It will soon be time to start thinking about next spring's holiday destination, so I thought it might be a good idea to give one of my favourite European places another unsolicited plug!
Jaen is one region of Spain that few tourists would be able to point to on a map let alone say they've visited. Sandwiched between the Andalucian provinces of
Granada and
Cordoba (both a
little more familiar sounding),
Jaen (pronounced kha-yen) is around two to three hours drive inland from the Costas of Blanca in the east and del Sol to the south, making it accessible from a number of popular holiday destinations and their associated airports.
Beautiful landscapes are a feature of the Sierra de Segura (photo: J. Blackburn)
Dominated by high sierras and woodland, the scenery here can be both spectacularly dramatic and the epitome of beautiful rural serenity, all within a short distance - providing naturalists, photographers and artists with no end of wonderful subjects. But due to it's more limited habitat and lack of accommodation bases, the area has never proved particularly popular with birders, despite boasting some of the best raptor watching in southern Europe.
Olive grove specialities such as the Azure-winged Magpie are here too but are rarely documented, along with sought after passerines like Orphean Warbler and Rock Sparrow. But, with the exception of a few intrepid individuals and those stopping briefly en-route to the better known regions, this magnificent corner of Spain and it's wildlife have been largely ignored.
Griffons are a regular sight at Cortijo Rosa Blanca but all four vulture species can be encounteredEnter
Mel & Wendy Squires from Yorkshire, armed with a well conceived business plan, a beautifully converted farmhouse and - most importantly of all - the language. Surviving in this remote mountain outpost without the ability to communicate would be quite impossible, as those who have tried will tell you - and it's not just a smattering - Wendy taught Spanish at college in the UK for many years before emigrating and indeed now finds herself, time permitting, teaching English to the village youngsters! Making sure they were accepted by the locals was an important part of ensuring this project got off to the best possible start.
Disused trout farm near Santiago de la Espada(photo:J.Blackburn)
Spending a week at
Cortijo Rosa Blanca (white rose farmhouse) in the village of
Los Teatinos (map), I was able to set about exploring the immediate area and was amazed by what it had to offer the visiting birder. The garden itself in April produces
Western Bonellis and
Melodious Warblers a-plenty with
Serin,
Spotless Starling,
Hoopoe and
Scops Owl breeding close by whilst a continual assortment of raptors soars overhead. Three of the four European vultures are present around the village whilst trips can be organised to the nearby
Lammergeier recuperation centre between May and September where the reintroduction of these remarkable birds is underway.
Melodious Warblers are an abundant Spring migrant
A disused trout farm just a couple of miles away holds good numbers of
Nightingales plus
Cetti's,
Western Subalpine,
Sardinian and (the aforementioned)
Orphean Warblers. Ancient cave paintings have also been found here and access can be arranged to view this fascinating discovery.
Bee-eaters can be encountered just about anywhere whilst
Black-eared Wheatears were the cause of regular roadside stops during my trip.
I suspect this is merely scratching the surface and that many more rewarding sites will be discovered by visiting birders. Indeed since my visit an even better area for the magpies has been located offering fantastic photo opportunities for those interested in this most charismatic of birds.
Embalse del Tranco - an Azure-winged Magpie stronghold photo: J.
Blackburn
The farmhouse itself is fitted out to a high standard and depending on the level of relaxation you're seeking can be used as a base for your own exploratory excursions or the hub for a fully guided package - indeed you can be met off the plane and taken to your target species by people-carrier if desired! Flexibility is what it's all about - if you need breakfast at six rather than eight, you've got it. Mel has even managed to get the local bar to stock a wider range of bottled beers to suit more northern European tastes (you've just got to love the man!)
Short-toed & Booted Eagles are resident in Sierra de Segura
As a birder this brief introduction to Cortijo Rosa Blanca obviously concentrates on the feathered attractions, but make no mistake this place has all sorts to recommend it. Any lover of the great outdoors is going to have a ball here!
For all the details and accommodation availability check out the website now.
Click here
After a couple of weeks of chasing up and down the country, it was great to be back at Bretton this morning. The weather was stunning - in fact classical for autumn, with beautiful light and colour - though unfortunately there was little in the way of non- arboreal subjects to 'tog'. Not that I was particularly bothered 'cos I've had a brilliant October, and whilst the pics have been - shall we say - not great, the experience did provide me with some flashbacks to those glorious twitchy days in the 90s when life was so much sweeter!
Black-headed Gulls occasionally make it down to Upper Lake, but whenever they do, it usually means trouble. This bird though seemed like it was practicing for a local gurning competition in the 'mirror'! It's not often they get anywhere near the hide but I'm so glad to have captured this jaw-stretching performance which actually lasted several minutes so wasn't just an impromptu yawn.
Blue Bells in May at Bridge 
Setting up a feeding station behind the hide last winter created some fantastic opportunities for photographing Great Spotted Woodpeckers
A couple of Cormorants spent most of the summer menacing the fish at Upper Lake 
Meadow Pipits are an increasingly common sight around the sheep fields at the end of the breeding season
