Valbuena and Marsh Harriers
Birding Spots on our Journey Between UK and Portugal – Valbuena de Pisuerga
Valbuena always offers something delectable. We stopped for lunch hoping to see Bee Eaters. If they had nested there this season they might still be around.
When we arrived all was quiet. Although the temperature was only around 28˚C in the shade, the sun was intense and it seemed very hot in its full glare.
Buzzards and Griffons
We saw nothing for a minute or two, but then from a quick scan with the binoculars we saw two raptors flying very high, too high to see with the naked eye. One seemed to be mobbing the other, flying up above it and then dropping towards it, close, but no contact. Initially they both appeared to be Griffon Vultures, but that isn’t their behaviour. Then watching carefully, the markings of the aggressor suggested a Buzzard – perhaps a Buzzard threatening a passing Griffon? They were very high, and we just speculated. They soon disappeared into the murk.
Within a few minutes a Buzzard appeared bobbing along the ridge – there for a short time, and then gone.
During the breeding season and into September we usually see Booted Eagles here, but not at this time.
Key Features for Identifying Marsh Harrier
We kept watching. Something large, seemingly larger than a Buzzard, came into view above the ridge. Its body was dark, except for a pale head. The tail was very long. Its flight was buoyant. It flew at treetop level the length of the ridge and disappeared. From the photos we could see a pale head and shoulders – a Spanish Imperial Eagle, sadly no, the wings clearly showed 5 fingers, and we could see long legs, at times hanging down and in other shots trailing under the long tail. The wings were far too slender for an eagle. It was almost certainly a female or juvenile Marsh Harrier, and an interesting sighting over a wooded ridge.
I took the first two of the above photos, and the opening photo, in Norfolk. They clearly show the key features we would like to see for ease of identification. The third, forth, fifth, and sixth were taken in Valbuena. The detail is difficult to see, and they represent what we normally have to deal with when identifying birds.
… and finally the Buzzard again – it flew to a small platform on the mast, an immense way up, and there we left it surveying the scene.
As masts go, it’s rather an elegant mast, its lines not spoilt by dishes and add-ons. We watched its construction in February, a fascinating process – two men and a crane putting it together like lego. It was sad to see it go up as it seemed an imposition on our private birding spot, but at least some of the residents find it of value!
See others in the series “Birding Spots On Our Journey”:
- Bee-eaters at Valbuena: https://woodcockwood.com/the-european-bee-eater/
- Great Bustards and Lesser Kestrels – Tierra de Campos: https://woodcockwood.com/great-bustards-and-lesser-kestrels/
- Griffon Vultures at The Desfiladero of Pancorbo: https://woodcockwood.com/of-battles-and-vultures-the-desfiladero-de-pancorbo/