", or pampas cat (which is what the car was presumably named after in the first place). In Spain it's a Montero, for the reasons you now know about!

"pajero del dia" - it's quite a title though!!

 

[Mark Etheridge]

BOD 19 May

Oh well, looks like I'm stuck with being a you-know-what...:stuck:

Struggling on therefore before I go blind, here's a shot of one of the local specialities in the Alicante area - a Rufous Bushchat (or Bush Robin depending on which Bird Guide you have). The site where he is has been reliable for this species for at least the past 5 years to my personal knowledge, and probably a lot longer. Over those five years, the site has been subjected to a lot of human interference (mainly in terms of a Chiringuto or temporary beach bar - at least I hope that's a correct translation or I'm in trouble yet again), but the birds don't seem to be too affected by it.

There are two or three pairs at this site, and they are extraordinarily easy to find once you know the song, if they're not singing away like this they're running around on open ground beneath the trees.

The mozzie bites continue to itch and I am now up to 13. I have been ripped off something rotten by the local Farmacia selling me insect repellent which obviously doesn't work :-@

 

[Ken Hall]

Oh well, looks like I'm stuck with being a you-know-what...:stuck:

Struggling on therefore before I go blind, here's a shot of one of the local specialities in the Alicante area - a Rufous Bushchat (or Bush Robin depending on which Bird Guide you have). The site where he is has been reliable for this species for at least the past 5 years to my personal knowledge, and probably a lot longer. Over those five years, the site has been subjected to a lot of human interference (mainly in terms of a Chiringuto or temporary beach bar - at least I hope that's a correct translation or I'm in trouble yet again), but the birds don't seem to be too affected by it.

There are two or three pairs at this site, and they are extraordinarily easy to find once you know the song, if they're not singing away like this they're running around on open ground beneath the trees.

The mozzie bites continue to itch and I am now up to 13. I have been ripped off something rotten by the local Farmacia selling me insect repellent which obviously doesn't work :-@

Hello again Mark

I see you have managed to have your thread title changed to BOD. Bad news, you're still in trouble. :-O Bod is Scottish Gaelic for pen*s. According to "Scottish Hill and Mountain Names" by Peter Drummond, that well known and shapely pointy hill in the Cairngorms usually known as The Devil's Point, is a direct translation of the Gaelic Bod an Deamhain, or the demon's pen*s.

I'm not much of a gaelic speaker and can't vouch for the accuracy of this. I wouldn't worry about it. o

 

[Mark Etheridge]

Hi Ken

Thanks for that and your previous comment which means that I shall have to consider my position vis a vis my public life, or what passes for it on here. I wonder how much the injunction will cost me to keep it out of the newspapers...:-C

I think it was Terry Pratchett who observed that there were so many pseudonyms in Olde Englishe for female private parts that it is quite difficult to hold a modern conversation without mentioning at least one of them :eek!:

I was going to post a picture of a Woodpecker but that would probably cause consternation among any Americans who may stumble over this thread and as for the Great Tit I saw yesterday - forget it! ||

TTFN
Mark

 

[Mark Etheridge]

Bird of the Day 20 May

Another somewhat cloudy day, which means this shot fails due to lack of depth-of-field, raising the ISO in the camera much more would have meant less definition. Of course, I should have asked the birds to stand side-by-side, but Little Ringed Plovers are notorious for ignoring photographer's directions. It was a good display though, and involved lots of calling and flying about at high speed, and seeing off just about any other birds that got in the way, however they drew the line at chasing the local Moorhens away.

You'll be pleased to hear that today is publication day for one of the local Expat freebie newspapers - it's called "THE COURIER - The Good News Paper!"
The main headline is:
CAR-JACK BRITS FEAR FOR THEIR LIVES

I'd hate to know what the Bad News is....:news:

Mozzie bites now at 6 really itchy ones, the others have gone away.

 

[Ken Hall]

Well Mark, having cast aspertions on your thread titles, I must now congratulate you on your entertaining and interesting posts. And also on your excellent photos, except that I don't like the way that LRP is glaring at me. Keep up the good work, I look forward to reading more. It's more than 20 years since I was in Spain, sadly before I was interested in their aves.

 

[Mark Etheridge]

Bird of the Day 21 May (End of the World Day)

Anyone been raptured yet? Me neither....o

Last night to a Flamenco show - not your emasculated tourist tat but the real thing with finger-in-the-luggole "Cante jondo" or "Deep Singing" in which the male singer sounds as though he is attempting to pass a gall-stone. Mind you, the guitarists were amazing, the male dancer caused my missus severe palpitations, and the lady dancer could have rattled my castanets any time she liked :loveme:

The grub was pretty good too....:eat:

What's this got to do with birds I hear you cry, well here's a piccy of a Flamenco Comun as the Spanish call them. Just about any large stretch of water in Spain will have them, and I have such a stretch (Santa Pola Salinas) just 10 minutes drive from my door.

This Flamingo didn't do any of the moves that the lady dancer did but I could see some similarities, they both have tremendous legs for a start.

The weather has improved no end and I have an infected mozzie bite which resembles a large boil.

 

[Birding Peru]

Hi Mark,

I think you mean pájaro, not pajero, which I believe is a slang Spanish term for w**ker. :eek!: For this reason the Mitsubishi Pajero had to change its name in Spanish speaking countries.

Exactly, Mitsubishi in Peru changed the name to Montero. However, there are still loads of Japan directly imported Pajeros - and I have one them. Goes without saying it causes some laughter in very rural areas where they never seen a car with such a silly name befor

This fact also make it difficult to find a good synonym for "birder" in Spanish. The word commonly used in some countries among the birders themselves "pajarero" sounds too similar to "pajero" to be used in normal conversation with non-birders, without getting raised eye-brows and giggles.

 

[Mark Etheridge]

Bird of the Day 22 May

I am very fortunate that my little Spanish house is 5 minutes walk from the local nature reserve (El Clot de Galvany known as the Clot for short which is appropriate considering the trouble I've had with the title of this thread). It's not very well run, three years ago they created a wader scrape which has now dried out completely and is useless for birds, plus the main pool has also partially dried out meaning that the two local specialities (Marbled and White-headed Duck) aren't breeding there this year. :C

However the news is not all bad, there is another small lake which has survived, and there are two pairs of Marbled Duck on it, here's a shot of one coming in to land early this morning. Utterly fabulous birds and Alicante province has about 60% of the world's population (or so I am reliably informed).

Took the missus into Alicante City for a tapas lunch and I spotted the world's worst named footballer shirt, which I share with you as an added bonus.:-O

Mega trip scheduled for tomorrow with a local expert - watch this space....

 

[Mark Etheridge]

Bird of the Day 23 May

With the help of a very knowledgeable guide*, I was off today to a place called Guadalentin with the express purpose of getting a decent shot of a Roller.

I have innumerable distant silhouettes of this bird in my photographic files, they are much worse than Bee-eaters and Hoopoes for taking themselves off whenever a camera-toting birder hoves in sight; a study of Roller behaviour ought to be a compulsory subject for Slebs who want to avoid the Paparazzi.

Job only partially done. All the shots I took today have consigned the silhouettes to the recycle bin, but I'm still not satisfied - not close enough, not sharp enough, and those fantastic colours in the bird's plumage are still tantalisingly elusive. Still, I know exactly where to go to try again, there must have been about 20 Rollers in that area.

A good day's birding included a super view of a stonking male Spectacled Warbler (if he'd sat there another 5 seconds while I focussed the camera he'd have been bird of the day), a lesson from my guide on the differences between Short-toed and Lesser Short-toed Larks, a very out-of-position Booted Eagle, and my first ever hearing of a Golden Oriole song - still no sighting but again we know where they are and will try again later this week.

Mozzie bites now replaced by sunstroke, boy was it hot on the Spanish uplands today...

* Graham Critchell - website at:
http://www.spainbirdwatching.com/

A very experienced guide and a most enjoyable day :t:

So here are 3 of the (best) least worst shots.....

 

[Mark Etheridge]

Having trouble with my feet tonight for some reason, possibly because I invested in a new pair of walking shoes the other day and tried to break them in by walking around the reserve today. :-C

Just as well my feet aren't as big as this chap's. Another one of the local specialities which I suppose I have to call Purple Swamphen, although personally I prefer Purple Gallinule - sounds a lot more exotic than Swamp-hen which sounds a bit low-brow for such a stately bird.

It's very entertaining to watch the way this bird can strip down and peel a length of reed using both beak and feet, and end up with the very heart of the reed, a piece about 6 inches long which it will then carefully eat with all the satisfaction of a trencherman loosening his top trouser button.

I have a superb scar on my right leg caused by a vicious piece of gorse twig which decided I shouldn't go any further in pursuit of a Sardinian Wabler shot....