Unfortunately, Maria tore a muscle in her right calf on only our second day. This put paid to us getting out for any more serious walks as she was hobbling round on a stick for the remainder of the trip. I still managed to get a few birding trips in below Valor and we had a drive through the Contraviesa which added a few different bird species.
But even a quiet beer or two in one of the village bars gives great views and allowed us to watch Spotted Flycatchers hunting and returning to a nearby nest.
At this time of year to get the best from a birding walk means a fairly early, but not ridiculously early start, and since I'm onto my local patch in about thirty seconds from leaving the front door seven am or so was just about right. The extra hour of darkness due to the local time difference compared to the UK also helps.
With the sun rising in the east, the valley below Valor remains mostly in shade until about nine. This not only keeps it nice and cool, but also allows you to see the lovely shadows and colours cast by the the early morning sun across the lower valley and the more distant Contraviesa range.
My usual circuit below the village is only about three or four kilometres (depending on my chosen return route), but it usually takes me three or four hours, with many stops at promising birding spots.
The small farms below Valor are a mixture of almond and olive trees, mixed with various vegetable and fruit crops such as tomatoes, peppers, onions, beans etc. There are stands of poplars which are grown for use as roof beams and joists in the traditional houses of the area. These are where you will often spot the many Golden Orioles that are present in spring and summer here. They blend well into the light green foliage, so often their gorgeous fluting song is heard well before you get a glimpse of one.
Amongst the other species spotted on the couple of walks I had last week were Cetti's Warbler, Olivaceous Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Common Whitethroat, Turtle Dove, Red-rumped Swallow, Crag Martin, Cirl Bunting, Rock Bunting, Serin, Bee Eater, Spotted Flycatcher, Woodchat Shrike. Plenty of other birdlife too of course, and also some notable absences. I didn't hear or see any Wrynecks this trip, and would usually expect to see one or two overflying eagles, particularly Booted Eagle, but no luck.
A drive out in the car was a welcome break for Maria, who had been pretty much housebound on her new walking stick. We did a long circuit heading towards Cadiar via Yegen and Mecina Bombaron, stopping at the various viewing areas to admire the scenery and have a scan around with binoculars for any birdlife.
This picture below is of the valley just below Mecina Bombaron, always a nice place to stop and admire the lovely farm buildings nestling into the steep rock face, and watch the circling Crag Martins and Red-rumped Swallows.
On reaching Cadiar, we took the road towards Albunol before turning left onto the road through the Contraviesa range. Although almond and olive trees still feature, this area is more well known for its wine making, and you pass several large wineries and bodegas along the way.
We then headed down towards the man-made Embalsa de Beninar and stopped to take a few photos. The terrain is drier and more rugged at this end of the Contravieasa, and we saw a few Thekla Larks and Black Wheatears which are typical of the area.
Birdlife on the reservoir appeared to be limited to a few Great Crested Grebes, so we headed back for the return leg through the intriguing villages of Darrical and Lucainena. These villages were almost ghost towns until recently, with many ruined and empty buildings. Several initiatives have taken place to revitalise them, and now there are many restorations and rebuilds underway. It is very isolated, but whoever lives here will enjoy beautiful surroundings. One word of warning, the road along the valley here is very narrow, and its often loose surface has not been improved by the wagons serving the building that is now going on. Drive carefully, and perhaps give it a miss if you don't like heights, as there is often a sheer drop for many metres right at your elbow!
The home leg of the drive takes us back via Cherin and Ugijar back to our start at Valor. A very pleasant and interesting few hours drive, do give it a go if you're in the area.
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