ORTOLAN BUNTING - PICTURE BY TONY MOORE EXTREMADURA & SIERRA DE GREDOS TRIP REPORT. MAY 31 ST JUNE 7 th 2018

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1 TO ORTOLAN BUNTING - PICTURE BY TONY MOORE EXTREMADURA & SIERRA DE GREDOS TRIP REPORT MAY 31 ST JUNE 7 th 2018

2 Places Visited Day 1 MADRID TO FINCA SANTA MARTA JARACIEJO HEATHLAND THREE BRIDGES OVER THE RIO ALMONTE Day 2 BELEN PLAIN BRIDGE OVER THE RIO MAGASCA SANTA MARTA DE MAGASCA PLAIN CASERES PLAINS Day 3 BRIDGE OVER THE RIO ALMONTE - MONFRAGŰE NATIONAL PARK EMBALSE DE ARROCAMPO Day 4 LLANOS DE ZORITA (Campo Lugar road), SIERRA BRAVA DAM MADRIGALEJO RICE FIELDS RIO PIZZAROSO LA MOHEDA (CRANE RESERVE) ALCORRIN RESERVOIR TRUJILLO CASTLE Day 5 TRUJILLO POOL SANTA MARTA PLAINS BRIDGES OVER THE RIO MAGASCA BRIDGE OVER THE RIO ALMONTE MONROY PLAINS Day 6 TRANSFER FROM TRUJILLO TO THE PARADOR DE GREDOS WITH STOPS AT PEÑA FALCON AND HEVES ROAD IN THE JERTE VALLEY. ALSO BIRDING THE GROUNDS OF THE PARADOR Day 7 PARADOR DE GREDOS GROUNDS PLATAFORMA DE GREDOS - RIO TORMES RETURN TO PLATAFORMA Day 8 NAVARREDONDA DE GREDOS RIO TORMES PLATAFORMA DE GREDOS TRANSFER TO MADRID AIRPORT EL PARDO, RIO MANZANARES

3 LEADER: BOB BUCKLER PARTICIPANTS: DAY 1 MAY 31 ST 2018 Left to Right: Tony, Christine, Rita, Dave, Vanda, Ann and Jeanne MADRID AIRPORT TO FINCA SANTA MARTA, TRUJILLO WITH STOPS AT JARAICEJO HEATH THREE BRIDGES OVER THE RIO ALMONTE Our first morning went like a dream except for the delayed arrival of one flight. Four of us had arrived last night and met up for breakfast and then at 11am we drove to the airport to collect the other four participants, they arrived 25 minutes late but by 12 noon we were on our way. We had already logged a reasonable number of species before we met up with the late four group members, Common Swift, White Stork, Monk Parakeet, Eurasian Magpie, Spotless Starling, Collared Dove and lots of House Sparrows. The journey out to Extremadura was a 2 1/2 hour drive which was extended by our lunch stop at the half way point. We added Black Kite, Montagu s Harrier, Iberian Magpie and Common Buzzard to the list along the way to lunch.

4 Our first official birding stop was 30km from Trujillo at the heathland just above the small village of Jaraicejo. Surprisingly our target species showed very quickly and very well. We saw both Spectacled and Dartford Warblers extremely well in the scope and bins, both were very active and very obliging. Spectacled Warbler Also, in the area we saw Thekla Lark, lots of Corn Buntings, an Iberian Shrike, Booted Eagle, Black Vulture and more Black Kites. We then drove the short distance of 3km down to the Roman Bridge just below the village. From the bridge we listed a good number of species including: Crag Martin, European Bee-eater, White Wagtail, Spanish Sparrow, Common Nightingale, Woodchat Shrike, Griffon Vulture and Common Stonechat. At 4:30pm we left the area and drove to our accommodation at Finca Santa Marta which is found 14km south of Trujillo. What a wonderful peaceful place Finca Santa Marta is, I love it there. A Woodlark sang to us as we got out of the bus, we found it flying very high up above us. We settled into our rooms, had a quick cuppa, before setting off at 5:30pm for a short walk along one of the many tracks found on the finca. Several new species were added to the list, Melodious Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Greenfinch, Golden Oriole, Red-rumped Swallow and Sardinian Warbler spring to mind. We called it a day at 6:30pm and returned to our rooms to prepare for our dinner at 7:30pm which was delicious, the wine wasn t bad either. A lovely ending to a great start of our tour of this wonderful place. DAY 2 FRIDAY 1 ST JUNE 2018 BELĖN PLAIN BRIDGE OVER THE RIO MAGASCA SANTA MARTA PLAINS CÁSERES PLAINS WEATHER; cloudy to start, then clear later. Should have been 25C but felt like 15C with a cold wind. A slight misjudgement had the group up and ready for a walk in the grounds of the finca at 6am but it was still pitch-black and remained so until 7am, so we went in for breakfast before taking our walk. It was a lovely still morning, full of bird song, a bit chilly but no wind or rain in sight. Over the 45 minutes that we spent walking along the main track we saw a number of lovely songsters. Watching Common Nightingale, Melodious Warbler, Golden Oriole and Woodlark (heard but not seen) was just a starter. We found a pair of Hawfinches, we saw Common Cuckoo, Eurasian Hoopoe, Woodchat Shrike, Sardinian Warbler, Greenfinch, Linnet and Goldfinch. Red-rumped Swallows posed on the wires whilst Iberian Magpies dashed about everywhere and a Zitting Cisticola was not being left off our list as it posed very close to us.

5 Common Cuckoo seen in the grounds of the finca Belen Plain was just great, even though the grass was much longer than when I was here on my two previous visits this year. It was also brown grass now, but still many flowers were in bloom and the bird song was just as good. We arrived around 8:30am and parked the bus on the brow of hill which gave us a commanding view over the surrounding grasslands. Within a few minutes we located a single Great Bustard and shortly afterwards we found a male Little Bustard. Both birds we far away and our views were with the scope but it was good light and we saw them well. A Little Owl sat out on a wall quite close to us. Hoopoes were calling loudly, and the number of larks singing was incredible, mainly Calandra Larks but also Crested and Thekla, also Corn Buntings sang. Black Kites were present in good numbers, they sat on posts or drifted over the grassland, a few Griffon Vultures joined several Black Vultures in the air, we also saw Common Buzzard and many Swallows and Swifts. Driving further onto the plains we turned onto a side-track where we walked for a kilometer or so. More larks were seen also Iberian Grey Shrike, Common Stonechats and Eurasian Magpies. A few birds flying over us included: Black-winged Stilt, Grey Heron and a pair of Egyptian Geese (now regular breeders in the area). A small copse of oak trees held many roosting Black Kites and Griffon Vultures and a lake held a family party of Little Grebes. From there we drove back to the main road and crossed over it to another track. From this track we added Marsh Harrier and European Bee-eaters to the list, also Red Kite and a Common Kestrel. After driving into Trujillo from Belen we headed west towards Cáseres stopping at a Bridge just out of Trujillo which spanned the Rio Magasca. A very showy Common Nightingale and a beautiful Melodious Warbler were the star birds, but we also saw Red-rumped Swallow, Cetti s Warbler (seen by one group member) and lots of small flocks of Spanish Sparrows.

6 Little Owl Everywhere you looked there were raptors in the sky, along with many White Storks we saw a couple of Booted Eagles and later a pair of Short-toed Eagles, as well as good numbers of vultures. The plains of Santa Marta didn t produce anything much except for a couple of Great Bustards. A male started displaying when a female appeared, it was a marvellous sight and one quite unexpected this late in the season. A coffee-stop in Santa Marta de Magasca was followed by a drive to the Santa Marta Plains, along the way we stopped at bridge over the river to look for more species. We found Crag Martin, Grey Wagtail, White Wagtail, our first Moorhen and not much else. We did find a Grass Snake, some European Pond Terrapins and a bunch of Marsh Frogs. European Roller taken by Tony Moore Moving on we made a trip down Roller-Ally where approx. 500 nest boxes have been provided for the European Roller. Dozens were occupied, we had great views of quite a few Rollers, but we also noted that Lesser Kestrel, Eurasian Jackdaw and Spotless Starling were using the boxes too. For the next two hours we drove along a dirt track that led us to Cáseres, along this road we had many birding highlights it was a great trip. The main highlights were sightings of GREAT SPOTTED CUCKOO, we saw two of them but the first one allowed close approach as it hopped along the grass verge picking out caterpillars from the grass, a superb find and a wonderful sighting. On two occasions we found very large eagles, the first was a 2cy Golden Eagle and the second was 2cy Spanish Imperial Eagle, both were either brief or distant sightings, a pity really. Along this track we found a small number of Short-toed Larks and a single Tawny Pipit. More Little Owls were found as well as Eurasian Hoopoes, Common Kestrels and European Bee-eaters.

7 Great Spotted Cuckoo by Tony Moore It was almost 5pm when we got to Cáseres so we drove straight back to the finca some 50 minutes away. It had been a great day, some great sightings were made, not surprisingly, the Spotted Cuckoo was named bird of the day by the group. DAY 3 SATURDAY 2 ND JUNE 2018 BRIDGE OVER THE RIO ALMONTE MONFRAGŰE NATIONAL PARK EMBALSE DE ARROCAMPO WEATHER: dry all day with plenty of sunshine in the afternoon, a chilly wind persisted which kept us cool. What a great day we had today, we saw 80 species and some of them were much sought after by the group. I really enjoyed every minute of today especially the first few hours. We left the finca at 8am and drove up through Trujillo towards Monfragüe stopping at the large bridge over the Rio Almonte. It was perfectly calm, no wind and nice light. Three of the loudest birds in Europe greeted us as we left the bus, Common Nightingale, Great Reed Warbler and Cetti s Warbler. We got the first two in the scope for everyone to see be the Cetti s was only seen in flight. Eurasian Otter courtesy Tony Moore Our best sighting by far was that of an Otter, we had such good views of it below us near the bridge, fantastic, we were all very pleased to see it. Our first Rock Sparrow was seen very well, we also enjoyed great views of

8 Crag Martin, White Wagtail and Red-rumped Swallow. We had fleeting views of Little Ringed Plover and Common Cuckoo, there were also many common species on show. Our journey into Monfragüe Park took another twenty minutes but we were at the Castillo (castle) by 9am. Again, it was superb birding with fantastic light and no wind. We stopped just below the Castillo to scan a rock face where we found several Griffon Vultures attending their nests and young. We also saw Blue Rock Thrush, Rock Bunting, Crag Martin and European Serins. As soon as we got out of the bus at the top car park we found two WHITE RUMPED SWIFTS, oh my god! Our most sought-after bird already in the bag. Even better than that was to come because as we climbed up the track we had unbelievable close eye-level views of this enigmatic and rare swift, they were so close it felt like you could reach out and touch them. White-rumped Swift, another great picture from Tony Moore We continued our walk up to the Castillo from the car park and found a small number of butterfly species, including several Large Tortoiseshells, Holly Blue, Wall Brown, Ilex Hairstreak and Speckled Wood. At the top, the vultures took centre stage, they drifted close by and many were already high above us, we added Egyptian Vulture and Black Stork to our trip list and revelled in the company of so many airborne species. The views of the surrounding landscapes were terrific, both the Rio Tajo and the Rio Tiétar could be seen, as well as the snow-capped Gredos Mountains in the distance. Our next stop was at the rock pinnacle of Peñon Falcon where even more vultures congregated, many were on nests with almost fully-grown chicks. We also found two Black Stork s nests and we had excellent views of Blue Rock Thrush, Black Redstart and Crag Martin. Next, we stopped at the main bridge over the Tajo river where a thousand pairs of House Martins breed alongside a colony of Alpine Swifts and a group of Rock/Feral Pigeons. These birds were menaced constantly by Black Kites which often put the breeding birds into panic mode. Whilst we were watching this entertaining

9 altercation we found a good number of butterflies. The most common species was the Spanish Purple Hairstreak, what a beauty, we also found many Ilex Hairstreaks, Cleopatras and more Large Tortoiseshell. We took lunch in Villareal, the village inside the park, before making our way to two other Miradors (view-points) in the park. The first produced views of a couple of Egyptian Vultures, Short-toed Eagles and the usual Griffon Vultures and Black Kites. Spanish Purple Hairstreak At the Mirador Portillo de Tiétar there is another rock face that is covered in nesting Griffon Vultures, but it had the added attraction of also housing a pair of Spanish Imperial Eagles nearby. It wasn t long before one of these magnificent beasts drifted over us, it was fairly low down and we could all see its markings, unbelievable! A second bird appeared not long after and furthermore a guy informed us of a nest-site of these birds about a 10 minute walk away. At the nest site we saw the very well-grown chick, but the parents did not return whilst we were there. We added Subalpine Warbler, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Golden Oriole and we heard Eurasian Nuthatch whilst we were there. Spanish Imperial Eagle by Tony Moore A coffee break followed next and after that we set off for the series of lakes and reed-fringed pools of the Embalse de Arrocampo, two Red Kites and two Iberian Grey Shrikes were seen just before we arrived at the Embalse (reservoir). We spent the last two hours of our birding day walking the tracks and driving to a series of hides that overlooked the pools. A surprisingly good number of species were found, starting with Purple Heron, many of which were seen during our visit. Early sightings included Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Great Cormorant, Little Egret, Cattle Egret and Zitting Cisticola. The final stop produced the most birds. We saw a Little Bittern fly across the road as we walked towards the water. We then found Purple Swamphen and a Savi s Warbler which was located from it reeling call. Over the next 30 minutes we saw Night Heron, Squacco Heron and the Western Marsh Harrier was ever-present. A Great White Egret flew over us and we found more butterflies and dragonflies.

10 It was almost 6pm when we left the area, it had been a full day indeed, with some of the best birding of the trip so far. A lovely dinner was served at 7:30pm, I must say, the quality of the chefs and the food has greatly improved at Finca Santa Marta over the last couple of years. DAY 4 SUNDAY 3 RD JUNE 2018 LLANOS DE ZORITA (Campo Lugar road), SIERRA BRAVA DAM MADRIGALEJO RICE FIELDS RIO PIZZAROSO LA MOHEDA (CRANE RESERVE) ALCORRIN RESERVOIR TRUJILLO CASTLE WEATHER: misty and heavy cloud to start which burnt off later giving broken sunshine. Still cold. It can t always be perfect with lovely weather and wall to wall birds, so we expected a day or so with cloud or rain and fewer birds and that is exactly what we got today. At the Finca it was a cloudless, chilly morning, but after breakfast we drove down into the valley towards Zorita and met thick mist with cold, overcast conditions. Our first couple of hours of birding was confined to scanning fields in the hope of finding a Stone Curlew or some Sandgrouse. What we did find was hundreds and hundreds of noisy larks, lots of Western Marsh Harriers, Black Kites, Common Buzzards and the odd Griffon Vulture. We also had close encounters with a European Roller (record shot shown left) and several Gull Billed Terns quartered the fields looking for breakfast. But apart from the usual crowd of White Storks, Lesser and Common Kestrels and the odd Iberian Grey Shrike or two we saw nothing else new for us. Our next stop was the at the dam called Sierra Brava, it held back a huge body of water which produced our first sightings of Great Crested Grebe and on the dry side of the dam we had a terrific vista of the surrounding countryside with the rice fields in the distance. Immediately below us was a reed-fringed pool where we found a couple of Purple Herons, Great Reed Warbler, lots of Jackdaws and Feral Pigeons. We could hear Common Quail and Cetti s Warbler but we never saw either of them. At the rice fields near Madrigalejo we found a small flock of Red Avadavats, these tiny finches are escapees that now breed in Spain, they are a beautiful little bird (find them at the end of the checklist under Exotic Species ). Many Iberian Magpies were feeding on the rice fields which were just being flooded after seeding.

11 Our first planned walk was alongside the rice fields and a eucalyptus woodland, it produced dozens of sparrows, Tree, House and Spanish were all there. We also had good views of European Bee-eaters, a male Golden Oriole, lots of Spotless Starlings and a Melodious Warbler. At a bridge over the Rio Pizzaroso we had three short encounters with a Common Kingfisher and we had glimpses of Common Nightingale. A beautiful male Red Avadavat taken by Tony Moore Driving further into the rice fields we found our first Northern Lapwing and our first European Turtle Dove which was actually perched and not in flight as were our previous sightings of this species. For the next hour we drove to another area of rice fields near Madrigalejo but they seemed quite desolate, we saw a few Iberian Grey Shrikes, Common Stonechats and in one field a family party of Hoopoes were feeding. We ate our lunch by the side of the track that led into the rice fields. After lunch a quick stop on another bridge over a reed covered stream produced nothing new but we did get close views of White Stork chicks on the nest and more European Bee-eaters. Two more bodies of water and another area of rice-fields took up the rest of the afternoon. La Moheda is a reserve near the town of Obando and it an area of Dehesa and rice fields set aside for wintering Common Cranes, a huge reservoir was also built for roosting birds. My last visit in April produced many sightings at the reservoir so we took another look today. A pair of Little Ringed Plovers mobbed us on the approach track, we were obviously near their nest, so we moved on quickly. Unfortunately, the lake was being topped up and the water depth was already too deep for waders. A large flock of Mallard, with four Egyptian Geese, four Black-winged Stilts and a single Little Tern was all we saw. What a disappointment, we decided to walk round the perimeter of the lake because from our high position we had great views of the surrounding rice fields and we hoped for a sighting of Collared Pratincole. A huge bird flew up from the grassy bank of the reservoir, immediately we thought Buzzard, but it was too dark and as it landed a couple of hundred meters away, we saw that it was an Owl. What owl is that big? Could it have been an EAGLE OWL, well yes it could!! We walked further round the perimeter of the water and relocated the owl and sure enough it was an EAGLE OWL. It flew a second time and

12 landed on the only remaining island in the reservoir, where we had great scope views of it before it disappeared into a small shrub. How extraordinary, what was an Eagle Owl doing there? That sighting perked up the group as we drove away from the area back toward Trujillo. We made a slight detour to visit more rice fields near Vegas Altas but we still couldn t find a Pratincole. Egyptian Geese with chicks on the Embalse del Alcorrin Our final destination was yet another reservoir near the town of Alcorrin, it was quite windy there, but we saw some good birds. Our first stop produced Little Egrets, Mallards, Egyptian Geese, Gull-billed and Little Terns and a couple of dozen Great Cormorants. Next, we drove to a picnic site near a small secondary dam, this was the nature reserve section and it held some good birds. Luckily for us a Marsh Harrier flew low over an island just as we arrived, it flushed out a flock of Eurasian Spoonbills with some Egrets. Five Great White Egrets fed along one shoreline and a family party of Egyptian Geese milled around the dam. We also had good views of Common Kingfisher and White Wagtail. One of the five Great Whites at the dam Well this concluded our bird watching for the day, we took an early shower because this evening we drove into Trujillo for our dinner. A pre-dinner walk around Trujillo Plaza and Castle walls produced many sightings of historic buildings and some birds. We added Serin, Greenfinch, Booted Eagle and Black Vulture to the day list. Dinner was, once again, wonderful we even had time afterwards to walk in the finca grounds. We stayed out until dark looking and listening for Scops Owl and Red-necked Nightjar. None called or appeared, so we went bed dreaming of our BIG OWL sighting earlier today. DAY 5 MONDAY 4 TH JUNE 2018 ESTANQUE DE LA ALBUERA, TRUJILLO SANTA MARTA PLAINS BRIDGES OVER THE RIO MAGASCA BRIDGE OVER THE RIO ALMONTE MONROY PLAINS WEATHER: overcast for most of the day, it very cold all day, when is summer going to arrive? After our 7am breakfast we set off at 8am and headed into Trujillo, our first stop was at the small pool called Estanque de la Albuera just a kilometer out of Trujillo. We saw Little Grebes, Black-winged Stilts, Eurasian Coots, Common Moorhens and Little Ringed Plovers with dozens of Mallards.

13 We then went back into Trujillo and drove onto the plains near Santa Marta, hoping for a sighting of at least one species of Sandgrouse. We found both Great and Little Bustard as well as the usual Black Kites, Common Buzzards, Griffon Vultures and hundreds of larks. An adult SPANISH IMPERIAL EAGLE sat on a rock out in a distant field giving great in-the-scope views. We stopped for coffee and to buy our picnic supplies in Santa Marta before heading off towards Monroy. At the Rio Magasca we parked near a bridge and scanned the river from there. We quickly found a Redlegged Partridge, Crag Martin, House Martin and a small flock of Long-tailed Tits. Red-legged Partridge We spent more time scanning the fields for sandgrouse and Stone Curlew before arriving at another bridge where we decided to have lunch. We watched more Vultures, Booted Eagle, Common Buzzard and a few common passerines before driving to the main road to Cáseres and stopping at the bridge over the Rio Almonte. What a fabulous and an unspoilt place, we walked down the very old and abandoned road towards the river, the verges were covered in wild flowers, the number of red poppies was amazing. We found several butterflies including new species for our list that included: Cardinal Fritillary, Marbled Skipper, Brown Argus, Cleopatra and Small Skipper. Our target bird, the Black Wheatear, was found within minutes, in fact, a whole family party was discovered. We also found Melodious Warbler, Blue Rock Thrush, Little Ringed Plover, White Wagtail, Common and Alpine Swifts, Red-rumped Swallow and some Linnets. We spent a good two hours enjoying this wilderness, the sun came out in brief spells and warmed us up a little. For the last two hours we drove from Monroy to Trujillo after a stop in the village for another coffee and an ice-cream. The fields and grasslands between Monroy and Trujillo produced many sightings for us. A Montagu s Harrier sat on a fence at the roadside, we saw yet another Little Bustard, also dozens of raptors. A Spanish Imperial Eagle drifted over us at some point, sightings of this bird were now becoming frequent and we had become somewhat blazé with our numerous sightings. Bee-eaters, Hoopoes, Woodchat and Iberian Shrikes were all seen as we travelled across to Trujillo, our frequent stops also produced a number of Little Owl sightings it is nice to see that the population of these little fellows is doing well.

14 We arrived back at the finca around 5:30pm and dinner was taken at the usual 7:30pm. Our last night here was enjoyable the food was as good as ever. Out bird-log was called, we have now seen 120 species, another 30 species could be added during the two days we have in the second part of the tour, in the Sierras de Gredos. DAY 6 TUESDAY 5 TH JUNE 2018 TRANSFER FROM TRUJILLO TO THE PARADOR DE GREDOS WITH STOPS AT PEÑA FALCON AND HEVES ROAD IN THE JERTE VALLEY. ALSO BIRDING THE RIO TORMES AND THE GROUNDS OF THE PARADOR WEATHER: yet another cold day with an overcast sky and a very chilly breeze Yes, once again we awoke to an overcast sky very cool conditions and a little rain in the air, whatever happened to flaming June? We took breakfast at 7am and set off at 8am having said goodbye to the staff last night. Our route to the Sierra de Gredos took us through Monfragüe National Park so we stopped at the Peña Falcon (also called Salto del Gitano gypsies leap) rock face to look for Peregrine Falcon. It was a little brighter when we got there and as usual a host of vultures were in the air waiting to greet us. Our visit produced some nice sightings but no Falcons, we saw all three species of vulture, Black Stork, Blue Rock Thrush and some very obliging Black Redstarts. The Peña Falcon rock face, viewed from the car park. We continued up through the park towards Plasencia stopping to look at Short-toed Eagles perched on pylons, one of them gave a very good impression of a Bonelli s Eagle and had me fooled for a while. Passing through Plasencia we drove up through the Jerte Valley stopping for coffee and to look at the Rio Jerte hoping for Dipper and Wagtails. We then turned onto to a side road that led us up into the wooded hills about the town of Jerte. The birding there was excellent, we spent an hour or so, not going very far, but enjoying views of Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Eurasian Nuthatch, Short-toed Treecreeper, Common Chiffchaff and several common species we even saw our first Robin of the trip. Just before we reached El Barco de Avila we stopped at another bridge, this time over the Rio Tormes, for a second attempt at seeing Dipper. At last we were successful, in fact it was a great stop. We walked along a lane towards a new nature trail and found several new species for the trip. An obliging Western Bonelli s Warbler showed very well for all of us, so did a pair of Coal Tits, they were feeding young. Walking further we came to the Tormes River just as a Honey Buzzard came out of the trees and circled right above us, it was an amazing sighting, the cameras were clicking like machine guns.

15 the brilliant Honey Buzzard, expertly captured by Tony Moore Before we left we also found a family party of Long-tailed Tits, Grey Wagtail, a distant Green Woodpecker and a Common Chiffchaff. The Bonelli s Warbler was visible again as we returned to the bus. Our arrival at the Parador de Gredos was at 3:30pm. 30 minutes later we were all checked in and back out in the car park ready for some local birding in the grounds of the hotel. A pine forest surrounds the hotel and a few clearings are visible from the main road, we had a great time and didn t have to venture far. We found Black Redstart, Serin, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Coal Tit in the gardens and our short walk along the main road produced a number of sightings of species all new for our list. Some very close encounters were made with Crested Tit and Goldcrest, we also had superb views of Coal Tit and a pair of Green Woodpeckers. Carrion Crow was new for the list and one of the group found a couple of Red-billed Chough. The best sighting was of a male Pied Flycatcher, this Iberian sub-species looked stunning in its dull surroundings. It was cold with a very cold breeze but we continued our birding by jumping into the bus and driving down to the nearest village, turning onto a lane that led us to an area of open meadows. There we found a small colony of Rock Sparrows, also a pair of Iberian Yellow Wagtails showed well. We drove further into the valley down to the edge of the Gredos Natural Park, but the cloud got thicker and it began to rain. We managed to watch a few Serins on the roadside but failed to find Citril Finch, perhaps tomorrow? Dinner was served at 8:30pm, it was delicious and there was plenty of it, the menu choice was excellent. We called it a day at 10pm Green Underside Blue

16 DAY 7 TUESDAY 6 TH JUNE 2018 PARADOR DE GREDOS GROUNDS PLATAFORMA DE GREDOS - RIO TORMES RETURN TO PLATAFORMA WEATHER: not much change, overcast and cold, no rain all day! Our last full day started at 7am as we met up outside the hotel entrance and walked the short distance down the ramp to the back of the hotel. A Black Redstart was singing from the roof and several Serins dashed about from tree to tree. Over the next half an hour we had plenty of sightings but none of the Red Crossbill that we had hoped for. Rock Sparrows were a nice find and plenty of common garden birds were on view and a Wild Boar with a single baby was also a surprise. Iberian Pied Flycatcher A quick look around the other side of the hotel proved a little better, we added Mistle Thrush to the trip list, we also saw Eurasian Nuthatch, Short-toed Treecreeper, Crested Tit, Coal Tit, Great Spotted Woodpecker and we heard Green Woodpecker. We ate breakfast at 8am and then set off for our big day in the mountains, we were hoping for a number of goodies up there. The Plataforma de Gredos is approached by a 12km lane which passes through some fantastic landscapes and a variety of habitats. We stopped near some pine woods looking for Citril Finch without success and then we stopped near a river where scrub replaces the forest. Rock Bunting photo by Tony Moore Common Whitethroats sang from several places along with Dunnock and Rock Bunting, we saw them all and as we pulled away we saw a Dartford Warbler dash across the road in front of us. From the car park at the beginning of the walk up towards the Plataforma we watched several other birds. Water Pipits in summer plumage, looked smashing, as did the many Rock Buntings and Black Redstarts, also the very pale-looking Northern Wheatears. It was bitter cold up there at 2000m a biting wind made it worst, but it stayed dry. The birds kept very low and it was a long time before we started finding anything, other than fly-overs. During our climb up to the heathland we recorded Red-billed Chough, Raven, Griffon and Black Vultures but not much else, we also saw a herd of Spanish Ibex very high up on a ridge.

17 Before too long our star birds began to emerge, we found Ortolan Bunting and Common Rock Thrush, more or less at the same time. The pair of Rock Thrushes drew the most attention and admiration. But finding a Bluethroat was the most testing experience, we spent an hour scouring the gorse and grassy banks before we finally found one. It was a beautiful male and it showed very well as it searched for food in the grass a few meters away from the gorse, fantastic bird, a well-deserved sighting too! Bluethroat by Tony Moore We made it back to the bus around 1pm so we decided to eat our lunch whilst watching Dunnocks and Rock Buntings coming for bread crumbs. The drive down was much quicker, we stopped in a pine wooded area by the side of the River Tormes where we searched for Citril Finch, it is an area where I have found them on a number of occasions in the past. We found Pied Flycatchers, Black Redstarts, Greenfinches, Serins and Linnets before we finally found the Citril Finches. Two of them came down to the river to drink and later at least six more were seen feeding on the short grass. A cup of coffee was called for and a café right next to the car park was open, smashing. Next, we drove along a lane than ran parallel to the river, we stopped to search some open scrub areas for Buntings and Warblers. We soon found Garden Warbler and Blackcap but not the Cirl Bunting we were looking for. Before we left the area, the sun came out in short, warm spells, how nice. We saw two Hobbys circling above us as well as Black Kite, Common Buzzard and a pair of Ravens. For the next hour or so we worked our way back up to the car park some 10km up the valley towards the Plataforma. We searched for new species and our efforts were rewarded when we found a Red-backed Shrike, our first for the trip. Near the car park we came across many Spanish Ibex, a lot of males with their impressive horns. Wild Boars seemed to be common too, we saw several including a female with three piglets. Very palelooking Red Foxes seemed to be everywhere too, we saw four in a short space of time. Our return to the hotel was at 7pm it had been a long but most enjoyable day despite the cold conditions. We sat down to dinner at 8:30pm and enjoyed a lovely meal washed down with a nice glass or wine, or two! Some of the group went back out just before 10pm to look for Common Nightjars they can be seen about 200 meters along the main road from the hotel. Several were calling and at least three showed well, a great finish to the day. DAY 8 THURSDAY 7 TH JUNE 2018 NAVARREDONDA DE GREDOS RIO TORMES PLATAFORMA DE GREDOS TRANSFER TO MADRID AIRPORT EL PARDO, RIO MANZANARES WEATHER; bright and sunny, hooray!! Temp. 25C Isn t that just typical, the weather makes a vast improvement just as we are heading for home! However, we did have a few hours to spare before we had to leave the Gredos so we made the most of it.

18 At 7am we met up outside the hotel and loaded up into the bus for our last birding excursion, it was still cold but we had almost a clear sky above us. We drove down into the nearest village Navarredonda and turned off the main road heading towards the River Tormes. The lush meadows along the river are good for many species but we wanted to find a Cirl Bunting so we searched the scrub at several places hoping to find one. Many species were found but not the Bunting, nevertheless, we enjoyed good views of Common Whitethroat, Serins, Yellow Wagtails, Black Redstarts, a flock of some eight Mistle Thrushes and lots of common species. Water Pipit We then headed up to the Plataforma de Gredos to see if we could get better views of Water Pipit as some of the group had only fleeting views of them so far. We made a few stops along the way to look at other species including Rock Sparrow, Eurasian Hoopoe, Common Stonechat, Ortolan Bunting, Rock Bunting, Corn Bunting, Common Whitethroat, Red-rumped Swallows and Crag Martins. At the Plataforma car park we found the Water Pipit which sat on a rock very close to the bus, it was carrying a beak-full of food so we didn t want to stay long and prevent it from feeding its young. We concentrated on other species nearby watching Ortolan Bunting, Rock Bunting, Yellow Wagtails and Dunnocks. At 9am we returned to the hotel after collecting picnic supplies in the village, we met up again at 10am with our luggage. A Eurasian Sparrowhawk circled overhead giving us our first views of this species on the trip. We also noted Griffon Vulture, Booted Eagle, Black Kite and Common Buzzard. The first part of our journey to Madrid was through some wonderful scenic landscapes, we stopped a few times to look at perched birds noting; Short-toed Eagle, Red Kite, Red-backed Shrike, Common Whitethroat and lots of Corn Buntings. At one regular stopping places of mine we looked for Golden Eagle as we were doing so we found a Tree Pipit which was new for the list as well as Western Bonelli s Warbler (heard), Long-tailed Tit, Blue Tit and Coal Tit. The sky was empty of raptors except one Booted Eagle, so we concentrated on other wildlife: we saw Schreiber s Green Lizard, Queen of Spain Fritillary and several other butterflies.

19 Our lunch stop turned out to be a find the Orphean Warbler expedition, the habitat was right, oak Dehesa, so we made an effort to see one. Finally, one sang close to the track we were on, but despite searching the tree that the bird was in, only two of the group actually saw it. We ate lunch sitting on the grass verge just after. Schreiber s Green Lizard Tony Moore No more stops were made we drove straight to Madrid Airport noting several European Rollers lots of White Storks, Cattle Egret, Grey Heron, Spotless Starling and more Corn Buntings than you shake a stick at. The official trip was over at 2:30pm. I dropped off four of the group at the airport, one at a hotel nearby and that left three of us. We decided to kill a few hours by visiting El Pardo, a country park on the northern outskirts of Madrid. We spent a couple of hours enjoying a good number of species including: Bee-eater, Golden Oriole (h), Eurasian Hoopoe (h), Reed Warbler, a lovely male Little Bittern, Long-tailed Tits (15 in one flock) and lots of other species. At 5:30pm I dropped the last two off at a hotel on the outskirts of Madrid, then I returned the bus and went to the airport for my flight home.

20 LIST OF SPECIES RECORDED BETWEEN MAY 31 ST - JUNE 7 TH 2019 DATES SPECIES Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca X X 2 Mallard Anas platyrhynchos X X X X X X X 3 Gadwall Anas Strepera X X 4 Red-legged Partridge Alectoris rufa X 5 Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus X 6 Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis X X 7 Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo X X 8 Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutes X X 9 Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax X 10 Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides X 11 Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis X X X X X X 12 Little Egret Egretta garzetta X X 13 Great Egret Casmerodius alba X X X 14 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea X X X X X 15 Purple Heron Ardea purpurea X X 16 White Stork Ciconia ciconia X X X X X X X X 17 Black Stork Ciconia nigra X X X 18 Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia X 19 Eurasian Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus X X X X X X X X 20 Black Vulture Aegypius monachus X X X X X X X 21 Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus X X X 22 Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos X 23 Spanish Imperial Eagle Aquila adalberti X X X 24 Short-toed Snake-Eagle Circaetus gallicus X X X X X X 25 Booted Eagle Aquila pennatus X X X X X X X X 26 Red Kite Milvus milvus X X X X 27 Black Kite Milvus migrans X X X X X X X X 28 Western Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus X X X X 29 Montagu's Harrier Circus pygargus X X X 30 Common Buzzard Buteo buteo X X X X X X X X 31 Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus X X 32 Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus X 33 Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus X X X X 34 Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni X X X 35 Eurasian Hobby Falco Subbuteo X 36 Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus X X X X H 37 Eurasian Coot Fulica atra X X 38 Purple Swamphen Porphyrula porphyrula X 39 Great Bustard Otis tarda X X 40 Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax X X

21 DATES SPECIES Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus X X X 42 Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius X X X 43 Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus X 44 Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus X 45 Little Tern Sterna albifrons X 46 Gull-billed Tern Sterna nilotica X 47 Rock Dove Columba livia X X X X X X X X 48 Common Woodpigeon Columba palumbus X X X X X X X X 49 Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto X X X X X X X X 50 Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur X X X X 51 Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus X X H H H H H 52 Great Spotted Cuckoo Clamator glandarius X 53 Eagle Owl Bubo bubo X 54 Little Owl Athene noctua X X X 55 European Nightjar Caprimulgus europaea H X 56 Common Swift Apus apus X X X X X X X X 57 Alpine Swift Apus melba X X X 58 White-rumped Swift Apus caffer X 59 Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops X X X X X X X X 60 Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis X 61 European Bee-eater Merops apiaster X X X X X X X X 62 European Roller Coracias garrulous X X X 63 Green Woodpecker Picus viridus X H H 64 Great Sp. Woodpecker Dendrocopus major X X X X X 65 Lesser Sp. Woodpecker Dendrocopus minor X 66 Skylark Alauda arvensis X X X 67 Crested Lark Galerida cristata X X X X X X X 68 Thekla Lark Galerida theklae X X 69 Woodlark Lullula arborea X H H H H X X X 70 Greater Short-toed Lark Calandrella brachydactyla X X 71 Calandra Lark Melanocorypha calandra X X X 72 Eurasian Crag Martin Hirundo rupestris X X X X X X 73 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica X X X X X X X X 74 Red-rumped Swallow Hirundo daurica X X X X X X X X 75 House Martin Delichon urbica X X X X X X X X 76 Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris X 77 Water Pipit Anthus spinoletta X 78 White Wagtail Motacilla alba X X X X X X X 79 (Spanish)Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava iberiae X X X 80 Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea X X X X 81 White Throated Dipper Cinclus cinclus X 82 Dunnock Prunella modularis X X

22 DATES SPECIES European Robin Erithacus rubecula H X X X 84 Common Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos X X X X H X H H 85 Bluethroat Luscinia svecica X 86 Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros X X X X X 87 Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe X X 88 Black-eared Wheatear Oenanthe hispanica X 89 Black Wheatear Oenanthe leucura X 90 European Stonechat Saxicola rubicola X X X X X X X X 91 Song Thrush Turtus philomelos 92 Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus X X 93 Eurasian Blackbird Turdus merula X X X X X X X X 94 Blue Rock-Thrush Monticola solitarius X H X 95 Rock Thrush Monticola saxatilis X 96 Garden Warbler Sylvia borin X H 97 Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla H H H X X H 98 Common Whitethroat Sylvia communis X X 99 Western Orphean Warbler Sylvia hortensis X 100 Sardinian Warbler Sylvia melanocephala X X X X 101 Spectacled Warbler Sylvia conspicillata X 102 Subalpine Warbler Sylvia cantillans X 103 Dartford Warbler Sylvia undata X X 104 Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis X X X X 105 Savi's Warbler Locustella luscinioides X 106 Cetti's Warbler Cettia cetti H H X X H 107 Eurasian Reed-Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus H X H X 108 Great Reed-Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus X X 109 Melodious Warbler Hippolais polyglotta X X X X X X X 110 Western Bonelli s Warbler Phylloscopus bonelli X H H 111 Goldcrest Regulus regulus X X 112 Wren Troglodytes trogladytes H X H H X X X X 113 Iberian Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca iberiae X X 114 Great Tit Parus major X X X X X 115 Coal Tit Parus ater X X X 116 Eurasian Blue Tit Parus caeruleus X X X X X X X 117 Crested Tit Parus cristatus X X 118 Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus X X X 119 Eurasian or Wood Nuthatch Sitta europaea caesia H X X 120 Short-toed Treecreeper Certhia brachydactyla X X 121 Iberian Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis X X X X X 122 Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio X 123 Woodchat Shrike Lanius senator X X X X X 124 Iberian Magpie Cyanopica cyana X X X X X X X

23 DATES SPECIES Eurasian Magpie Pica pica X X X X X X X X 126 Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius X X 127 Eurasian Jackdaw Corvus monedula X X X X X 128 Red-billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax X X 129 Carrion Crow Corvus corone X X X 130 Northern Raven Corvus corax X X X X 131 Spotless Starling Sturnus unicolor X X X X X X X X 132 Eurasian Golden-Oriole Oriolus oriolus X X X X H X H H 133 House Sparrow Passer domesticus X X X X X X X X 134 Spanish Sparrow Passer hispaniolensis X X X X 135 Eurasian Tree-Sparrow Passer montanus X 136 Rock Sparrow Petronia petronia X X X X 137 Common Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs H X X X X X X 138 Eurasian Linnet Carduelis cannabina H X X X X X X 139 European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelids X X X X X X X X 140 European Greenfinch Carduelis chloris X X X X X X X 141 Citril Finch Carduelis citrinella X 142 European Serin Serinus serinus X X X X X X X 143 Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes X X X 144 Common Crossbill Loxia curvirostra X 145 Ortolan Bunting Emberiza hortulana X X 146 Corn Bunting Miliaria calandra X X X X X X X X 147 Rock Bunting Emberiza cia X X X 148 Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca X X X 149 Common Chiffchaff Phyloscopus colybita X 150 Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis X EXOTIC SPECIES DATES Monk Parakeet Myiopsitta monachus X 152 Common Waxbill Estrilda astrild X 153 Red Avadavat Amandava amandava X BUTTERFLY SPECIES DATES Large White X X 2 Small White X X X X X 3 Bath White X

24 4 Clouded Yellow X X X X X 5 Brimstone X 6 Cleopatra X X X 7 Small Copper X X X X X X X 8 Long-tailed Blue X X 9 Holly Blue X X 10 Brown Argus X X X X 11 Painted Lady X X X 12 Cardinal Fritillary X 13 Meadow Brown X X X X X 14 Spanish Gatekeeper X 15 Small Heath X X 16 Speckled Wood X 17 Wall Brown X 18 Small Skipper X X 19 Sooty Copper X 20 Queen of Spain Fritillary X 21 Knapweed Fritillary X 22 Pale Clouded Yellow X 23 Marbled White X X X 24 False Ilex X 25 Ilex Hairstreak X 26 Spanish purple Hairstreak X 27 Large Tortoiseshell X 28 Geranium Bronze X 29 Southern Marbled Skipper X 30 Green-Underwing Blue X DATES DRAGONFLY SPECIES & INTERESTING INSECTS Thread-winged Lacewing X X 32 Black-tipped Chaser X 33 Violet Dropwing X 34 Banded Groundling X MAMMALS, REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS Spanish Ibex X 2 Red Deer X X 3 Red Squirrel X 4 Red Fox X X X 5 Hare X

25 6 Rabbit X 7 Otter X 8 Wild Boar X 9 Moorish Gecko X X X X 10 Ocellated Lizard X 11 European Pond Terrapin X 12 Marsh Frog H X X 13 Common Iberian Wall-Lizard X 14 Grass Snake X 15 Natterjack Toad X 16 Schreiber s Emerald Lizard X X