The silence... and birds

  Definitely middle of summer is not a good time for watching birds by galician countryside. Today I went to the region of "Terra chá", in Lugo. I have to say that first half of the morning was quite boring! I spend two hours walking without interesting watchings. A few common birds, as Common  blackbirds (Turdus merula), a Buzzard (Buteo buteo) or a medium group of Spotless starlings (Sturnus unicolor) were my unique company.

 There was a moment when everything came inmersed into a deep and overcoming silence. Neither bird, nor wind, nor cars noise on the road, during several minutes....Something completely unusual in hiper-humanized Galiza. I admite that was a little bit shocked for me. Only me and my camera  in front of this strange empty Nature.

 This morning I would like to be a good photographer, in order to be able to capture the intensity of these moments in the Espiñeira fields.

  Later, I was at Arneiro and Veiga de Pumar. Then I could enjoy with the presence of birds! Particularly with Lesser krestell (Falco naumanni), a little falcon that visit the Terra Chá after nesting time, out of our country. I don´t know if these krestells come from O Bierzo (in Leon province) or from Castilla region, but of course, they are not from here.

Every summers, we receive the Lesser krestell visit, over the fields of Cospeito and Castro de Rei.

  Now, krestells are moulting. In this photo we can notice the bad condition of wing feathers.

Lesser krestell (Falco naumanni)

 Best watching of the morning was a coupple of Black-shouldered kite (Elanus caeruleus) in a spot of Terra Chá. They were flying  over a place where seems to be possible a nesting of this rare bird (it would be first in Lugo province, and second for Galiza!). Obviously I can´t reveal this place. I´m sure that people of "Numenius" (a local ornithology group) are making a follow-up of this case.

Black-shouldered kite (Elanus cauruleus)

And the Cuckoo (Cucolus canorus)!! This specie has extinguished as a nesting bird in Ferrol region. Watching a cuckoo is always a gratification for me.

 Common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)

And the last one: a Marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus) flying over a maize field. I ´ve seen this scene in Castilian plateau (in Zamora province) but never before here, where this harrier appears normally in marshes and lagoons.

Marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus)

See you soon!!