ORIOLE BIRDING & HI LONESOME TOURS TOUR REPORT

Transcription

1 ORIOLE BIRDING & HI LONESOME TOURS TOUR REPORT SPAIN 10 TH 21 ST APRIL

2 MONDAY 10 TH APRIL Bright sunny day, max of 22C in light winds Our group met in Barcelona late morning after arriving from various points of the compass. There was a slight delay to the last flight, but we were still away from the airport by about 1300 and within ten minutes, found ourselves watching the first Mediterranean birds in Llobregat river mouth. Huge numbers of Yellow-legged Gulls were resting here, and we picked out single Black-headed and the odd Mediterranean Gull among them. Greater Flamingo were still present here in small numbers and the muddy edges were favoured by Black-winged Stilts, Green Sandpipers and Little-ringed and Kentish Plovers. European Serin were tinkling overhead and in the bushes, we got to grips with the explosive calls of Cetti s and Sardinian Warblers and the zip-zip of Zitting Cisticola for the first time. Moving down to the beach, we had a specific target in mind along the Mediterranean shore the range restricted and strictly coastal Audouin s Gull. By a stroke of luck, we almost immediately picked one up flying directly along the beach towards us, and it passed us by within a few metres in superb light what a great bird! With this in the bag, we cracked on with the first leg of our long journey west, through the suburbs of the city and on towards the town of Lleida. Black-winged Stilts & Squacco Heron, 10 th April A small marsh near Cervera on the north side of the main A2 motorway was our next break in the journey, but on our way down to the site we had an impromptu stop a male Little Bustard in a pea field right beside the road! We decided to get out and have a look through the scope only really head and shoulders visible, but nice all the same. Two Stone Curlew flushed up from the field entrance where we pulled off the road, and we had our first jangling keys Corn Bunting and Spotless Starling nearby too. Down at the pools, we had a cracking hours birding the light was fantastic, and there were lots of migrants around. Common Redshank, Common Greenshank, Ruff, Green and Wood Sandpipers were all feeding side by side, and a mixed party of Yellow Wagtails included flava, iberiae and a surprise cinereocapilla [Ashy-headed Wagtail]. A single Water Pipit was coming into breeding plumage and two cracking Squacco Herons were stalking the shallows. Overhead, a Red Kite, male Marsh Harrier and stunning pale phase Booted Eagle were all added the latter stooping down into the rocky hillside beside the pools and really giving dramatic views. Our final stop of the day, a further 50 minutes drive west, was in the Lleida steppes at a breeding site for European Eagle Owl where back in early March, we had seen the adult pair with small chicks. They had fledged the nest, and so we had to scan the whole gorge to find them but three very large and well-feathered chicks were discovered near the top of the cliff and gave super views! A Redrumped Swallow passed over, and then as we motored west for the final leg of our journey to Boletas Oriole Birding & Hi Lonesome Bird Tours 2017 Pyrenees & Steppes 2

3 Birdwatching Centre in Loporzano, the first Black Kites, White Storks and Cattle Egret were added. Everyone was ready for bed after our orientation meeting, dinner and checklist log call! Eagle Owl chicks, 10 th April TUESDAY 11 TH APRIL Bright sunny day in light winds, max 22C We awoke to a beautiful day and the sound of Spotless Starlings just around our hotel! We had lovely views of them on the rooftops, just as we were loading up the van to set out for the day. We planned to have a fairly relaxed day, exploring locally to Huesca and taking time to enjoy the commoner species which would form the backbone of our birding over the next 10 days. Vadiello was our first stop, a site we are more used to visiting on our winter trip for Wallcreeper, which of course now had moved higher up into the Pyrenees. So it was interesting to see the site five weeks later into the spring the first big sun drenched cliff along the road was absolutely buzzing with Crag Martins, and fantastic low-swooping parties of Alpine Swifts. Black Redstart sung from the crags and Rock Sparrows were common clearly arriving here now to nest having spent winter in the more arable lowland areas. Their wheezing calls resonated all around the cliff, and we had particularly good views of one singing, its yellow chin patch noticeable each time it let out a call. Overhead, European Griffon Vultures soon began to leave their ledges and take to the sky, and we had a brief adult Lammergeier glide along the top of the ridge and disappear behind. The bushes at the base of the cliff held singing male Blackcap, but also a smart male Western Subalpine Warbler which we eventually had some reasonable views of. A Eurasian Sparrowhawk circled over, and a male Blue Rock Thrush perched briefly on the crags above. Down by the dam, we really enjoyed the super close views of the Griffon Vultures, now beginning to thermal in larger numbers. A cracking Egyptian Vulture soon joined them, and one kettle also had Common Raven, Peregrine and two Short-toed Eagles in too! The Egyptian Vulture landed on the Oriole Birding & Hi Lonesome Bird Tours 2017 Pyrenees & Steppes 3

4 top of a crag, allowing us to view its yellow facial skin and fine bill through the scope. A Firecrest, at the opposite end of the scale, was singing in the roadside bushes and gave some stunning close up views. Western Bonelli s Warbler was less obliging though, and we only really glimpsed it among the pines. The same could be said for a pair of Rock Bunting, which were quite distant on the far side of the dam but the good thing was that these were all species that we would have many more chances at during the trip! We headed back down the hill a bit to a small wooded gulley which was really catching the sun and hence butterflies took centre stage. Moroccan Orange Tip, Spanish Festoon, Western Dappled White and several superb Scarce Swallowtails coming down to the track for minerals, were some of the species noted. A Western Bonelli s Warbler now showed much better too, allowing everyone in the group some clear views. Another Lammergeier cruised over, but like the last one, disappeared just a bit too quickly for our liking! Firecrest, 11 th April After a coffee break in a nearby village, we headed up to the impressive ruined castle at Montearagon. Our main target bird here was Black Wheatear, and in fact we saw three species of wheatear within about ten seconds of parking up the van! A pair of Black Wheaears showed superbly on the low cliffs by the roadside, and a male Northern Wheatear was flycatching from the boulders too a migrant destined for higher altitude in the Pyrenees, or perhaps further north into Europe. A fine male Western Black-eared Wheatear was more coy, showing briefly a few times, and completing the hattrick. A pair of Dartford Warblers were in the scrub, and overhead the song of Thekla Lark was a constant backdrop. Not a bad lunch stop! Up at the top by the castle, raptors were passing really low and included thirty or so Griffon Vultures, several Black Kites, and a male Marsh Harrier. A male Blue Rock Thrush really obliged on the tip of an adjacent pinnacle, before it was ousted by a stunning male Western Black-eared Wheatear! We saw the female too, less dramatic but still beautiful. Regular scanning of the ridges produced more good sightings of raptors, not least a stunning adult Golden Eagle which actually flew up from the gorge below us and headed off across Oriole Birding & Hi Lonesome Bird Tours 2017 Pyrenees & Steppes 4

5 the fields, mobbed by a Common Kestrel. Thekla Larks gave excellent close views here, and the butterfly list was bolstered by Berger s Clouded Yellow, Green-underside Blue, Wall Brown and Dingy Skipper. Our only European Bee-eater of the day sailed over a couple of times calling we would see more of these, for sure and a pair of Red-legged Partridge scurried along the path below us. Our afternoon was rounded off at Los Mallos de Riglos, a stunning location where the towering sandstone peaks are much favoured by dare-devil climbers! We saw some nice hillside birds here, with great views of Black Redstart, male Sardinian Warbler, another Firecrest, several Rock Doves and Common Raven. A pair of Egyptian Vultures joined the Griffons soaring above the pinnacles, and a Peregrine was wheeling around with them too. It got pretty hot here, so we took it easy, and didn t wander too far. Excellent views of European Serin, Common Linnet and European Goldfinch all coming to drink at a puddle, was really nice, and a pair of Red-billed Choughs dropped in to the bell tower of the small church giving great views through the scope. Our meander back across country to base yielded plenty of White Storks, Red and Black Kites and Corn Buntings along the roadside plus a European Hoopoe for the lucky ones in the front! It had been a great introduction to the typical birds of the pre-pyrenees! WEDNESDAY 12 TH APRIL Fine & sunny with light winds, 22C Today we basically had one target in mind, which was Wallcreeper and we failed miserably! We always knew that timing this particular trip to maximise the number of spring migrants seen would compromise our chances to find Wallcreeper at what is a very difficult transient time of year for them. Nevertheless we wanted to give it a good go, and so headed north to the beautiful Hecho Valley to try three different sites which could each represent a decent chance to find one either on passage or returning early to breed. It took around one and a half hours to reach the first birding stop, just north of Puenta del Reina, and our first sighting was a good one a pair of Egyptian Vultures perched on a low crag just above the road! Unfortunately they took flight when we disembarked the vehicle but we saw them several times more on our short walk up a side valley where we planned to check a small gorge for our elusive target. It was a stunning morning, and we had fantastic views of Griffon Vultures perched low down on the cliffs and a pair of Red-billed Choughs inspecting a small cave. Crag Martins were everywhere whizzing past us at eye level, and a couple of Grey Wagtails were along the river. With no sign of any Wallcreeper though, we continued on north up the valley, stopping next at the spectacular gorge of Boca del Infierno. This too is a well known spot for Wallcreeper but we couldn t find one here today. In truth we saw very little, but we did enjoy the scenery! A little way back down the valley, a welcome coffee stop allowed us to scan some more cliffs in the warm sunshine Carles saw a Wallcreeper briefly and very distantly up on the crags, but the rest of us never saw it at all. Firecrest song was a constant backdrop here though, and by now the skies were full of thermalling Griffon Vultures. Our lunch stop was a further 7km up into the forested hills at Refugio de Gabardito, another stunning locality and one which was much more productive for birding today. Around the car park, we added our first Coal Tits, and European Nuthatch. While following the latter up into the Beech trees we noticed two finches were perched up in the same tree and soon dropped down to feed in the road Citril Finches! After initially being very mobile and refusing to perch long enough for anyone to see them clearly, they eventually settled and began feeding happily in the car park no more than ten metres away from us. The light was stunning, and we managed to get some pretty nice shots! Setting off on a walk down through the forest, we found a small family party of Common Crossbills and had some nice close views, and Crested Tit was reasonably common and equally accommodating. Reaching some more spectacular cliffs, we scanned again for our main target but it just wasn t to be. Flocks of calling Alpine Swifts, two brief Lammergeier, a pair of displaying Golden Eagles and a fantastic flock of two hundred very vocal Alpine Choughs overhead were quite ample compensation, however. Two Chamois were also distantly up on the far ridge, and a Rock Bunting was also seen in a small meadow among the pines. Butterflies had been less plentiful today, but the ones we did see were pretty special Camberwell Beauty and Large Tortoiseshell among Oriole Birding & Hi Lonesome Bird Tours 2017 Pyrenees & Steppes 5

6 them. Two Red Squirrels on the winding road back down the mountain were also nice to see, and a cracking Short-toed Eagle was circling by the road just south of Hecho village as we headed back down the valley at the end of the day. With Easter weekend approaching, there were lots of Basque people heading east into the Pyrenees and we realised that tomorrow, the roads were going to be much busier around the ski resorts! Citril Finch and Common Crossbill, 12 th April THURSDAY 13 TH APRIL Sunny day in light winds, 25C Today was our high Pyrenees day and that meant heading back up the motorway to Jaca and on north towards the frontier with France, at Astun ski area. Due to the Easter holidays, the area was extremely busy with tourists but under cloudless blue skies it was absolutely stunning up here and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves despite a distinct lack of birds! In this transient springtime period, high mountain species are neither in their winter localities, nor specifically back in breeding sites, so it makes finding them even more difficult than normal. We arrived at the upper car park at Astun and soon were enjoying excellent views of breeding plumaged Water Pipits which were quite common and performing their song flight above the sparsely vegetated slopes above. Black Redstarts flicked amongst the Juniper bushes and delivered their ditties from the top of the ski centre buildings, and a fine male Yellowhammer was also noted. Common Linnet and a brief fly by Citril Finch were seen and best of all, an absolutely cracking view of an immature Short-toed Eagle hunting from the tops of the small pines on the hillside. We even saw it catch and devour a snake! Alpine Choughs had largely departed the area now but a pair showed very well by the buildings, and a few more were seen circling high above the mountainside. With the high temperatures and well reduced snow levels, we decided our only glimmer of hope with the high mountain birds would be to take the ski lift up to the top station. This was actually great fun, and the views were simply jaw-dropping from the top. The only birds we saw were Northern Wheatear, Water Pipit and Common Raven, but a pizza and coffee from the small café at the top was some compensation at least for the guides! Heading back down we enjoyed lunch in the warm sunshine in the car park the mountain scenery around us here was simply breathtaking and we struggled to drag ourselves away! Back down the valley a way, just beyond Canfranc, we stopped at a convenient spot where an old stone bridge crosses the river and is a favoured spot for Dipper. We saw a pair carrying food to a nest, and also Oriole Birding & Hi Lonesome Bird Tours 2017 Pyrenees & Steppes 6

7 had the added bonus of superb views of a pair of Lammergeiers over the crags above. They were dropping down into the trees and coming up with sticks which they were presumably taking up to a nest site nearby. Four or five nice views were had, and now everyone had managed a good luck at this iconic Pyrenean speciality. A bit further down the valley, and we took an excursion for a couple of kilometres off the main route to check a nice grove of old Poplar trees for woodpeckers. We had excellent views of a female Iberian Green Woodpecker here, and also managed to see a Short-toed Treecreeper working in a pine just above us. Purple Heron, 13 th April South of Jaca, we headed up the pine-clad hillside of Oroel, a flat topped mountain which stands proud on the skyline south of the Pyrenees and is visible from some distance away. Unfortunately the area was very busy with tourists and so a bit too disturbed for us to have a chance to find any Black Woodpeckers, but a short woodland walk produced Crested Tit, singing Western Bonelli s Warbler, Great-spotted Woodpecker and our first Wren of the trip! It took just over an hour to head back down to Huesca from here, and though everyone was weary we wanted to squeeze in one more quick stop at a small wetland on the edge of the town. This provided us with a great end to the day, with super views of many pairs of displaying Great Crested Grebes, Little Grebe, Black-winged Stilt and a sunning Purple Heron which landed on a dead branch in the water right in front of us. Another fine Water Pipit was feeding around the water s edge, and both Little and Great White Egrets were also noted. Over the distant fields beyond, a male Montagu s Harrier drifted over, but was all a bit too brief we knew we would be seeing more of them in the coming days. In a line of small trees behind the lake, a male Western Subalpine Warbler was moving through and signing, and while trying to get better views, we stumbled on a cracking Eurasian Wryneck perched up in the same tree! A few managed scope views, before it flew and was lost to view. A great bird to end the day though and the trip list was certainly progressing nicely! Oriole Birding & Hi Lonesome Bird Tours 2017 Pyrenees & Steppes 7

8 FRIDAY 14 TH APRIL Light winds and sunshine, 25C Today it was time to say goodbye to our welcoming hosts at Boletas guest house and make our way south towards the steppe area of Los Monegros, where we would spend most of the day birding en route to our single overnight stop in Lecera south of Zaragoza. It took just over one hour to reach the first birding area, in a remnant area of uncultivated steppe not far north of Candasnos. This whole area is under huge pressure from ever expanding irrigation, and as the agriculture intensifies and the steppe decreases in size, so do its bird populations and we were able to witness this first hand. Passing through kilometre after kilometre of irrigated wheat and pea crops, we eventually turned off onto a dirt track into a relatively small area of quality steppe and having only seen Crested Larks over the previous miles, we instantly began to see a wide range and good number of steppe birds. Immediately Calandra Larks became common, and gave superb views all around us, and both Greater and Lesser Short-toed Larks could be easily seen too. We drove slowly, stopping for good views of birds from the vehicle, such as a roosting Little Owl, superb Stone Curlew and our first singing male Spectacled Warbler. Disembarking for a good scan around, we could hear European Bee-eaters calling, migrating north in a flock, and two or three Eurasian Hoopoes were flitting about and calling from suitable perches nearby. The air was just full of the songs of Calandra and Thekla Larks, both very common species here, and we also had good views of Tawny Pipit perched on a stone wall until flushed off by a cracking male Black-eared Wheatear who wanted the same perch for himself! We took a rough track a few hundred metres off the main drag and parked the vehicle in a spot where we had good all round views of the scrubby steppe. Setting up the scopes, we spent time scanning and listening for our target bird, the Dupont s Lark or Ghost Bird as it is called in Spanish. Spectacled Warblers showed fantastically well here, with a male buzzing back and forth building a cock nest, occasionally breaking from his duties to performing a jinking song flight overhead. Spectacled Warbler & Dupont s Lark, 14 th April A Black Stork circled into view, and gave good scope views, heading north with a Black Kite for company. Soon we heard the distinctive wheezing song of a Dupont s Lark quite close by, and turned our attention to scanning the tops of the small shrubs to try and pick him out. After half an hour, we eventually spotted the bird and managed to get three people good scope views, before it crawled down into the vegetation out of view. We waited another half hour, but there was no further sight or sound of the bird, so we decided to move on. Carles had a great lunch stop lined up for us, at the top of a ridge overlooking the rolling steppe to the north. A pair of Golden Eagles were here one perched on a rock at the end of the ridge and the second bird soaring above. We had the most incredible views as it glided directly towards us, passing us at eye level perhaps fifty metres away. Iberian Grey Shrike was noted hunting from the tops of the bushes pretty distantly, and a pair of Oriole Birding & Hi Lonesome Bird Tours 2017 Pyrenees & Steppes 8

9 Dartford Warblers were working low in the scrub on the steep slope below our parking spot. Both Greater and Lesser Short-toed Larks again gave superb views just along the track, viewed from the vehicle, as we headed a little further on. After lunch, we continued south to Candasnos, then along the motorway to Bujaraloz where we had an excellent café stop for Tapas and drinks. From here, it took one hour to drive to our hotel in Lecera where, after check in, we took an afternoon break in the heat of the day before reconvening at 1630 for a short late afternoon birding session. Dupont s Lark [John Hoyt] 14 th April The Spanish Ornithological Society reserve at El Planeron, about 20km away, would be our destination for the remainder of the day, and we hoped to get some more chances here to improve our views of the elusive Dupont s Lark. This really is a spectacular location, and with thin cloud drifting in on the breeze, the conditions were perfect for a late afternoon vigil not too hot and the air full of lark song. A cracking male Montagu s Harrier drifted by as we parked up in our favoured spot to look for the lark, and we could also see a Woodchat Shrike, flycatching from the tops of the bushes down in the valley. Both Greater and Lesser Short-toed Larks could again be seen well and the light was now just perfect. About twenty metres away on the stony steppe, among some sparse tussocky shrubs, another lark was moving around, partly obscured at first but then popping out into the open it was a Dupont s Lark! We could not believe this good fortune, and the camera shutters were rattling as the bird showed really well out in the open before scurrying back into thicker cover. We did not see it again for 45 minutes, until the same bird appeared again and began to move closer and closer towards us. We watched it solidly for ten minutes and at one point it was no more than fifteen metres away struggling with a large item of prey which it was trying to dig out from beneath a tussock with that long, pointed bill. Absolutely fantastic views for everyone and a brilliant end to what had been a great day of steppe birding. We called in at the old ruined town of Belchite on the way back, noting a singing male Blue Rock Thrush, and right by the roadside a pair of Golden Eagles were settled on the top of a small ridge for the night we had managed some amazing views of Oriole Birding & Hi Lonesome Bird Tours 2017 Pyrenees & Steppes 9

10 this species today. Amid the Easter celebrations in Lecera, we enjoyed a delicious meal of local specialities, and of course a beer or two, before early retirement to bed. SATURDAY 15 TH APRIL Cool start under cloudy skies brightening to 26C With such great views of our target birds in the bag yesterday, we were able to take a more relaxed start than planned today, eventually setting off on our longest journey of the trip around Driving directly to Extremadura would take around 6 hours straight, but of course we planned to make stops on the way, including a couple for birding. The first of these was about an hour into the journey at the dam of a small embalse and here we hoped to find Bonelli s Eagle always the most difficult of the five eagle species on offer in central Spain. In fact we enjoyed a glut of raptors here despite the cool conditions and cloudy skies pretty well everything except Bonelli s! Griffon Vultures were just starting to warm up and head off their breeding ledges. And we saw two different Golden Eagles including a bird displaying out over the reservoir. Booted Eagles were pretty much continually on view, and both dark and light phase birds were observed. New for the trip was a Northern Goshawk, and after having only distant views initially, we eventually had great views of one displaying out over the reservoir. Two Egyptian Vultures circled over, a Eurasian Sparrowhawk provided a nice comparison with its larger cousin, and a Short-toed Eagle drifted into view. We had in fact already seen a male Merlin, Black Kite and Common Kestrel before arriving at the site, making ten species of raptor in just over an hour! Crag Martins were giving lovely views by the reservoir dam, where a pair of beautiful Red-rumped Swallows also passed over us and Alpine Swifts were swooping over the cliffs above. It was a good start to the day, and now it was time to get some miles under the belt as we began heading out to the motorway, and south-west towards Madrid. The next two stops were for coffee and tapas, and later on for lunch, and we successfully navigated Madrid without any traffic problems, finding ourselves motoring towards the province of Extremadura which would be our birding base for the next few days. The afternoon was wearing on, but we had time for a birding stop at the superb wetlands around Saucedilla. We saw some great birds here just a few metres from the parking area at least three each of Little Bittern and Purple Heron, glimpses of Savi s Warbler and Penduline Tit, and even a very distant Black-winged Kite which flew in and landed on a pylon! Such a superb area for birding! Common Stonechat, Sedge Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, bill-clapping White Storks and Red-rumped Swallow completed the scene, and a party of European Bee-eaters swooped low over our heads filling the warm air with their fantastic calls as they went. Several Lesser Kestrels were to be seen over the adjacent village a species we would become more familiar with as the week progressed. We finally arrived at the beautiful Finca Santa Marta at 1800, our base for the next six nights. SUNDAY 16 TH APRIL Hot & sunny under clear skies, 30C We rose early [a bit too early in fact!] for a pre-breakfast amble around the gardens of the Finca, but it was in fact still pretty dark at 0700 so we had a coffee instead and waited for it to get a bit more light. Common Nightingale was belting out its song from the parking area, and this was in fact the first bird we saw scope views amongst a Fig tree in the first light of dawn. Our walk produced a cacophony of common birds singing, but also Common Cuckoo, European Hoopoe and Short-toed Treecreeper adding their own songs to the mix. Red-rumped Swallows wowed us and of course the fantastic Azure-winged Magpies gave us our first views a pair seemed to be building a nest quite close to the swimming pool, so maybe later in the trip we would get some photo opportunities. Twenty or so European Bee-eaters were migrating high north very purposefully, a feature of the rest of the day in fact. We breakfasted at 8am, and were soon on the road to Trujillo to start our first birding route around the steppes. The once rural and tranquil Santa Marta road is sadly and rather inexplicably now being upgraded into a two way affair, and at the moment is still at the early stages of roadworks meaning a bumpy ride and lots of dust. Nevertheless our favourite corner was still productive, on the first bend in the road, and soon we were watching a pair of Iberian Grey Shrikes, and listening to three Common Oriole Birding & Hi Lonesome Bird Tours 2017 Pyrenees & Steppes 10

11 Quail singing in the fields around. Spanish Sparrows were lovely to see, our first ones of the trip, and a female Great Bustard was standing sentinel like by a small pond, occasionally preening and taking a look around over the surrounding vast terrain. Two Black Vultures took flight from a Holm Oak and lumbered off across the landscape, and two European Bee-eaters finally gave us some lovely perched views. In this morning air, filled with the songs of Crested and Calandra Larks, sounds carry a long way and about a kilometre away, two Pin-tailed Sandgrouse could be heard and just about picked out flying high through the hazy cloud. With two other vans of birders already appearing, we decided to keep ahead and make for the track which bisects an excellent area of steppe to the right of the road. We stopped for some fantastic views of three displaying male Great Bustards, turning themselves inside out to the foam bath stage of their performance, complete with rather ridiculous shuffling dance. Several females watched on, but none seemed particularly impressed one in fact took flight and headed off over the fields, quite a sight! In the field behind us on the other side of the road, half a dozen Griffon Vultures were sitting with three Black Vultures amazing views as they waited for the day to warm up so they could lift up into the sky. Turning down the track, our first vantage point gave us two Black-bellied Sandgrouse flying by, and then two Pin-tailed Sandgrouse were located on the ground. Difficult to see at first, as they moved among the flowers quite a way in the distance, they eventually showed much better and everyone could enjoy the boldly coloured male in the scope. Calandra Larks showed superbly right by the track, and frequent scanning of the myriad raptors in the sky eventually came up trumps with an adult Spanish Imperial Eagle circling into view, snow white shoulder flashes visible each time it circled around. Further on, we had some more excellent Great Bustard views with displaying males, beautifully patterned females and flying birds all seen well. A Northern Wheatear popped up on a fence, and a Golden Eagle soared distantly over the hillside. Already a good list of birds this morning! Great Bustard, 16 th April Continuing towards the village of Santa Marta de Magasca, we stopped to photograph two roadside European Bee-eaters, had great views of Woodchat Shrike, and watched in awe as five Black Vultures plunged down into a field about one hundred metres away, with their tails typically erect as Oriole Birding & Hi Lonesome Bird Tours 2017 Pyrenees & Steppes 11

12 they descended amazing! Coffee and tapas in the village was great fun the place was bustling with people due to Easter and a small market was even taking place in the square, plus bull fighting on the telly and plenty of happy chatter. On northwards, and another roadside stop gave us stupendous views of Montagu s Harriers, already well into their breeding cycle with much displaying and food passing going on. Roadside views of a female, perched on a post right beside the car, were particularly brilliant. A Zitting Cisticola gave us our best views yet too, sitting out in the open for several minutes and allowing itself to be photographed. The beautiful Rio Almonte was our next calling point, and a good one for a late lunch in the now very warm sunshine. Red-rumped Swallows accompanied us, and a fine Egyptian Vulture sailed overhead. We took a short walk along the river, noting Small Heath, Brown Argus, Spanish Festoon and Swallowtail butterflies, and had some nice views of Little-ringed Plover and several bathing European Serins. Bee-eaters were again a feature, their calls ringing around the gorge and some lovely views as they frequently sailed over us. A Black Stork was also noted, distantly circling with a couple of Griffon Vultures and two Booted Eagles. Zitting Cisticola, 16 th April After calling in the picturesque village of Monroy to photograph the nesting White Storks, we continued north a little more to a well known site for Black-winged Kite, a real Iberian speciality. It was hot now, and we had to seek the shade of a big Holm Oak to scan the shallow valley below. White Storks gave more great opportunities for photos, bill clapping on their nests in the adjacent Stone Pines, and the air was full of [mainly rather distant!] raptors wherever we looked. Booted, Short-toed and Golden Eagles, Black & Griffon Vultures and Black Kites were all seen. Azurewinged Magpies were also common here, and once we had blended into the scenery beneath our tree, several actually flew quite close to us calling. European Bee-eaters were nesting in a small sandy cliff by a pond, and we were never going to get tired of scoping them! With five minutes on the clock before it was time to head back to base, a Black-winged Kite drifted into view. It was very distant at first, but it gradually circled a bit closer before going very high and disappearing. Everyone managed a couple of turns at scoping it, and the light was at least good enough to see the salient features. A nice end to the day but perhaps room for improvement on the views of this species over the coming days! We saw several more Woodchat Shrikes on the way back to Trujillo, a species Oriole Birding & Hi Lonesome Bird Tours 2017 Pyrenees & Steppes 12

13 which now seemed to be arriving in number. After an hours break, it was back out again to the town where we would enjoy dinner in the Plaza Major amid some rather boisterous Easter Celebrations. Lesser Kestrels and a few Pallid Swifts were noted over the main square, which looked like the aftermath of an English music festival! Our restaurant was thankfully the opposite we were the only ones eating! No doubt the local revellers would not be partaking in any solid sustenance until much later in the evening! MONDAY 17 TH APRIL Hot & sunny in light winds, 28C We took an easy start this morning and went straight for breakfast at 8am, which everyone needed after a couple of long days. Then we headed south, to an excellent area of steppe near Campo Lugar which provided us with some fantastic birding all along the minor road running west from Sierra Brava. A Black Vulture lumbered low over the road and caused us to make our first stop only 100m along, and we quickly noticed two Great Bustards were also here. Amazingly, a Black-winged Kite then flew along the ridge past us and gave better views than our targeted effort had produced yesterday! The bird did not linger, but was at least on view for some time as it headed purposefully away towards Sierra Brava. We drove a bit further up the road, and parked on the hilltop at a point where we could scan in both directions. Black Kites and a dark Booted Eagle were circling just above us, and a cracking male Marsh Harrier headed north. In the adjacent fields, a flock of twentyone male Great Bustards was a phenomenal sight, and they looked truly magnificent through the scopes as they strutted across the field towards us and disappeared behind a ridge. Calandra Larks, as ever, were all over the place, and we also noted a female Montagu s Harrier quartering close to the road and best of all, a calling male Little Bustard. This species appears to have suffered a near catastrophic decline in the region, compared with the ease in which it could be found only a decade ago. This was the first proper view of one we had managed on the whole trip a lovely shot though with his black and white neck feathering fluffed out in display. Black-bellied Sandgrouse could be heard calling and sure enough, two birds flew up from the steppe and directly towards us, passing by quite close and allowing some excellent views. Black-bellied Sandgrouse [John Hoyt] 17 th April Oriole Birding & Hi Lonesome Bird Tours 2017 Pyrenees & Steppes 13

14 A couple of great views of European Hoopoes and a hunting male Lesser Kestrel completed what had been a truly excellent half hour stop! Dropping down the hill towards Campo Lugar, we located our first European Rollers with a pair perched up on the wires, one taking flight in pursuit of a passing Common Buzzard which it escorted off the premises with raucous calls and twisting, rolling dive bombs. We thought these were nice views, but just around the corner, we found another pair which were hunting from the fence right alongside the road. Thankfully this was a quiet stretch, and we were able to cut the engine, and roll gently up alongside the birds. The views, and photographic opportunities, were amazing the birds were only ten metres away! We spent some time with them, as they occasionally dropped to the ground after prey before returning to the fence again with a flash of turquoise and deep purple. A great experience! European Roller & Woodchat Shrike [Matt Newport] 17 th April Our next site would be the fantastic Embalse de Alcollarin, only a few kilometres up the road. With the day warming up, we took the southern track first to explore the more open areas in the southwest corner. Several European Bee-eaters were prospecting the sandy bank along the side of the road, and with a similar tactic to the Rollers earlier, we were able to get amazing views. Taking a walk down to the shore of the reservoir, we found the shallow bay there full of birds. Cattle, Little and Great White Egrets, hordes of Black-headed Gulls, Northern Shoveler, Common Teal, Eurasian Wigeon, Great Crested & Little Grebes, Common Greenshank, Black-winged Stilt, Little-ringed Plover and both Common and Wood Sandpipers were all seen here. At least a dozen superb Gullbilled Terns were a highlight, flying up and down the shore calling, and a pair of Black-necked Grebes were stunning in full breeding plumage. Among the Common Coots, were two that looked good for non-breeding Red-knobbed Coots, but the views were inconclusive in the strong light and long distance. Heading around across the dam and up to the picnic site at the north end, we stopped at a high point to scan the far shoreline. Two Eurasian Spoonbills were sleeping, and more of the same ducks, waders and herons could be noted. Iberian Grey Shrike and Thekla Lark, were two noteworthy species which showed very well just below us on the slope. At the picnic site, it was pretty hot and we enjoyed the shade of the Holm Oaks there for lunch. Scores of Cattle Egrets were roosting in the trees and we had nice views of Common Sandpiper, White Wagtail, Sardinian Warbler and a low flying Booted Eagle just by the small dam. A Cetti s Warbler perched regularly in the same Tamarisk to sing, giving everyone a scope view, and a Common Kingfisher perched up on the reeds. With a different angle, we could now see ten Eurasian Spoonbills, and two took flight and passed right by us giving a superb fly by. A pair of Woodchat Shrikes were building a nest above the picnic tables, and showed really well, while a short exploration of the surrounding trees yielded a cracking male Pied Flycatcher, and more views of Common Nightingale. Oriole Birding & Hi Lonesome Bird Tours 2017 Pyrenees & Steppes 14

15 In the heat of the afternoon, we headed north-east to Logrosan and on to Canamero, where we eventually found a bar that was open for coffee! This was most welcome, and gave us the energy to make one last stop about ten minutes north up in the scenic Sierra las Villuercas. The views from up here were fantastic, even though there were few birds to be seen. European Griffon and Egyptian Vultures, Western Subalpine Warbler and Great-spotted Woodpecker were about the best of it. We did add a beautiful Queen of Spain Fritillary though, and certainly enjoyed the cool breeze at the top of the pass. Our journey back was just short of an hour, and a cold beer was most certainly on the cards on our return! TUESDAY 18 TH APRIL Hot & sunny with hazy cloud, 27C Today was set aside for a full exploration of the superb Parc Natural de Monfrague, lying about one hours drive to the North of our base. This area provides some of the best birding in the region, and we were not to be disappointed today! On our way north towards Torrejon el Rubio, we stopped at the scenic crossing of the Rio Almonte a river where we had lunched two days ago, further west along its course. This was a productive spot, as right away we had a male Melodious Warbler singing in the bushes just below the bridge. We ended up locating two singing birds in fact, and had some excellent scope views of them. Common Stonechats of the race rubicola were all over the place here, already with fledged young on the wing, and Common Nightingale and Cetti s Warbler sang along the river. A bird which had eluded us somewhat was Common Cuckoo, so we were pleased to finally get perched views of one here the male Eurasian Golden Oriole which flew in to chase it off was all too brief though unfortunately! Two Rock Sparrows wheezed on their way past and the first raptors of the day began to appear over the valley too mainly Black Kites, seemingly the first to wake up in the morning. Continuing on to the park, we passed the turning up to the Castillo and headed around to the bridge over the Rio Tajo complete with its phenomenal colony of House Martins and Alpine Swifts. We wanted to walk down through the oak forest here before the day got too hot, to look for small birds. European Robin, Wren, Long-tailed Tit and Chaffinch were all common but the excitement all came from the skies overhead a cracking adult Bonelli s Eagle, a species we had been searching for over recent days without success, drifted in over the bridge and circled right in front of us giving some really spectacular views. A Black Kite then began to dive bomb the eagle, feathers flying into the air! Eventually the eagle circled to a height, and with the local feral pigeons scattering below, it plunged at an incredible speed like a Peregrine and presumably nailed something just out of our view behind the trees wow! Two Egyptian Vultures, a wonderful close fly by Black Stork and more excellent views of Black Vulture here completed an exciting walk indeed. Bonelli s Eagle, 18 th April Oriole Birding & Hi Lonesome Bird Tours 2017 Pyrenees & Steppes 15

16 Next we drove the short distance to the visitor centre at Villareal de san Carlos to use the facilities. In the small valley of Holm Oaks behind the car park, we could hear a Western Orphean Warbler singing and so headed down the small trail to see if we could find it. Eventually, with some patience, everyone had views of the warbler in the scope, which was no mean feat considering its preference to remain almost entirely concealed within dense canopy! Retracing our route back we now made our way up to the Castillo de Monfrague, and took the steps up to the top from the small upper parking area. A Rock Bunting sang from a prominent perch along the way up, and from the top we enjoyed amazing eye-level views of both Griffon and Black Vultures cruising by. The views south over the dehesa from here are simply breathtaking too. Some of the group caught up with Cirl Bunting among the rocks, and both Black Redstart and Blue Rock Thrush were also around. Heading back down to the road, we now made our way around to the far end of the park and the excellent Portilla del Tietar watchpoint. Spanish Imperial Eagle, 18 th April Oriole Birding & Hi Lonesome Bird Tours 2017 Pyrenees & Steppes 16

17 We arrived to find about thirty people with scopes lined up along the roadside! One of the nesting pair of Spanish Imperial Eagles was in residence, and the views of the bird perched on the nest were quite something even better though when it took to the air calling and circled up right in front of us. On a second fly-around later on, it attempted to dislodge a perched Griffon Vulture from the top of the cliff, before flying low past right in front of us amazing views! The Griffon Vultures themselves were entertaining enough, and several nests could be seen to contain small chicks. It was now very hot, with the car thermometer reading 30C, so we retreated back to the visitor centre for a drink in the shade, and to let the worst of the heat of the day pass over. A final stop was made then at the Pena Falcon crag just below the Castillo, an excellent watchpoint where more fantastic views of nesting Griffon Vultures could be enjoyed. Two Black Stork nests could also be seen, with a single incubating bird on each, and another was seen flying low against the cliff giving good views. The small birds just below us also kept us busy, with a pair each of Blue Rock Thrush and Black Redstart, and a very showy male Rock Bunting, visible virtually throughout our watch here. Booted and Short-toed Eagles, and colourful roadside European Bee-eaters, brightened the drive back to the hotel. A really great day in the field we were doing well with two full days remaining! Blue Rock Thrush, 18 th April WEDNESDAY 19 TH APRIL Sunny & warm with a moderate breeze, 25C We had breakfast a little earlier today in preparation for a long day in the south of the region, centred around the vast rolling plains of La Serena. Our journey south saw us first stopping for a roadside pair of European Rollers, trying to eject Spotless Starlings from a nest box on a pylon. More fantastic views of this most-wanted of Extremadura s birds! Next we called in at the small church in the village of Acedera, where the nesting Lesser Kestrels provided us with some really wonderful views. At least twenty of them were playing on the wind, chattering their tri-syllabic calls and occasionally disappearing into tiny slits in the brick work which seemed hardly capable of accommodating them! Oriole Birding & Hi Lonesome Bird Tours 2017 Pyrenees & Steppes 17

18 In fact the whole church tower was a veritable avian city, with every crevice occupied by either sparrows, starlings, kestrels and on the top of course, several pairs of bill-clacking White Storks. A little further south, and another impromptu roadside stop was for a hovering Black-winged Kite, though despite being much closer than our previous encounters, it was against pretty dreadful light. We eventually broke out onto the vast terrain of La Serena, and right away began seeing some great birds typical of the open steppe. A pair of Great-spotted Cuckoos were in tamarisk right alongside the road, and after amazing close views from the vehicle, we went on to scope one of them more distantly hunting from jagged rocks among the grassy steppe. Here a Little Bustard could also be heard blowing raspberries, and with patient scanning we picked him out standing proudly among the tall grass in fact the bustard, cuckoo, and calling Hoopoe could all be briefly attained in the same scope view. In a small derelict building behind us, many more Lesser Kestrels were setting up home by far the best views of this species today on the trip so far. Little Bustard, 19 th April Over the next hour, we managed to see pretty well all the typical steppe birds by driving slowly along the straight road through the plains, and navigating a couple of the side tracks. Calandra and Shorttoed Larks, Short-toed & Golden Eagles, majestic male Great Bustards strutting their stuff and a clutch of fly-by Black-bellied Sandgrouse were all highlights. Two Montagu s Harriers were also seen, including a fine male, and perhaps the best of all were four Pin-tailed Sandgrouse passing by in perfect light. Our main target species in this area though was Collared Pratincole, and we found them in two fields totalling an impressive 34 birds. We had superb close views of them by using the vehicle as a hide, and also enjoyed watching, and listening, to them hawking high above the plains. The small farm ponds they were favouring also hosted several pairs of Black-winged Stilt and Littleringed Plover, and among a pile of boulders we found a Little Owl glaring at us from its daytime roost. Heading back north, we took a route along the Rio Zujar where more great birding was to be had. The colonies of Spanish Sparrow breeding in stands of eucalyptus here were simply colossal, but it was the colonies of European Bee-eater which really drew our attention. We had three or four good roadside encounters with groups of birds hawking from fence lines and even settling in fields in the strong breeze, but all were a bit too skittish to photograph successfully from the vehicle. Redrumped Swallows were seen breeding under small roadside culverts and along the river, a surprise Oriole Birding & Hi Lonesome Bird Tours 2017 Pyrenees & Steppes 18

19 Little Tern was seen migrating upstream. Turtle Dove was also noted here and Booted Eagle was a common sight overhead with at least half a dozen seen. Finally near the end of the route we found some obliging Bee-eaters, and had simply stunning views of them and good photographic opportunities, by staying in the vehicle and creeping up beside them with the engine cut. Penduline Tit and Purple Heron were also glimpsed in this bird rich area and now with the sun strengthening, it was coffee time! European Bee-eaters [Matt Newport], 19 th April The latter part of the afternoon over the last few days had been a little quiet due to the heat, but today under hazy cloud we perhaps enjoyed our most productive part of the day at Embalse de Moheda Alta. Tree Sparrow was a new addition to the list by the parking area and then a mixed flock of Red Avadavat and Common Waxbill were noted two introduced species making a living along the valley of the Guadiana river. The reservoir here was absolutely superb this year, with low water levels exposing large sandy islands which were full of waders. Common Ringed and Kentish Plovers, Dunlin, Ruff, Little Stint, Common Redshank, Common Sandpiper, Common Greenshank and a single Curlew Sandpiper were all noted, along with about seventy Collared Pratincoles, four Gull-billed Terns and a pair of Pied Avocets. The light was good and we really enjoyed our time scouring the flocks, and this eventually paid off as we located a sleeping Temminck s Stint, perfectly camouflaged among the stones! We ended up getting close views, before a passing male Marsh Harrier flushed everything thankfully the stint moved to another island began feeding in the open, Oriole Birding & Hi Lonesome Bird Tours 2017 Pyrenees & Steppes 19

20 allowing everyone to see the salient ID features pretty well. Not a common migrant in Extremadura, so we were very pleased! From here we meandered our way back to base another superb day with many great highlights. Gull-billed Tern [Matt Newport] 19 th April THURSDAY 20 TH APRIL Sunny spells and strong northerly winds, 20C We had a very chilled out day today, with some time to wind down in the afternoon and enjoy being around the hotel which was in itself a pretty idyllic birding spot! Our plan for the morning was to head back to Saucedilla and bird the wetland areas around Embalse de Arrocampo-Almaraz, which had been so productive in a short stop on our arrival day here. Despite visiting all the hides in the area, we were badly affected by the winds which were gale force at times, making it difficult to battle in and out of the minibus and to unlock the hides without the door wrenching off in the wind! The farthest pools from the visitor centre, to the west, produced a nice Glossy Ibis and we had lots of Cattle Egrets, Little Egrets, Common Greenshank, Common Sandpiper and Spanish Yellow Wagtail. Several migrant Whinchats were adorning the fences here the first we had seen on the trip and we came across a nice group of Griffon Vultures sheltering down in a meadow, along with a couple of Black Vultures too. European Bee-eaters were also trying to shelter from the wind a group of eight perched on a dead snag by the roadside, would have made an excellent photo if they had not been so skittish! Back around on the east side of the reservoirs, several Gull-billed Terns and Purple Herons were seen flying around, and we did at last get some good views of two Purple Swamp-hens among the reeds. After lunch here, we decided that the best course of action would be to return to the hotel and have a bit of downtime in the afternoon. The Azure-winged Magpies were of course around but no more photogenic than previously! After a siesta, we met up again at 1730 to drive up to Trujillo. Our main thought was to have a farewell beer in the sunny Plaza Mayor, but of course we took our bins and enjoyed the fantastic Lesser Kestrels and Pallid Swifts too! We couldn t believe how quickly the trip had gone in many respects but likewise it did also seem like we had been birding for a long time! It was great to look back on our birding memories from what had been a fantastic trip. After dinner back at the hotel, we had time for one more attempt to add a new species to the trip list today, as we drove a short way to Pago de san Clemente village near to our hotel, in the hope of seeing one of the many European Scop s Owls calling there each evening. The strong winds however, meant that nothing was really calling tonight, and a Little Owl hunting at dusk was our only reward. Oriole Birding & Hi Lonesome Bird Tours 2017 Pyrenees & Steppes 20

21 FRIDAY 21 ST APRIL Strong northerly winds, 20C Today we travelled back to Madrid for our onward connections, and we took a fairly leisurely approach to the day. Starting at 0730, we took a very pleasant walk around the Finca Santa Marta estate, where we were surrounded by groves of Olives, vines, Almonds and Cork Oaks. Typical birds that we had been encountering during the trip were to be found easily, such as Woodchat Shrike, Short-toed Treecreeper, Azure-winged Magpie, Booted Eagle and Hoopoe. A flock of Bee-eaters passed over on migration, and we found a few warblers perhaps grounded by the weather Western Bonelli s, Willow and Melodious Warblers were all around. A Woodlark was new for the trip a surprise omission from the list so far and we enjoyed listening to its beautiful fluted song as it fluttered just above us over the olives. After breakfast, we embarked on the first leg of our journey towards Madrid, calling in again at Saucedilla to just see how the wind was. It was actually just as blowy as yesterday, so we forgave the wetland area and drove slowly along the back roads west of the reserve instead. This reaped instant rewards, as we found a Black-winged Kite perched on a dead tree not too far away from the road. We got out carefully, and enjoyed some fantastic scope views of the bird a species we had managed only unsatisfactory flight views of until now. It was clinging on to its chosen branch in the strong wind, reluctant to let go! We pointed some other birders in its direction, and then left them too it. Yesterday s Glossy Ibis was still on the same pool, now joined by a Wood Sandpiper and a nice Hoopoe feeding on the bank at the edge. A Black Vulture circled low over the road too we had had some cracking views of these over the last week! We could only find a single Whinchat today though, the rest having seemingly moved on overnight. From here, we drove directly to Talavera, and had a superb if not a little too large tapas lunch, before continuing all the way to Madrid. Here we went our separate ways Carles back to Barcelona, Ashley to the airport and everyone else to their overnight hotels ready for flights home tomorrow. A great trip, with some excellent company and magical birding moments! Black-winged Kite, 21 st April Oriole Birding & Hi Lonesome Bird Tours 2017 Pyrenees & Steppes 21