The Purple Penguin

As Joe snored all night I spent the day half asleep because for some reason I didn’t link having two rooms with the fact that I could have switched rooms and gotten sleep!

It was an overcast, chilly, rainy sort of day. We headed into the Sierra Morena with the plan to do the lower vally then go to the upper valley in the afternoon. Drove to the lower recreational area, parked up and walked up to the dam spotting various birds and deer. We also spotted red squirrels which are apparently not usual in that park. There is a bridge just in front of the dam (for walkers only) and already some people on the bridge. Joe got some photos of a kingfisher which he’s been wanting to do for years, and now he’s had two opportunities. Our guide headed back for the van and the rain started really coming down by the time he got back. We headed for the upper valley but the rain was very heavy and the clouds had closed in so you really couldn’t see into the valley at all. We passed several cars coming down and they were saying you couldn’t really see or do anything up there. The plan was to have a picnic lunch but in that weather that plan was scrapped and we headed back to the hotel for sandwiches. Joe and I got a local chorizo sandwich which was excellent. And chips – chips came with just about everything!

We headed back to the lower area, parked a bit closer to the entrance and walked a bit looking for otters. Didn’t see otters but did see Iberian magpies, Iberian green woodpecker, and wagtails. Then we drove back up to van where about an hour earlier there had been otters according to the people there. But none while we were there, though the kingfisher did make an appearance. Spent the time watching birds and chatting with the other birders on the bridge. Saw three high flying large birds which were identified as griffon and cinereous vultures. One good thing with the weather – it was very atmospheric in the damp and fog. When it got dark we headed back to Los Pinos for supper.