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Birding in Central and Western Spain, 9th - 13th June 1999,
Introduction
This short birding trip to the Madrid area of Central Spain and to Extremadura was made by Mike Ball and Stephen Mawby with the express intention of each seeing up to six needed species for their Western Palearctic lists. Considerable on-site assistance was given by John Muddeman (tetrax20@hotmail.com) and this was arranged prior to our visit. Flights from London (Luton) to Madrid and return were with easyJet and represented very good value for money.
Transport
A hire car (suitable for 3 persons) was arranged from the UK with collection and drop-off at Madrid Airport.
Accommodation
All accommodation was arranged as and when required and it enabled us to stay (on most occasions) reasonably close to the birding site we wished to visit the following morning. JM speaks fluent Spanish and was able to arrange all accommodation for us. The only area where any problem was encountered was north-west of Madrid where we stayed at a transport lodge on the main highway, not too far distant from the Dupont's Lark site.
Field Guide
Birds of Europe. Lars Jonsson. Helm. ISBN 0-7136-8096-2
Reports
No trip reports were found that specifically covered the areas we intended visiting although this may now have changed (6/2001). As we had the benefit of JM's local (and comprehensive) knowledge, we were not concerned about our lack of pre-trip information.
Itinerary
9th June - El Pardo (just north of Madrid). Casa del Campo (within the city). High steppes/plains north of Sepulveda near village of Villaseca
10th June - Plains/steppes as above. Journey to Monfrague (Torrejon) with stops at Parador de Gredos, two roadside stops, Embalse de la Portina, Monfrague parklands.
11th June - Monfrague - santuario and gorge. Journey to Caceres and Valdesalor returning via Trujillo birding en route. Mirador and northern exit gorge in evening.
12th June - Monfrague - Mirador and northern exit. Plains to south -east of Oropesa. Puerto de Navacerrada, Sierra de Guadarrama.
13th June - Valdesqui, Sierra de Guadarrama. Return via mountain route with birding stops. El Pardo in evening.
Taxonomy, sequence and nomenclature follow A World Species Checklist, M.G.Wells (1998)
LITTLE BITTERN Ixobrychus minutus
One in flight along the Rio Salor just south of Valdesalor on the 11th and one
stalking along the reed edge of the Rio Manzanares at El Pardo on the 13th.
CATTLE EGRET Bubulcus ibis
Noted on the 10th, 11th and 12th in small numbers.
LITTLE EGRET Egretta garzetta
The only 3 seen were on the 11th at the Embalse de Salor near Valdesalor.
GREY HERON Ardea cinerea
One noted on the 10th in flight at the Embalse de la Portina with at least 10
seen on the 11th around the Embalse de Salor near Valdesalor.
PURPLE HERON Ardea purpurea
Two on the 10th at the Embalse de la Portina near Talavera with 1 on the 13th
along the Rio Manzanares at El Pardo.
BLACK STORK Ciconia nigra
One on the 11th at the Rio Tajo gorge below Pena Falcon in Monfrague with it
or another the following day at the nest at the base of Pena Falcon with at
least one young.
WHITE STORK Ciconia ciconia
Noted on all dates and fairly widespread.
CORMORANT Phalacrocorax carbo
One on the 10th at the Embalse de la Portina and 4 on the 11th at the Embalse
de Salor.
MALLARD Anas platyrhynchos
Noted on three dates albeit in small numbers, in suitable habitat.
HONEY BUZZARD Pernis apivorus
One on the 9th at El Pardo and one on the 10th at the Parador de Gredos.
BLACK-SHOULDERED KITE Elanus caeruleus
The only one seen was on the 12th, sat atop a bush as we cruised the plains
near Calera y Chozas south-east of Oropesa.
BLACK KITE Milvus migrans
Noted on four dates and was the most abundant and widespread raptor, except
in the mountains north-west of Madrid.
RED KITE Milvus milvus
Three on the 10th, 6 on the 11th and 3 on the 12th all in the west of the country
around Extremadura.
EGYPTIAN VULTURE Neophron percnopterus
Two on the 11th around the Rio Tajo gorge.
GRIFFON VULTURE Gyps fulvus
Noted on all dates, the most widespread of all the vultures.
BLACK VULTURE Aegypius monachus
Seen in single figure numbers on all dates with the maximum of 3 on the 12th
with one at a nest site along the CC911 on the northern boundary of the Parque
Natural de Monfrague.
SHORT-TOED EAGLE Circaetus gallicus
One on the 10th as we journeyed from Sepulveda to Torrejon was the only sighting.
MONTAGU'S HARRIER Circus pygargus
A male on the 9th, a female on the 10th with 2 males on the 11th and a male
and 2 females on the 12th. All were hunting over fields and noted as we travelled
around.
GOSHAWK Accipiter gentilis
Two noted on the afternoon of the 9th over the El Pardo area albeit rather distant.
SPARROWHAWK Accipiter nisus
One around El Pardo on the 9th.
COMMON BUZZARD Buteo buteo
Noted on four dates over suitable habitat although only in low single figure
numbers.
SPANISH IMPERIAL EAGLE Aquila adalberti
*
Up to 5 birds seen well in flight, occasionally almost overhead and not
too high on the afternoon of the 9th at El Pardo. We were extremely fortunate
that it had rained all morning and the emergence of the sun co-incided with
our arrival at the site. Good views were had with all plumage feature seen
well on at least two of the birds.
GOLDEN EAGLE Aquila chrysaetos
One noted on the 10th as it passed overhead at a roadside birding stop south
of Avila.
BOOTED EAGLE Hieraaetus pennatus
Seen in low single figure numbers on all dates. A relatively widespread small
eagle.
LESSER KESTREL Falco naumanni
At least fifty birds noted over and around the road from Torrejon to Caceres
and over the town square of Trujillo on the late afternoon of the 11th with
up to 5 noted the following day en route back to Madrid.
COMMON KESTREL Falco tinnunculus
Noted in small numbers on three dates.
HOBBY Falco subbuteo
Two on the 9th around El Pardo and 2 on the 10th at the Parador de Gredos.
PEREGRINE Falco peregrinus
One on the 9th over El Pardo.
RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE Alectoris rufa
Two on each of the 9th, 10th and 12th, the first two dates being on the plains
near Sepulveda, the last near Oropesa.
QUAIL Coturnix coturnix
Heard on both the 9th and 10th on the plains near Sepulveda.
COOT Fulica atra
Two on the 10th at the Embalse de la Portina near Talavera.
GREAT BUSTARD Otis tarda
One in flight, albeit quite distantly on the 11th appeared to be following the
line of the Rio Tietar as it headed north-east as we watched from the Santuario
de Monfrague. Later that day 4 were noted alongside the road between Caceres
and Trujillo and 8 were found in a field south-east of Oropesa on the 12th.
STONE CURLEW Burhinus oedicnemus
Three on the evening of the 9th on the plains near Sepulveda.
BLACK-WINGED STILT Himantopus himantopus
Two on the 11th at the Embalse de Salor, south of Cacares.
LITTLE RINGED PLOVER Charadrius dubius
Two on the 11th at the Embalse de Salor, south of Caceres.
ROCK DOVE/FERAL PIGEON Columba livia
Noted on all dates.
WOODPIGEON Columba palumbus
Noted on all dates. Widespread and common.
COLLARED DOVE Streptopelia decaocto
Two noted on the 11th.
TURTLE DOVE Streptopelia turtur
One at El Pardo on the 9th and one on the 13th near Rascafria in the Sierra
de Guadarrama.
GREAT SPOTTED CUCKOO Clamator glandarius
A juvenile bird found by MB in scrub near to Embalse de Salor on the 11th was
a bonus, as it sat perched in a tree for some time allowing good views.
CUCKOO Cuculus canorus
Two seen on the 10th on the plains near Sepulveda with others heard only on
the 13th in the Sierra de Guadarrama.
EAGLE OWL Bubo bubo
A bonus for an evening trip out to try for R-n Nightjar was the sight of a juvenile
sitting on a rocky/wooded hillside across the river from our roadside stop just
north of the Pena Falcon on the evening of the 11th. Whilst scoping the juvenile,
one of the adults flew low over our heads from the hillside behind us, over
the river and landed close to the juvenile. They both then gave excellent views
over a period of time. The adult in flight, so low and so close was breath-taking,
a never to be forgotten experience.
LITTLE OWL Athene noctua
Singles were noted on the 10th and 11th.
RED-NECKED NIGHTJAR Caprimulgus ruficollis
*
Birds were heard and one was seen very briefly in Monfrague on the 11th, but
one on the 13th at El Pardo showed itself exceptionally well on a sandy hillock
before darkness fell.
COMMON SWIFT Apus apus
Noted on every date. Widespread and common.
PALLID SWIFT Apus pallidus
Only specifically identified on the 11th when 2 were seen over the town square
at Trujillo in the late afternoon.
ALPINE SWIFT Apus melba
A breeding colony below the road bridge between Pena Falcon and the village
of Villareal de San Carlos allowed close views of this species on the 10th,
11th and 12th, with upwards of fifty birds seen on the middle date.
WHITE-RUMPED SWIFT Apus caffer *
Two but possibly four birds were seen both from the roof of the Santuario and
from the roadway below Pena Falcon on the 11th. From the roof, they circled
both below our position and at eye-level and enabled us to get excellent views.
COMMON KINGFISHER Alcedo atthis
One on the 11th along the Rio Salor south of Caceres.
EUROPEAN BEE-EATER Merops apiaster
Small numbers noted on the 9th at El Pardo, with at least 20 seen on the 11th
and 10 on the 12th.
ROLLER Coracias garrulus
A minimum of 10 were noted along the roadway between Torrejon and Caceres on
the 11th, but there were probably many more as every electric pole or length
of cable seemed to have a bird on it.
HOOPOE Upupa epops
Low single figure numbers noted on the 10th, 11th and 12th.
GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER Dendrocopos major
One on the 10th at the Parador de Gredos, with 2 in the Sierra de Guadarrama
near Puerto de Navacerrada on the 13th.
DUPONT'S LARK Chersophilus duponti *
Many heard on the evening of the 9th on the dry limestone steppe north-west
of Sepulveda, with two seen briefly running along the ground as we tried to
get close. Many were heard again after dawn the following day, with one eventually
being tracked down and watched for some time as it sang from the top of a small
rock. Being somewhat ventriloqual, it was further away than it first seemed,
but even so, the views were excellent.
CALANDRA LARK Melanocorypha calandra
At the same site as the previous species, a minimum of 4 noted on the 9th with
at least 3 on the 10th. Some showed particularly well both in flight and perched
on a low wall.
SHORT-TOED LARK Calandrella brachydactyla
At least two seen on the plains near Sepulveda on the 9th with a similar number
seen at dawn the following day.
CRESTED LARK Galerida cristata
Widespread and common and noted on all dates.
THEKLA LARK Galerida theklae
Specifically identified on the 9th on the plains near Sepulveda and probably
seen the following morning and on the 11th around Extremadura but not specifically
identified.
WOODLARK Lullula arborea
One on the 10th at the Parador de Gredos and 2 on both the 12th and 13th in
the Sierra de Guadarrama at Puerto de Navacerrada.
SKYLARK Alauda arvensis
Noted on both the 9th and 10th on the plains near Sepulveda. All in all and
excellent site for all species of lark.
TAWNY PIPIT Anthus campestris
Two on both the 9th and 10th on the plain near Sepulveda.
GREY WAGTAIL Motacilla cinerea
A family party of 4 feeding along the stream running through the centre of Rascafria
in the Sierra de Guadarrama.
WHITE WAGTAIL Motacilla alba
Noted on all dates apart from the 9th. Widespread and common.
CRAG MARTIN Ptyonoprogne rupestris
Noted on the 9th, 10th and 11th in small numbers and in suitable habitat.
BARN SWALLOW Hirundo rustica
Noted on all dates
RED-RUMPED SWALLOW Hirundo daurica
Noted on the 9th, 10th and 11th favouring similar habitat to Crag Martins.
HOUSE MARTIN Delichon urbica
Noted on all dates.
WREN Troglodytes troglodytes
One on the 11th near the Rio Salor was the only sighting.
DUNNOCK Prunella modularis
Two in the mountains at Valdesqui in the Sierra de Guadarrama on the 13th were
the only sighting.
ROBIN Erithacus rubecula
One on the 10th at the Parador de Gredos.
NIGHTINGALE Luscinia megarhynchos
One seen well at a roadside stop on the 10th (when G.Eagle was seen) and birds
were heard on the 11th, but there were no other sightings.
BLACK REDSTART Phoenicurus ochruros
Low single figure numbers noted on all dates.
STONECHAT Saxicola torquata
Two on the 10th and 6 on the 11th. Limited distribution and restricted to suitable
habitat.
NORTHERN WHEATEAR Oenanthe oenanthe
Noted on four dates in small numbers.
BLACK-EARED WHEATEAR Oenanthe hispanica
One on the 9th near the gorge north of Sepulveda and a minimum of 2 on the 10th
around the plains north of Sepulveda. Far less sightings than I would have
expected and a species that appears to favour high stony areas.
BLUE ROCK THRUSH Monticola solitarius
One on the 9th at the gorge north of Sepulveda and 2 on the 11th near the Santuario
de Monfrague.
BLACKBIRD Turdus merula
Noted on four dates in small numbers.
MISTLE THRUSH Turdus viscivorus
Singles noted on all but the 11th.
FAN-TAILED WARBLER Cisticola juncidis
Heard only on the 9th with a minimum of 6 noted along the Rio Salor on the 11th.
CETTI'S WARBLER Cettia cetti
At least 2 heard on the 10th with singles seen briefly on the 11th and 13th,
the latter at El Pardo.
REED WARBLER Acrocephalus scirpaceus
Noted on the 10th only at the Embalse de la Portina at Talavera.
GREAT REED WARBLER Acrocephalus arundinaceus
Two seen on the 10th at the aforementioned location with at least 2 heard and
seen briefly along the Rio Salor on the 11th.
MELODIOUS WARBLER Hippolais polyglotta
Singles seen on the 10th at a roadside stop in the mountains and on the 11th
at the Santuario.
SPECTACLED WARBLER Sylvia conspicillata
Two seen well on the dry steppe near to Sepulveda on the 10th.
SARDINIAN WARBLER Sylvia melanocephala
Two along the path up to the Santuario de Monfrague on the 11th were the only
ones seen although others were heard on other dates.
COMMON WHITETHROAT Sylvia communis
One seen at a roadside stop in the mountains on the 10th with another heard
on the 13th in the foothills of the Sierra de Guadarrama.
BLACKCAP Sylvia atricapilla
One on the 10th at the Parador de Gredos was the only sighting.
BONELLI'S WARBLER Phylloscopus bonelli
One on the 10th at the Parador de Gredos and one heard on the 13th in the Sierra
de Guadarrama.
CHIFFCHAFF Phylloscopus collybita
One seen and heard calling in the Rio Tajo gorge below Pena Falcon on the 11th
was unexpected - it should have been an Iberian Chiffchaff.
FIRECREST Regulus ignicapillus
One on the 10th at the Parador de Gredos.
PIED FLYCATCHER Ficedula hypoleuca
A male on the 10th at a roadside stop was the only sighting.
CRESTED TIT Parus cristatus
Two on the 10th, 2 on the 12th and 3 on the 13th all in conifer woods in mountain
areas.
COAL TIT Parus ater
The most frequently encountered tit sp. in the conifer woods.
BLUE TIT Parus caeruleus
One on the 11th was the only sighting.
GREAT TIT Parus major
One seen on the 10th with several noted on the 12th.
NUTHATCH Sitta europaea
Three seen on the 10th around the Parador de Gredos.
SHORT-TOED TREECREEPER Certhia brachydactyla
One on the 10th around the Parador, and 2 on the 12th around Puerto de Navacerrada.
GOLDEN ORIOLE Oriolus oriolus
Up to 3 birds seen in trees close to the river at El Pardo on the 9th.
RED-BACKED SHRIKE Lanius collurio
A male seen at a roadside stop in the mountains, was according to JM an unusual
sighting and one that he would not have expected. The bird, an adult male,
was one of an apparently breeding pair. The site was noted for passing on to
the relevant authorities.
SOUTHERN GREY SHRIKE Lanius meridionalis
Noted on four dates in small numbers, although at least 6 on the 11th was noteworthy.
WOODCHAT SHRIKE Lanius senator
Similar recording to the above species, but more common around the Monfrague
cork oak parklands.
JAY Garrulus glandarius
one, on the 10th at the Parador de Gredos.
AZURE-WINGED MAGPIE Cyanopica cyana *
Seen only around Monfrague with a maxima of 30 on the 10th. Often in family
groups they often showed themselves well and seemed to favour the cork oak parkland
type habitat.
MAGPIE Pica pica
Noted on all dates. Widespread and common.
RED-BILLED CHOUGH Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax
At least 5 noted around the gorge just north of Sepulveda on the 9th with a
party of at least 10 around the high steppes north of Sepulveda on the 10th.
JACKDAW Corvus monedula
Widespread and common and noted on all dates.
CARRION CROW Corvus corone
Noted on the 9th and 10th only around Sepulveda and the high steppes.
RAVEN Corvus corax
At least 4 noted on the 12th and 3 on the 13th, all around the Sierra de Guadarrama.
SPOTLESS STARLING Sturnus unicolor
Noted on all dates.
HOUSE SPARROW Passer domesticus
Noted on all dates.
SPANISH SPARROW Passer hispaniolensis
A movement of birds involving several hundreds through the Rio Tajo gorge below
Pena Falcon on the 11th was both an unexpected and impressive sight.
TREE SPARROW Passer montanus
One on the 9th at El Pardo around the picnic tables.
ROCK SPARROW Petronia petronia
Noted in single figure numbers on the 9th, 11th and 13th, with in excess of
20 on the 10th in various locations.
CHAFFINCH Fringilla coelebs
Noted on all dates apart from the 9th.
SERIN Serinus serinus
Noted on all dates other than the 11th, often in good numbers.
CITRIL FINCH Serinus citrinella
Four or 5 birds seen around Puerto de Navacerrada on the 12th all at the head
of the short ski lift with 2 on the 13th at the roadside at Valdesqui.
GREENFINCH Carduelis chloris
One on the 13th was the only sighting.
GOLDFINCH Carduelis carduelis
Noted on 3 dates.
LINNET Carduelis cannabina
Noted on 4 dates.
CROSSBILL Loxia curvirostra
Heard on two dates flying over.
HAWFINCH Coccothraustes coccothraustes
At least 6 seen in flight on the wooded slopes below the Santuario de Monfrague
on the 11th.
ROCK BUNTING Emberiza cia
One on the 9th at the gorge north of Sepulveda, a minimum of 3 on the 10th at
various locations and one on the 12th.
CORN BUNTING Miliaria calandra
Noted on the first three dates in suitable habitat. Where found, appeared to
be in good numbers.
MONK PARAKEET Myiopsitta monachus *
At least 10 seen at a favoured site in Madrid at the Casa de Campo.
COMMON WAXBILL Estrilda astral *
One seen in flight only on two occasions along the Rio Salor south of Caceres
on the 11th
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