SPAIN EXPEDITION. 25 April 9 May Bas van de Meulengraaf Reinoud Vermoolen Raoul Beunen.

Transcription

1 SPAIN EXPEDITION 25 April 9 May 2002 Bas van de Meulengraaf Reinoud Vermoolen Raoul Beunen extremebirding@hotmail.com

2 About the Trip: From 25 th of April till 9 th of May 2002 we, Bas v.d. Meulengraaf, Reinoud Vermoolen and Raoul Beunen, made a birding trip to Spain. The main ojective of the trip was to see the specialities Spain has to offer, like Marbled Teal, White Headed Duck, Lammergeier, Spanish Imperial Eagle, Black shouldered Kite, Lesser Kestrel, Crested Coot, Both Bustards, Dupont's Lark, Rufous Bush Robin, Wallcreeper, Azurewinged Magpie, and Trumpeter Finch. Besides this we wanted to see as many speciess as possible. With a total list of 245 speciess, including most target speciess, I think we did a nice job. Especially considering the rain and fog during the last days of our trip, which costed us speciess like Sparrowhawk, Black Woodpecker and Ring Ouzel (we had neither the time nor the luck to find them). Instead we found some nice more or less scarce vagrants like Yelkouan Shearwater, Red footed Falcon, Marsh Sandpiper, Long tailed Skua, White winged Black Tern and Red throated Pipit so no reason to complain! We travelled about 8,500 kilometres and visited many nature areas. The report describes our trip into detail and includes birdlists and route descriptions of the places we visited. Iternity day 1, 25 4: day 2, 26 4: day 3, 27 4: day 4, 28 4: day 5, 29 4: day 6, 30 4: day 7, 1 5: day 8, 2 5: day 9, 3 5: day 10, 4 5: day : day 12, 6 5: day 13, 7 5: day 14, 8 5: day 15, 9 5: Arrival in Spain, Aiguamolls Aiguamolls Ebro Delta Ebro Delta, Albufera, El Hondo Cabo de Gata, Los Guiraos Cabo de Gata, Las Norias, Rhonda, Espira Laguna de Medina, Donana (east & west) El Rocio, Coto del Rey Belen, Monfrague Monfrague Caceres, Monfrague, Belchite Belchite, Pyrenees Pyrenees Pyrenees Aiguamolls

3 Day 1 ( ) Aiguamolls After a long drive from Wageningen (16 hours almost non stop!) we arrived in Spain in the early afternoon and we headed towards Aiguamolls de L Emporadà. This site was recommended by one of us and the other two were keen to find out why he was so hilarious about the place. After crossing the border we started our list. The first speciess seen was a Kestrel (#1) soon to be followed by Barn Swallow (#2) and Blackbird (#3). Our first stop was the information centre, where there is a board with recent sightings. The surroundings of the information centre are the home of many Storks (#4) which are part of a reintroduction program. Once out of the car we were overwhelmed with the typical birds of southern Europe. In a few minutes we spotted both Common (#5) as well as Pallid Swift (#6), Alpine Swift (#7), Hoopoe (#8), House Martin (#9), Sand Martin (#10), House Sparrow (#11), Bee eater (#12), Cettis Warbler (#13), Fantailed Warbler (#14), Common Nightingale (#15), White Wagtail (#16), Black Kite (#17), Cuckoo (#18) and Gold Finch (#19). After a short visit to the information centre we went to the first hideout, overlooking Estany del Cortalet, a small lake. Here Little Grebe (#20), Cattle Egret (#21), Little Egret (#22), Grey Heron (#23), Purple Heron (#24), Mallard (#25), Gadwall (#26), Shoveler (#27), Garganey (#28), Moorhen (#29), Eurasion Coot (#30), Black winged Stilt (#31), Yellow Legged Gull (#32), Black headed Gull (#33), Wiskered Tern (#34), Reed Warbler (#35) and Great Reed Warbler (#36) were added to our list. A field near the hideout was filled with Black winged Stilts, but also Wood Sandpiper (#37), Spotted Redshank (#38), Common Greenshank (#39), Ruff (#40), Crested Lark (#41), Blue headed Wagtail (#42) and an Ashy headed Wagtail (#43) were present. We decided to go for a walk to the Estany del Matà. During our walk we saw Serin (#44), Green Finch (#45), Blackcap (#46), Willow Warbler (#47), Great Tit (#48), Short toed Treecreeper (#49) and Starling (#50). Along this path there were several nice places to watch birds. At the hideout Closa de les Gantes we saw our first Great spotted cuckoo (#51) for this trip. Also present were a Pied Flycatcher (#52) and a Woodchat shrike (#53). A Hobby (#54) flew over. A few hundred meters from the hideout there was a grassy area. Here Common Stonechat (#55), Northern Wheatear (#56) and a Montagu's Harrier (#57) were seen. We spotted some yellow wagtails at the other side of the field and decided to give them a closer look. A good choice, among 5 speciess of wagtail: Yellow Wagtail (#58), Blue wagtail, Ashy headed Wagtail, Grey Headed Wagtail (#59) and Blue headed Wagtail (#60), 2 Red Throated Pipits (#61) were sneaking around. From here we followed the path towards del Matà. Along the path we heard our first Song Trush (#62), Melodious warbler (#63), Sardinian Warbler (#64) and Reed Bunting (#65). A bit further some Longtailed Tits (#66) were present. A Kingfisher (#67) flew by. Then we reached Estany del Matà, which consists of inundated fields that are really bird rich. Here we saw Squacco Heron (#68), Little Ringed Plover (#69), Dunlin (#70), Curlew Sandpiper (#71), Little Stint (#72), Temminck's Stint (#73), Black tailed Godwit (#74), Green Sandpiper (#75), Common Sandpiper (#76), Little Gull (#77) and Linnet (#78). We walked a little bit further and while it was dark already we hoped for some rails. We heard none, but we saw a Cormorant (#79), a Meadow Pipit (#80), Common Teal (#81) and our first Night Herons (#82) On the way back to the car we heard a Marsh Tit (#83) at the parking place. We finished this excellent day with adding Little owl (#84), a European Scops Owl (#85) and a Stone Curlew (#86) at the camping in Sant Pere Pescado. So after the first few hours in Spain we had seen 86 speciess. A good start for a birding trip!

4 Day 2 ( ) Aiguamolls During our breakfast at the camping we heard our first Golden Oriole (#87) singing and a Green woodpecker (#88) was calling to us. Also present on the camping were Nightingale, Hoopoe, Serin, Gold Finch, Green finch, Sardinian Warbler, Tree Sparrow (#89) and Wood Pigeon (#90). Because of the splendid day yesterday we went back to Aiguamolls. Along the way towards the information centre, which we visited first to get a map, we saw our first Red Legged Partridge (#91) and Carrion Crows (#92). Also present were 4 Montagu s harriers and 2 Stone curlews. From the information centre we drove to Estany de Vilaüt. En route we saw Corn Bunting (#93), which turned out to be one of the most common speciess during our trip, Fan Tailed Warbler, Bee eater, Crested Lark, Magpie (#94) and Collared Dove (#95). Estany de Vilaüt should be the place for Lesser Grey Shrike in Spain. Unfortunately we did not had the luck to see this speciess. But the area had more to offer than the little shrike! We followed the track leading into the area. Here we noticed Woodchat Shrike, Bee eater, Common Buzzard (#96), Shorttoed Eagle (#97), Stonechat, Whinchat (#98) and many Fan tailed Warblers. On the ponds in the area Yellow Legged Gull was the main bird, only a few other speciess were present, among which Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Purple Heron, Ruff, Gadwall, Wood Sandpiper and Whiskered Tern. A Marsh Harrier (#99) was flying around. We followed an another track back to the car. Pied Flycatcher, Stonechat, Serin, Fan tailed Warbler and Cetti's Warbler were everywhere. Then we noticed a blue bird flying towards us. A wonderful European Roller (#100), followed by an another one. Here too we saw our first Western Black Eared Wheatear (#101). One of use saw an Icterine warbler (#102) in one of the bushes surrounding a meadow. Also a Siskin (#103) was heard and seen along the same bush. A Red Legged Partridge gave excellent views when he was vocally competing with another male. We continued towards the car. The area on the other side of the road added two Woodchat Shrikes to our total, a Grasshoper Warbler (#104) was singing and a female Common Redstart (#105) flew around in the bushes. After having visited this nice area we headed to the next area of Aiguamolls. This time Estany Europa was on the visiting list. While driving we spotted a Roller, close to the road. Estany Europa This small area consists of two ponds and a sewage treatment plant, which produces a typical smell but a great overview point. Despite the size and the smell there were many birds: Greater flamingo (#106), 2 Marsh Sandpipers (#107), Ruff, Little Grebe, Whiskered Tern, Wood Sandpiper, Mute Swan, White Wagtail, Green Woodpecker (female of the Spanish subspecies sharpei), Grey headed Wagtail, Marsh Harrier, Blueheaded Wagtail, 20+ Bee eater, Blue Tit (#108), Short toed Treecreeper and the first of many Purple Swamphen (#109). The basins also attracted birds, it held our first Black tern (#110). A Little Ringed Plover was nesting on one of the basins, together with a Black headed Gull After a while we headed back to Estany del Cortalet. Here 5 adults White winged Black Tern (#111) were present and giving some wonderful views! Also our first and only European Wigeon (#112) was there today. After a quick scan we left this area and headed (with the car) to Estany de Matà. Again a Temminck s Stint was present and our fist Collared Pratincole (#113) came flying in and landed on a small dike and gave good "head" views. On the field also Ringed Plover (#114), Common Snipe (#115) and Common Redshank (#116) could be added. One of us climbed the watching tower and spotted a Lesser Black Backed Gull (#117), sitting among Yellow legged gulls on the beach.

5 By noon it was time to leave this incredible area because of our tight time scheme and we headed towards the Ebro delta. On the way to the Ebro delta we could add Jackdaw (#118), Jay (#119) and Monk Parakeet to our list and that made a triptotal of 119 speciess so far. When we reached the camping in the Ebro Delta it was almost midnight. Of course here too a Eurasian Scopes Owl was calling. On the buildings some geckos were found. Day 3 ( ) Ebro delta During breakfast on the camping at Riumar we heard several Tree pipit (#120) flying over and Spotless Starlings (#121) were everywhere. Also a lot of warblers were present around the camping, under which an Olivaceous Warbler (#122), Spotted Flycatcher (#123), Pied Flycatcher and Willow Warbler. We first went to El Canal Vell, hoping to hear or see the Moustached warbler, but unfortunately these nice creatures only sings in March and are hard to spot in the wide reedbeds. We did not have the luck to spot it. Despite the hard wind there were some warblers present. On the lake a Little tern (#124), Common Tern (#125), Spoonbill (#126), Flamingo, Purple Swamphen, Great Crested Grebe (#127) and loads of Red Crested Pochards (#128) were present. Lots of egrets, including Night and Purple Heron were present in a bush close by the watchtower. A bit further away a first summer Audouins Gull (#129) flew by. Near the entrance road a Hoopoe and a Whinchat (#130) were present. After being blown of the watchtower we headed to calmer waters and went to El Garxal. El Garxal In this area a hide overlooks a lake, close to the Mediterranean Sea. Near the trail towards the hide a Western Black eared Wheatear, 4 Short toed Larks (#131), two Red throated Pipits and Turtle Dove (#132) were present. The large lake, surrounded by reed was also very bird rich. On the lake 1 Audouins Gull and several 13 Slender Billed Gulls (#133) were resting, 3 Marsh Sandpipers were walking around in the shallow lake, together with other stilts like Sanderling (#134), Greenshank, Spotted Redshank, Wood Sandpiper, Grey plover (#135) Bar tailed Godwit (#136), Black tailed Godwit (2) and Curlew Sandpiper. Also a lot of herons were present among which 1 Great White Egret (#137) and 3 Squacco herons. Just before the hide a Grey Headed Wagtail was walking around. Common in this part of Spain were the Greater Flamingos and the Red Crested Pochards, of which more than 200 were resting on the lake. After seeing this whole bunch of birds it was time to explore more of the Ebro delta and we headed towards Illa de Buda. This meant to cross the Ebro river and we tried to find the small ferry to take us to the southern side of the delta. But first we visited the information centre in Deltebre where they have good maps of the Delta. Unfortunately not all roads are on the map en and sometimes it looks like roads are on the map but not in the field, quite frustrating. On the way towards Illa de Buda we saw many Audoins and Slender Billed Gulls and our first Gull billed Terns (#138). At the hideout at Illa de Buda you have an excellent view over the area and watching the area resulted in the following nice speciess: Avocet (#139), Purple Swamphen (20 or even more), Shelduck (#140), Kentish Plover (#141), Black Tern, Little Tern and Collared Pratincole. From the watchtower you can also do some seawatching. We did, and saw a juvenile Gannet (#142), 55 Mediterranean Shearwaters (#143), 25 Sandwich Terns (#144) and 3 possible European Storm petrels, but they were to far away to give a positive ID.

6 After getting cold up there, because of the ever blowing wind, it was time to go and warm ourselves in the car and we drove to La Tancada. On our way to the next stop we saw 2 European rollers, 5 Gull billed terns and lots of Audouins gulls. Driving along La Tancada towards Punta de la Banya we passed many rice fields. Main birds here were Audouins Gull and Gull billed Terns. More to the south also Collared Pratincole, Kentish Plover, Greater flamingo, Grey Plover and many Short toed Larks were present. The area also offered great views of Woodchat shrikes, Collared Pratincole, Northern Wheatears and Avocets, but nothing special this time. So time to head toward Punta de la Banya. At the beginning of Trabucador (sandroad to Punta de la Banya) we had one Common Whitethroat (#145) skulking in the long grass. Along Trabucador we had abrupt stop when an adult light morph Arctic Skua (#146) flew over the car and started to attack terns, which is always an enjoyable observation. At Punta de la Banya, at the Salines de la Trinitat, a lot of stilts were present. Loads of Avocets, Greater Flamingos, Sanderling, Little Sandpipers, 4 Curlew Sandpipers and 2 Knots (#147). From there we also did some seawatching and had two more Arctic Skuas, many Mediterranean Shearwaters, 15 Common scooters (#148) and 3 Black terns. The end offered views of the colonies of both Audouins as Slenderbilled Gulls. On the way back, close by some strange structures (old tents/greenhouses?) 5 Subalpine Warblers (#149), several Melodious Warblers and a Willow Warbler were skulking about. In the area around L' Encada Little Terns, Gull billed Terns, Sandwich Terns, Advocets and Woodchat Shrike were present. The sun was setting and it was time to try some of the smaller crakes. We tried our luck at El Clot and L Encanyissada, but our luck ran out, so it seemed. No luck with the crakes, but at El Clot we saw our first Little Bittern (#150) and Savi s Warbler (#151) which was singing all the time. Also our first Waterrail (#152) was calling. Two Great white egrets were fishing among the reedbeds here, Night Heron and Purple Heron were present too. At dusk we had a group of 12 foraging Collared Pratincoles flying in front of the car when we headed towards L Encanyissada. But there nothing of interest was heard or seen. So we went back to the camping and finished this day with a triptotal of 152 speciess. Day 4 ( ) For some reason most warblers seemed to have left the camping this morning. However our first Black Redstart (#153) was present. After waking up we headed to El Garxal again and scanned the lake. This time the number of Great White Egret had grown to 3. A group of 25 Bar tailed Godwits were present and resting in the lake, together with 8 Grey Plovers, Garganey and Shelduck. In the reed 3 Purple Swamphen were eating their way through. L Albufera de Valencia After this quick scan it was time to leave the delta behind and we headed towards L Albufera de Valencia. This place was on our list because it is the home of a Lesser Crested Tern in late spring/summer. At the information centre they said that it had already been seen this year, so we walked to the hideout, but were a bit disappointed, because all you could see were a lot of Common terns, our first Pochards (#154), 1 Black tern and a Kingfisher, but no Lesser Crested Tern or even Sandwich with which it has been hybridising in former years. Probably it was fishing or in a pond that is in restricted area (several ponds in this reserve but only one accessible for public). So no luck with this speciess. In the trees along the path to the hideout we heard several Sardinian warblers and several Turtle doves. We tried to look at the other ponds from the road towards El Palmar, but the only rewards were some Sandwich terns, 2 Slender billed gulls and a second summer Mediterranean gull (#155)

7 El Honda The next stop would be Cabo de Gata, but because the former stop was a short one, we had spare time to fill up, so we decided to go to El Honda. Unfortunately it was Sunday that day so the reserve closed earlier. But a kind man allowed us a 30 minute stop inside, before the villagers closed the gate. So we drove inside, had a peep at a hideout of 3 males and 1 female White Headed Duck (#156), 8 Blacknecked Grebes (#157), 10+ singing Great Reed Warblers and then we had to leave again, before we were locked in. After that we birded along the borders of the reserve. Which was also quite lucrative. In a palm plant we heard and later saw our first and only Wrynecks (2) (#158) of this trip. Here too were many Sardinian Warblers. Over the reedbeds there were flying several Montagu s Harriers (10+). On a field on the south side of the reserve there were lots and lots of birds Collared Pratincole were flying and sitting in the field, together with several Grey Headed Wagtails (M. thunbergi), several Spanish Wagtails, a possible Black Headed Wagtail (unfortunately no sound heard), Short toed Larks, our first Lesser Short toed Lark (#159) and Southern Grey Shrike (#160). Several Pallid Swifts flew around. At the western border of the south side of the reserve we had our first Northern Lapwing (#161) and furthermore 3 Squacco Herons, lots of Cattle Egrets, a Little Bittern and an adult Mediterranean Gull. After this nice intermezzo it was time to move on again and we headed to Cabo de Gata where we arrived in the dark. On the camping we heard a European Scops Owl and ended the day with a triptotal of 161 speciess. Day 5 ( ) The alarmclock was set early this day, because we had a full program. At the camping we heard a Little Owl and a Stone Curlew calling We started the day at Cabo de Gata to find the Trumpeter Finch, but no luck! We birded the area around the lighthouse and we saw: Black Wheatear (#162), Western Black eared Wheatear, Thekla larks (#163), but also Crested Larks are present, Red Rumped Swallows (#164), a Red legged Partridge, Common Kestrel, Sardinian Warbler, Pallid Swift and one Raven (#165). After scanning the area we did some seawatching near the lighthouse. One of us was so fortunate to have a glance of an adult Longtailed Skua (#166), but after having seen it and running towards the others, it did not show itself anymore. Very unfortunate for the rest! But we had excellent views of passing Cory s Shearwater (26) (#167), Mediterranean Shearwater (12), Audouins Gull (3 ad) Gannets (3 ad. + 2 juv.) and one Mediterranean Gull (1e summer). After this, for Dutch standards strange passage along the coast we headed to an another place where Trumpeter Finch is occasionally seen: Plain Cabo de Gata, which is between Cabo de Gata and Retamar. But here too, no luck. The birds we did see were: Lesser Short toed Larks (9 singing), Western Bonelli s Warbler (#168), Spotted Flycatcher, copulating Pallid Swifts, Hoopoe, Bee eaters and Southern Grey Shrike. We also visited the information centre close by Plain Cabo de Gata, but information from the guy behind the register was minimal. Trumpeter finch was very difficult (a sentence we heard a lot while trying to get site information of birds!). Leaving Trumpeter finch behind that day we decided to go for a more "secure" speciess and we drove to Los Guiraos, which should be a reliable site for Rufous tailed Scrub robin. Once on the spot we saw it, sitting on a cactus! Rufous tailed Scrub robin (#169). We watched it for several minutes and it began singing, always nice! After enjoying this speciess we went to look for more. We saw another individual, so two Rufous tailed Scrub robins were present there, together with Cirl Bunting (#170), 2 Western Black eared Wheatears, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 3 Hoopoes, 2 Woodchat Shrikes and 1 European Roller. Also an Olivacous Warbler was spotted. Nice area to bird!

8 Leaving satisfied that this speciess was present we went back towards Cabo de Gata. Along the way back we saw an European roller and 2 Red rumped swallows and had driven already more than 3000 km! At Cabo de Gata we first did some seawatching and were rewarded with Cory s Shearwater (2), Mediterranean Shearwater (1) Gannet (1) and 1 Great Skua (#171). After being tired of seawatching it was time to bird somewhere else and we decided to take a trail into the mountains (in the curve after leaving the lighthouse on the way back). Here we had a Black Wheatear and a Red legged Partridge. We also found a drinking place for cattle and this was mentioned in other tripreports as a drinking place for Trumpeter Finch, but when we were there, the reservoir was empty, so that might have been the reason why there were no finches at that time. But when full, always worth checking! They need to drink! We headed back to San José, but we made a stop at Salinas de Cabo de Gata, were a lot of birds were present. Loads of stilts, including: Curlew and Little Sandpipers, Dunlins, Grey Plover 1, Knot, Kentish Plovers, Sanderling, Great ringed Plover 3, 100+ Greater Flamingo s, 50+ Avocets, 40+ Black terns, 20+ Sandwich terns, 50+ Common terns, 100+ Slender billed gulls, a Lesser Short toed Lark, 1 Common Shelduck and our first and only Turnstone (#172). We tried again to find the Trumpeter Finch and we posted at the goat drinking pool that looked like a potential drinking spot for the finches. The drinking pool is along the path near the lighthouse at Cabo de Gata. We sat there till sunset, but all we saw were several Yellow legged gulls coming in from the shore to drink, a Red legged Partridge, Black Wheatears, Sardinian Warblers and a Raven. After this stop our last stop was the Camping and we ended this day with a trip list of 172 speciess. Day 6 ( ) At sunrise we were at the drinking place at Cabo de Gata again, but no luck this time either. After staring at the drinking place we went staring at the Mediterranean Sea. It was not as good as the day before, but a big fly by surprise was a Yelkouan Shearwater (#173). Other birds flying by were Gannet (2) Cory s Shearwater (9), Mediterranean Shearwater (2), Great Skua 1, Sandwich tern (8). In the area around the lighthouse Black Wheatear and Western Black eared Wheatear where present again. A bit disappointed about missing the nice, funny noise making, finch but we had to go again and head to the next area to expand our triplist! On the way towards Laguna de Medina (close to Càdiz) we had several stops. The first one was Las Norias, west of Almería. The tripreports were lyric about this area: This is a beautiful green oasis in the middle of square mile upon square mile of hideous plastic greenhouses, situated on the eastern outskirts of the village of Las Norias. It is hard to navigate through all of the plastic in the dark but well worth it if only to see over five hundred Little Egrets leave their roost site at dawn, with the odd Cattle Egret and Night Heron thrown in for good measure. This is a reliable stake out for both White Headed Ducks and Marbled Ducks. Gull Billed Terns headed a support cast of numerous quality speciess. Ornithologically, this was the richest site that I visited. The area was created as a soil quarry for the greenhouses and is still being worked in one corner. Contrary to other reports, it is not easy to access the central area, it is too wet, the reeds are both too dense and too high (phragmites giganticus?) and anyway, there is no point in disturbing the birds which are easily scoped from the roadside pull ins. There is a road round to the back of the area, which gives further access and good views of marsh terns, Stone Curlew, Hoopoe etc. There are also pools to either side of the main area, each holding good birds. (Birds of Eastern Almeria. Summer 1997 and 1998, John Girdley)

9 And: Another outstanding site, an absolute must for any visitor to the area, easy to find and easily accessible. From Roquetas, make your way to La Mojonera, a town about 7km to the north west, and then take the road which goes almost directly west to Las Norias about 6km from La Mojonera. About 1km from the town of Las Norias, a large area of reeds and pools is easily visible on the right hand side of the road. There are many places to park along the road and most of the pools can be viewed from here. There are a series of tracks in the reeds that you can drive around, but I would advise caution, since it is quite difficult to get back onto the road, even in dry conditions, and in wet I would imagine it's impossible, although the car makes an excellent hide. I visited the site on 2 occasions. (Spain Almeria May 1995, Colin Davies) Well considering the beauty of this area we could not agree, it is just a lake between the "improvised" greenhouses. The area is not attractive at all, there was a cardump near the waterfront and it smelled like hell. But the birds are worth the nasty surroundings. On the ponds (2, split by a road) were Whiteheaded Ducks (2), Black necked Grebes (20+), Little Grebe (30+), Red crested Pochards, Common Pochard, Little Tern (7), Black Tern (1), Little Bittern (2) Cattle Egret (50+), Wood Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover, Kingfisher and Bee eater. In a bush next to the ponds a Chiffchaff (#174) was singing. What birds bring to this place is a riddle to us and a strange thing is going on there, because all the coots had whitish primaries. After birding this area it was time to move on to the next area. We drove to Laguna de Medina via the A382 and made a stop at Sierra de las Nieves (at road sign km 138). Our first time in mountain area, so it produced a lot of new speciess, like Crag Martin (#175), Griffon Vulture (#176), Booted Eagle (#177), Mistle Thrush (#178), Robin (#179), Coal Tit (#180), Chaffinch (#181), Wren (#182), Crested Tit (#183) and Fire Crest (#184). But also Western Bonelli s Warbler, Subalpine Warbler, Red rumped Swallow and Western Black eared Wheatear. A second short stop produced Woodchat Shrike, Subalpine Warbler and Western Bonelli's Warbler. After this short stop we drove on towards Ronda. This place is famous for its Lesser Kestrels, which can be seen from the ancient bridge. It sounded easier than it was. Not the birds, but driving the town and finding a parking place. Although it looks like a quiet town it is crowded with tourists. So parking is not easy and our driver would not do it again if it were his choice. But we found a parking place (in a parking garage) and headed to the bridge. After seeing several Red billed Choughs (5) (#185) and Alpine Swifts a small kestrel came soaring in along the cliffs. Yep a Lesser Kestrel (#186)! In the valley underneath the bridge two Grey Wagtails (#187) were calling and a Peregrine (#188) flew over. Worth the trouble!? Also present were Crag Martin, Pallid Swift and Raven. Later on a beautiful male Lesser Kestrel gave nice displays just before us and we could leave satisfied. We wanted to be on the next spot before dark so we headed on. We realised we couldn't reach our next target, Laguna de Medina, before dark, so we reconsidered our plans. In one of the tripreports found on the internet the Lagunas de Espera were mentioned. Since they were the only lagunas in reach before dark we decided to take a chance on them. The routedescription sucked, but luckily we spotted a sign, pointing towards the lagunas directly after leaving Espera. We followed the road, although it didn't look very promising, (it's a bit further than the few kilometres on the sign and sometimes there are more holes than road). But after a while we reached the lagunas, which consist of a pond and a small lake. Our gamble paid off: almost immediately we found 4 Crested Coots (#189), 2 males (one with a neck collar, hmm) and two females. Nicely close! (No need to go and search for them at Laguna de Medina, because there you have to scan hundreds of coots that can be very far on the lake!). On the same pond there were 6 White headed Ducks. After enjoying the Crested Coots we scanned the other lake, in twilight But we managed to pick out two more Crested Coots, 13 White headed Ducks 30+ Black necked Grebes, even more Little Grebes, Red crested Pochards, Greater Flamingos and 1 Purple Swamphen.

10 Along the lake a lot of birds were singing like Melodious Warbler and Nightingale. A Stone curlew was flying around. After dark we drove back to Espera and continued towards Laguna de Medina. Just outside the park we pitched a tent and ended the day with a triplist of 189 speciess. Day 7 (1 5 02) After waking up next to Laguna de Medina it was time to do some birding. We scanned the lake hoping for Marbled Duck but once again we were disappointed. Nevertheless 8 White headed Ducks were present together with Greater Flamingos (10), Black necked Grebes (30+), Purple Heron, Squacco Heron, Common (20) and Red crested Pochards (30) and Great Crested Grebe. Around the lake Whinchat (1), 6 singing Melodious Warblers, Linnet (10), Pied Flycatcher, Red legged Partridge, Turtle Dove, Cetti s Warblers and 10 singing Great Reed Warblers were present. But our target speciess that day was Marbled Duck, so we tried another laguna, Laguna de Commisario Nice pond, which was shallow and a lot of waders and gulls were present, but no Marbled Ducks. Among the tens of Yellow legged gulls some Lesser black backed gulls, 100+ White storks, Avocets (12), Ringed Plover, Little Ringed Plover, Spanish Wagtail, Gadwall and Black winged Stilts were present. Around the pond we had our first Skylark (#190) singing his lungs out. Also Marsh Harrier, Buzzard, Red legged Partridge, Melodious Warbler, Swifts, and Pallid swifts were present. But still no Marbled Duck. Back at Laguna de Medina we saw 7 White headed Ducks. We heard from an Englishman that he saw Marbled Duck, not far from the place where we were, on the route to Cota Doñana. So we headed towards Bonanza, close to Sanluca, and birded this eastern part of Cota Doñana. After a drive through Cadiz we arrived at Doñana National Park. When we reached Laguna de Tarel (see route description) and parked the car. There is a pond with a hide close to the parking. Once in there we immediately saw a Marbled Duck (#191)! Actually there were 3! So we could mark this speciess on our list. And again White headed Ducks were seen, this time 2 males and 1 female, we would like to say that they are really common! In and around the pond the following nice speciess were seen: a Purple Swamphen was skulking around in the reedbeds and a Little Bittern was flying around. On the pond a Shoveler, 2 Little Grebes, Gadwall, Common and Red crested Pochards were present. We also walked a bit in the surrounding and noticed a lot of raptors flying around. Over 15 Griffon Vulture, 20+ Black Kites, 5 Booted Eagle, 3 Common Kestrel, 1 Buzzard and 1 Short toed Eagle. Walking around here we noticed the first two Calandra Larks (#192) of our trip. Also a Northern Lapwing and 2 Golden oriole were flying around. After leaving this place and driving towards the western side of the park a Southern Grey Shrike and an adult male Montagu's Harrier were seen near the road. After having left satisfied we headed to Cota Doñana. We first stopped at the visitor centre at El Acebuche, where we had our first Azure winged Magpies (18) (#193). The ponds next to the information centre were quite empty, but looking at the cars at the parking it was a crowded day and most birds would have gone with this kind of business. But nevertheless we had our first Dartford Warbler (#194) and the other usual Spanish birds of this kind of habitat like Booted Eagle, Hoopoe, Bee eaters, Crested Tits, Blue Tits, Magpies, loads of Serins and 2 White Wagtails. Walking along all the hideouts we also did the two further away, the only thing worth mentioning was a calling Great Spotted Cuckoo. After that we had to call it a day because it was getting dark. While discussing the past day at our tent we had a Barn Owl (#195) flying over and ended that day with a triplist of 194 speciess

11 Day 8 (2 5 02) After a failed attempt to reach Coto del Rey, the visitor centre in the central part of Donana, we started that day at El Rocio, but on the way we already had a European roller, 3 Spoonbills, 3 Hoopoes, lots of Azure winged magpies and 4 Night herons. El Rocio At El Rocio our first 3 Greylag Goose (#195) were in the large lake together with hundreds of waders, among them 100+ Curlew Sandpipers, 50+ Little Stints, 20+ Dunlins, 10 Great Ringed Plovers, 9 Spoonbills, Bar tailed Godwits, Shelducks and our first Eurasian Whimbrel (#196). After this load of waders we headed to El Rocio, hoping to get splendid views of Purple Swamphen, but only 2 adults and 2 juveniles were present and not as close as guaranteed by one of us. In the bushes around the pond a Savi s Warbler and an Iberian Chiffchaff (#197) were singing. Over our heads flew 2 dark morph Booted Eagles, Bee eaters, Pallid Swifts and a Hoopoe. Because of all the nestboxes a lot of Tree Sparrows were present here. We went back to the camping to get our tents. While packing several birds came to a little pool to drink. Among them, Red rumped Swallows, Barn Swallows, European Serins and Spottless Starlings. Meanwhile a Golden Oriole and many Sardinian Warblers vocally supported our departure. Coto del Rey Now we were ready to start our search for the main visitor centre in Coto del Rey: José Antonio Valverde. The route description on the map we got at the visitors centre of El Acebuche told us to go towards Villamanrique de la Condesa. This is as far as we got early this morning, but here the description started to fail. For some reason they don't like people to go to José Antonio Valverde on their own. But we were prepared! Drawing our own map and with help of friendly locals we managed to find the correct route! Really bad roads made the trip a very long one, but it is worth the trouble! It took us over 2 hours to drive the 60 kilometres. Underway we saw many speciess, like Bee eaters, Woodchat Shrikes, Hoopoes, Collared Pratincole (8), Montagu's Harrier, Short toed Eagle (2), Whiskered Terns and many Herons Once in the information centre we had immediately 3 Marbled ducks in the pond in front of the centre. Glossy Ibis (20+) (#198), Purple Heron, Little Bittern, Cattle Egret and Squacco Heron nest in the reeds on the right of the information centre and give relative good views when they land in the reed. In the various lakes 100+ Greater Flamingo, 100+ Gull billed Terns, 50 Black tailed Godwits and 50+ Avocets were foraging. Overhead Griffon vultures (25+), Booted Eagle (2) and a Short toed Eagle flew over. On the way back we saw that there should be a shorter road to El Rocio, but after following the road for a while, a great fence blocked our way and we had to return along the same bumpy road (why don t they say it is not accessible for cars??). Along the way back to El Rocio we had 2 Northern Lapwings, 7 Collared Pratincoles, a Calling Black headed Wagtail (but not seen and failed to certainly ID it), Glossy Ibis (6), Squacco heron (2), Lesser Short toed Lark (2) Ringed Plover, Griffon Vultures (30+), a singing Quail (#199), 10+ Spoonbills and a male Montagu s harrier. We wanted to try for Red necked Nightjar, so we posted at dusk a the entrance of El Acebuche and after hearing a Golden oriole we heard a distant Red necked Nightjar (#200) singing its characteristic song and ended that day driving towards Belén and had a triplist of 200 speciess. Day 9 (3 5 02)

12 During the nightly trip towards Belén our driver was the only one that was really awake and he spotted a Tawny Owl (#201) flying across the road. During the night, when waking up from the cold a Stone Curlew, Little Owl and a European Scops Owl were singing After waking up really cold at our improvised camping spot (a meadow next to a little barn) we concluded that it had been freezing that night. Hmmm, always nice, camping! In the car, trying to warm up a bit, and driving towards the famous steppes of Belén. Soon after having left the heat of the car and defying the cold outside we saw our first Little Bustard (#202). Soon after that the steppes became lively. Quails singing everywhere, just as the Calandra Larks which were the most numerous species of lark present. A Little Owl was on one of the small rocky walls along the road. After having scanned several fields we saw one Great Bustard (#203) and decided to have a closer view. Good decision! The field was crowded with Great Bustards! We counted a total of 18 birds, under which several displaying males! A really strange sight, a bunch of feathers, like it is run over by a car! Unfortunately we did not hear its song, because that is hilarious! Also several Little Bustards were calling and flying around (14 in total), 3 Short toed Larks were singing together with 1 Lesser Short toed Lark. A really nice area with lots of birds! Of course loads of Corn Buntings. 2 Montagu s Harriers, a Western Black eared Wheatear, 20 Black Kites, Cattle Egrets and 2 Ravens were also present on the steppes. After enjoying this scenery it was time to move on again. On the way to Monfrague we had a little stop at Trujillo which is known for its colony of Lesser Kestrel, but being a bit annoyed because we could not find the exact spot of the colony, we moved on, but saw 1 Lesser Kestrel and lots of Pallid Swifts. We were now really heading towards Monfrague and along the road we saw our first Red Kite (#204), Montagu's harrier, Hoopoe (4), Bee eaters (4) Azure winged Magpies, 5 Red rumped Swallows, 2 Ravens and our first Black Vulture (#205) in a group of Griffon Vultures. Once we were in Monfrague we drove to Castillo de Monfrague, which was not a bad choice! Instead of driving right up to the Castillo we parked at the lower parking place and walked to the Castillo. On our way up we saw our first European Nuthatch (#206) and heard a Short toed Treecreeper. At the Castillo we took the stairs and had a marvellous view over the valley. Lots of Griffon Vultures were flying around (50+) together with 6 Black Vultures. Not only vultures were flying around, raptors everywhere! We started with a Bonelli s Eagle (#207) at great distance, a Golden Eagle (#208), at even greater distance, 4 Egyptian Vultures (#209), 1 Peregrine and 2 Short toed Eagles. Not bad for 1 hour on top of this Castillo! Besides the raptors, our first Blue Rock Thrush (#210) was singing at the bottom of the Castillo, 1 Black Stork (#211) flew by, as did 1 Raven. Flying around the Castillo: 5 Crag Martins, 3 Red billed Choughs, 2 Red rumped Swallows and a Black Wheatear was on the ridge of the hill right of the Castillo. On the way back to the car we first heard a Rock Sparrow (#212) and after scanning the rocks we saw 2, at the upper parking. A Rock Bunting (#213) was also present as well as a singing Subalpine Warbler. When we walked back to the car a large eagle that flew quite close by surprised us. After a little silence we started yelling and were reaching as fast as possible for our telescopes: An adult Spanish Imperial Eagle (#214) had just flown by and was trying to make height in the valley underneath us. A superb sight! It was nicely circling around while gaining height. A beautiful adult with the white shoulder patches. After having followed it for a while it disappeared and we were really satisfied. But another eagle came into view. After having scoped it, it was clear: a juvenile Spanish Imperial Eagle! How about that! We also followed this individual for a while and suddenly two eagles were in one view. The adult and juvenile were circling together! They were attacked by a Black Kite and after being annoyed they took control and attacked the kite. A nice show followed of there flying abilities and after this aerial display the adult went resting in a tree, a bit far away, but sometimes the white patches were visible and we were able to show the bird to a passing birder. After leaving the eagle in its tree we headed back to the car and during this descent we heard a Golden Oriole, a Red legged Partridge and Western Bonelli s Warbler singing. Azure winged Magpies flew around the parking and a Red Kite flew over. An Alpine Swift flew around the hilltop when we took a

13 last look at our big friend in its tree. So after birding for 2 hours at the Castillo we had seen almost all interesting raptors of Spain, but not all so we headed on. We drove to the Eagle Owl spot, called Portilla del Tietar, but no Eagle Owl present at that time. A Blue Rock Thrush and Rock Bunting (2) were present at this spot, together with a mixed colony of Griffon and Egyptian Vultures. 3 Black Vultures flew around and like everywhere a Cuckoo and a Nightingale were singing. A Little ringed plover flew over the water at the bottom of the colony of vultures. We wanted to visit a last spot that day for another Spanish speciality so we went on the road again. This time we drove towards Monroy and along the road towards Villarreal de San Carlos (inside the park) we heard our first Goldcrest (#215) in some pine trees. On the way towards Monroy we saw 2 Southern Grey Shrike, 1 Woodchat Shrike, an Azure Winged Magpie and 1 Hoopoe. Just before the road splits towards Monroy some White storks nest close to the road, on the right. Here a Blackshouldered Kite is regularly seen. So we tried to see this Spanish speciality. In the nests of the storks Spanish Sparrows (#216) were seen. In the small trees along the road that runs Northwards we saw a Great Spotted Cuckoo, 3 Azure winged Magpies and a Dartford warbler. We walked further along the road and met other birders and they had already seen the kite, so we stood there and waited. Not for long! The Black shouldered Kite #217) came hovering into site and was visibly hunting, so it disappeared as quickly as it came. It appeared several times but always just for a short while, so we decided to go for better views and took a path that runs westward. On a higher point of that path we halted and there it flew, hunting and hovering: the Black shouldered Kite. Very nice views indeed! On this spot also 2 Ravens, a Buzzard, a Booted Eagle, several European Bee eaters and 2 Southern Grey Shrikes were present. Because it was not yet dark we decided to try the Eagle owl once again and drove back to Portilla del Tietar. Once on the spot we were greeted by tens of other birders and in the twilight we saw one adult Eagle Owl (#218) with prey and 2 juveniles that had left the nest. Because it was completely dark by now, we left and went to the camping Monfrague. When we arrived there we heard a Barn Owl and a European Scops Owl calling. So after seeing 13 speciess of raptors, 3 speciess of vultures and 4 speciess of owls we were completely satisfied of our short stay in Belén and first day in Monfrague!! And the triplist was 218 by now. Day 10 (4 5 02) After birding this intensively we decided that is was time for a relax day. So not much driving and relaxed birding. At the camping we started with our first Woodlark (#219), that was singing, a Spanish Sparrow that was apparently lost and a light morph Booted Eagle flew over the camping. We wanted to do some birding at Castillo de Monfrague again, but we halted first at the bridge over the Rio Tajo, where White rumped Swifts nest, but we concluded that we were to early in the season (they normally arrive mid May). Loads of House Martins, 1 Sand Martin, 5 Alpine Swifts and 4 Rock Doves (#220) were already present. In the bushes near the bridge we heard our first and only singing Orphean Warbler (#221). Also present were: 1 Jay, 4 Short toed Eagles, 3 Booted Eagles, 3 Black Vultures, 1 Egyptian Vulture, 2 Long tailed Tits, 1 Subalpine Warbler, 1 Rock Bunting and 1 singing Blackcap. After walking a bit we drove a bit further on and stopped at Peña Falcon. Here a Black Redstart was present, together with 3 Egyptian Vulture, 1 Peregrine, 2 Rock Buntings, 1 Red billed Choughs, 2 Black Storks flying over and a Linnet. At last we arrived at the parking of Castillo de Monfrague. Here we sat for 4 hours and did some relaxed birding. The number of speciess was not as good as the previous day, but it was nice birding! Together with German sausages and our comfortable chairs we sat here for 4 hours but nothing spectacular flew over. Although our first Hawfinch (#222) made its appearance and flew over regularly. Also some raptors were flying and we saw 2 Egyptian Vultures, 2 Black Vultures, 50+ Griffon Vultures, 2 Short toed Eagles, and 2 Red Kites.

14 A Black Stork flew over our heads and scanning the hilltops revealed a Blue Rock Thrush. A Woodlark was singing close by. Just before getting sunburned we left and headed to Villarreal de San Carlos and treated ourselves for some ice cream and had a male Lesser Kestrel flying over the village. One of us knew a place where he had seen 5 Black shouldered Kites some years ago so we headed to that spot. While driving towards La Bazagona we first stopped at Portilla del Tietar to try the Eagle Owl by daylight and it was there, a bit sleepy and very inactive, but always nice! From there we drove further eastwards towards the station of La Bazagona. On the way we stopped near a house and had 4 Booted Eagles flying around, 2 dark and 2 light morphs, which formed a light pair and a dark pair. 2 Rock Sparrows were present in the Cork oak plantation and also 1 male Spanish Sparrow. In the area close to the train station of La Bazagona we were greeted by our first Great Spotted Woodpecker (#223), our first and only, calling, Northern Goshawk (#224), a Hobby flying over and later on calling, two Golden Orioles, several Azure winged Magpies, 2 Woodchat Shrikes, Spotted Flycatcher and a singing Subalpine Warbler. Also nice was a mixed colony of White Storks and Grey Herons in a tree. As it was getting darker, the nocturnal birds became active and we heard our first and only European Nightjar (#225), 2 Red necked Nightjars, 1 Little Owl, 1 Stone Curlew and two Common Greenshanks that flew over calling loudly. Also a very nice place to bird and lots of birds present. In the dark we drove back to the camping and there a European Scops Owl was singing again and we finished this day with a triptotal of 225 speciess. Day 11 (5 5 02) Time for some serious birding again! So we headed to a steppe area close to Caseres. On the way, near Monroy, the Black shouldered Kite was hunting again and flew close by the road. Along the way towards Santa Marta de Magesca we searched the fields for interesting steppe birds. In the 1 ½ hours we were there the following birds were seen from that road: 50+ Calandra Larks, same number of Corn Bunting, 3 Lesser Kestrels, 2 Little Owls, 5 Montagu s Harriers, 2 singing Common Quails, 2 Stone Curlews, our first 5 Tawny Pipits (#226), tens of Crested and Thekla larks, 2 Spanish Sparrows and 1 Southern Grey Shrike. But these were not the target speciess for today. These were: Little Bustard (10), Great Bustard (5) and despite it began raining when we were there we had splendid sights of both sandgrouses: Black Bellied (15) (#227) and Pin tailed Sandgrouse (27) (#228). Both speciess were flying around and some groups were foraging in the fields. Really splendid views! Nice start for a rainy day! After getting fed up with the weather we decided to move on again and we headed back to the camping. Along the way back we saw 3 Southern Grey Shrikes, 1 European Roller, 1 flying Cuckoo and 7 Azure winged Magpies. By the way, the road from the Black shouldered Kite spot to Torrejon El Rubio is a real racetrack. Never seen our driver so happy with a minor road in Spain! We had a short stop at Puente del Cardenal and had a male Subalpine Warbler there and 2 White wagtails. By the time we were back at the camping the sun began to shine again and the raptors we flying again. While packing the car a group of raptors approached and among them were 2 adult Bonelli s Eagles, a Black Vulture and an Egyptian Vulture. Also two Hawfinches flew over the camping. We had to leave this incredible area behind us because it was time to move on and besides we had seen most of the speciess that could be seen in this area. We headed towards Belchite and along the road we were as sharp as knifes, so we saw the following nice speciess on our way to Madrid: 2 Azure winged Magpie 2 Ravens, 2 Buzzards, 3 Red rumped Swallows, 2 Crag Martins and our first European Honey buzzard (#229) while driving 100 km/h. From Madrid to La Almunia de Doña Godina we saw not much but we spotted 1 male Montagu s Harrier, 1 Woodchat Shrike, 2 Southern Grey Shrikes, 1 Mistle Thrush and 1 Short toed Eagle. From Villanueva del Huerva to Belchite/Codo we saw 2 Red billed Choughs. 2 Common Kestrels and 2 Woodchat Shrikes from the car.

15 Once in the fields outside Codo we met other Dutch birders that had no luck with the elusive Dupont s Lark, but when we stopped on one of the tracks and listened for the striking song of the Dupont s. But no luck, maybe because it was very windy. But we had a discman in the car and we played the song and we had immediately success. 2 Males Dupont s Lark (#230) responded to our recordings but sang not for long. At darkness and a lot of wind we decided to set up camp at the water pump near Codo and spend the night there. Along the road to the water pump we saw a Little Owl in the headlights. Although the disappointing weather we had by now seen 230 speciess during this trip. Day 12 (6 5 02) After waking up at our improvised camping site we heard a Hoopoe and a Nightingale singing in the drizzle. Time to go back to the Dupont s area to try and see one of these nice larks. When we arrived there it was still drizzly and around us few larks were singing. Relatively few Short toed Larks (15), Lesser Short toed Larks (12), Calandra Larks (4), Thekla Larks (6) and Crested Larks (8) were singing. In total we heard 6 Dupont s Larks singing but we had no success in spotting one in the vegetation. Really frustrating when you hear them really close by but can not find them in your scope!! We walked a bit in the area and came to an area with a lot of bushes. Here we saw 4 Northern Wheatears, 1 male Redstart, 1 Hoopoe, 1 Whinchat, 1 Red legged Partridge, 5 calling Black bellied Sandgrouses and 1 Golden Eagle flew over. After walking with heightened heels (the clay there was really heavy and made walking a bit more tiring. But still no sign of Dupont s Larks so we went to another place to find a Spectacled Warbler. But luck had left us and also this speciess would not let itself be on our list. But at this wadi, a bit more to the east from the Dupont s place we saw a Western Black eared Wheatear, 3 Black winged Stilts, 1 Redshank, 10 Swifts, 2 Common Sandpipers, 10 Black bellied Sandgrouses, 2 Moorhen, 3 Calandra Larks and 20+ Short toed Larks. On the way back to Belchite we stopped for a short while at the pump house and heard a Golden Oriole, a Red legged Partridge and Hoopoes singing. At Belchite we stopped at the old town and only saw a Blue Rock Thrush and 1 Northern Wheatear and that was enough to decide to head for the Pyrenees hoping for better weather and speciess. At late afternoon we arrived at Jaca and headed for Valle de Hecho (Echo), which is the famous spot for Wallcreeper. But not this day. On the way to Valle de Echo we saw Crag Martins, 1 Egyptian Vulture and 1 Griffon Vulture. At the Valle de Echo itself we saw 1 Red Kite, 1 Black Redstart, and 1 White Wagtail. One of us knew a spot where Citril Finches are abundant (when he was there) and we drove to Gabardito. There we saw 1 Buzzard, 2 Rock Buntings, 2 Crested Tits and heard several Song Thrushes and 1 singing Firecrest but no Citril Finches around here. Time to go and find a camping and on the way back to Jaca we had our only new speciess for this trip; a Dunnock (#231) flew over the road. Furthermore we saw on our way back: 1 Turtle Dove, 1 Buzzard and 1 Red Kite. At the Camping site at Santa Cilia de Jaca a Goldcrest sang and with only one new species for our list we ended this day with 231 speciess this trip. Day 13 (7 5 02) For this day the search for Wallcreeper was planned. We reached Infierno Del Hecho about 9.00 in the morning. The weather wasn't to good, lots of fog and it looked like it would start to rain any moment. The waiting started. From some trip reports we made up that making coffee would attract the bird... well we tried it and while our driver was making coffee one of us came running and screaming to the others. Our luck had reappeared! The coffee worked. A beautiful male Wallcreeper (#232) was foraging on a rock not far from the road. It was foraging just before the beginning of the Infierno (so make sure you keep checking the whole area, the bird can be easy overlooked!). Great joy! Under the delight of a cup of coffee we were able to observe the Wallcreeper for a long time and despite the light drizzle we had splendid views of this spectacular creature.