Donana 3 – some special places

The caption to this image (taken by Ed Hutchings – thank you Ed) would have to be, ‘Lord of none of what he surveys’. From the top of this dune in the Coto Donana one could see for miles. Some of Lawrence of Arabia was apparently filmed here.

Looking over the marismas one got a feel for how large the wetlands of the Coto Donana really are. Of course, they are still much reduced from their former glory, but they are spectacularly large.

Up here, it was very, very quiet. No traffic noise, no planes, no people except our small party (and it was noticeable that we were rather hushed, as if we all wanted the silence to win).

Of course, it wasn’t complete silence – there were sounds of wildlife; Flamingos sounding like geese, the occasional ‘Quack!’ from a duck and a displaying Redshank.  The Redshank song carried a great distance and sounded so very clear. We could see the male lifting his wings to impress the female, and it was far enough away that there did seem a slight delay in seeing the actions and hearing the calls. But still, the calls were clear and cut through the silence despite the great distance.

We saw several scenes like this. The one I remember best was at the José Antonio Valverde Visitor Centre which is at the end of a long drive but is well worth the effort.  At the visitor centre there are big colonies of Spoonbills, Glossy Ibis, Night Herons and Little and Cattle Egrets really close to you.  They make a wonderful sight. We also saw Squacco Heron here and a little stroll down to the bridge produced Little Bittern too. There were a few Grey Herons and a steady stream of Purple Herons heading to a colony too. Oh yes – and more Flamingos.

This was a wet wetland when we visited (although later it will dry out); Black-necked Grebes, Garganey, Red-crested Pochard, Collared Pratincoles, Whiskered Terns, Savi’s and Great Reed Warblers as well as all those herons passing back and forth.

Whereas the top of the dunes had been peaceful and contemplative, this was bustling and envigorating. And well worth the long drive on which you should look out for coots with collars which mean they are Crested, and, if you come the way we did, a colony of Lesser Kestrels (where one male was carrying a long, thin, green snake), and clouds of Spanish Sparrows collecting nest material from the vegetation in the ditches and taking it back to their colony in a distant wood.

This was a carpet of flowers at the Donana Bird Fair and is put in to prove that I do look down occasionally – although I do mostly look up!  Looking up here produced 76 Black Kites in one scan 0f the binoculars and there were White Storks nesting everywhere. As I sat in the sun wondering what to write about I noticed that there was hardly a break in the sound of bill-clattering from storks on their nests.  If I closed my eyes there were just sounds that I recognised even though they were rather unfamiliar. Alongside the storks and their bill-clattering there were occasional songs or calls of Crested Larks and of Bee-eaters, and even of Black Kites.  These were calls that I know even though they are not common in the UK. Also not common in the UK was the constant hum of insects. All those flowers were attracting bees and flies in great numbers. the hum was almost tangible. It is so rare to hear its like in England even on the sunniest of days and the best of nature reserves.

Of course, it wasn’t all hard work – we had lunch too! This view, from the Aires de Donana in El Rocio could have produced a distant Imperial Eagle but whether it was the great companions or the superb food that distracted us (me!) from birdwatching it’s hard to say.  There were Whiskered Terns, Flamingos, Spoonbills, Collared Pratincoles, Black-winged Stilts and much more to look at.  The food was superb and we were so well looked after, with course after course arriving.

The first time I visited El Rocio, I think about 28 years ago, the road on which we parked was the main road to the coast and Matalascanas, but now a swish new road bypasses the town and the old road can be a safer stopping point for birders to scan the marshes. Some of them might even spot the impressive facade of the church across the marsh.

Our birdwatching skills were a bit dulled by such a fine meal and so we went to look at the Madonna of El Rocio in all her glory in the local church. In the pilgrimage in May there will be around a million people thronging these dusty streets that have the air of a paella western set.

We went looking for Lynxes but we didn’t see any.

That’s not quite the end of the story though. Just knowing that you might see a Lynx is an experience in itself. Now, how can I tell how it matches up to seeing a Lynx – because I haven’t seen a Lynx! I’m pretty sure that seeing a Lynx is better than looking, but I still enjoyed looking.

We sat on a hillside and looked hopefully for Lynx as the sun fell in the sky. There were Mediterranean herbs and scrub and old Olive trees and some Cork Oaks too. Overhead the Black Kites were still circling. There were Flamingos on the lagoon. Even if there had been no chance of Lynx it would have been a good way to spend the time.

I saw a very Lynx-like shape in a distant tree. Then it was very Black Kite-shaped. Then it was rather Eagle Owl-shaped. Then it went back to being Lynx-shaped. But on closer inspection it proved to be a bit of magic wood that could change shape at will.

We didn’t see a single Lynx and yet it was fun looking. I hope there are Lynxes there – I suspect there are. Everybody says there are! But we didn’t see a Lynx, hear a Lynx, we didn’t even get a sniff of a Lynx yet alone touch a Lynx. We didn’t see Lynx poo and we didn’t see Lynx fur. There was not the slightest sign of a Lynx. But it looked a good place for a Lynx and we were told they were there. I’d go back many times to keep looking. If looking for Lynx is that much fun, which it is, just think what it is like actually to see one! That must be just great. I’ll tell you if I ever do see a Lynx – and somehow I really feel I will.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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