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| A Report from birdtours.co.uk |
A Birding Trip to Southern and Western Spain, 16th-22nd January 2002,
James-eaton@talk21.com
With the cold and birdless days of winter in Derbyshire, We decided to soak
up the sun and go birding for a week in Andalucia and Extremadura. We flew from
Stansted with Go to Malaga, at only £50 return, you certainly can't go wrong,
and the birds didn't disappoint. We hired a Citroen Xsara with National, which
was adequate, as we did about 1500 miles, luckily it was a diesel, and fuel
costing €0.67 a litre, in other words, a lot less than
Learning a few basic words in Spanish will get you far, as few people spoke English outside the resorts, certainly a phrase book would have helped with the food menu's, I didn't have a clue, and certainly suffered. All I knew was that 'pollo' means chicken! Food was ok at most places, though in Sevilla the chicken was uncooked! If you like ham you're in for a treat in Extremadura, as it is a local speciality. Hotels were of a high standard, with at least one in most towns. A new hotel has opened just south of Monfrague National Park, only 10 minutes from the reserve, and is a bit like an Ikea showroom, though very nice but it will be at least £80 per room, luckily we got a special promotional price.
Sunrise was about 8:30 with birding possible until 18:30, and 18:50 at a push. Weather was excellent throughout, averaging 18* in the day, but cold at night (c1*) in the north, but pleasant in the south, with a couple of exceptions.
The only reference material we took was several trip reports mainly from www.birdtours.co.uk and www.camacdonald.com/birding/birding and also the Dave Gosney guides from www.birdguides.com.
Though we didn't buy the Where to watch birds in Southern
and Western Spain (Garcia and Patterson) I would highly recommend it,
as it the most up to date guide, with all sites covered....
 |
Where to watch birds in Southern and Western
Spain
|
We used the 2 Michelin maps that covered the area, numbers 446 and 444, 1cm: 4km.
Having never birded
Itinerary
16th Took early afternoon flight from Stansted, arriving 20
minutes early at Malaga airport, had pre-booked hotel in nearby Torremolinos,
10 miles south of airport. Dinner at nearby restaurant.
Weather - Warm and clear Skies
17th Late start! Breakfast wasn't until 8. Away for 8:50, headed up the N331 up to Cordoba, then N432, N502 and A420 until we reached Cabeza for a late lunch. Birded the La Serena 'triangle' for the rest of the day. Night at Los Naranjos Hostel in Castuera. Dinner at hostel.
Weather - Excellent, warm and clear skies all day
18th Away for dawn to do the 'triangle' finished early due to fog, without seeing a bird! Headed up to Monfraque NP, via a few wrong turns. Thankfully by the time we passed Trujillo the weather had turned. Birded Monfrague for the rest of the day. Night and dinner at hotel north of Torrejon el Rubio.
Weather - Thick fog all morning at La Serena. Excellent again at Monfraque.
19th Monfrague in morning and the plains north and east of Caceres in the afternoon, then kept on driving south until we were completely nackered. Night in Sevilla. Dinner at hotel was crap, spaghetti stuck together and both chickens uncooked.
Weather - Overnight rain, though sunny and warm again, until mid-afternoon, when turned cool and overcast.
20th All morning around the excellent and bird-filled Brazo del Este/ Pinzon Marshes. Afternoon at Laguna de Medina, with the last few minutes of daylight at Laguna de Taraje. Night and dinner at Ibis Hotel in Jerez.
Weather - The best day, warm, sunny and clear skies from dawn till dusk, this is what it's all about!
21st Early morning at Laguna de Commissario, rest of the morning spent at Laguna de Medina. Afternoon around the Sierra de Grazalema, particularly Puerto de las Palomas and hills around Ronda. Night in Grazalema, excellent 2* in centre of village, with the best lift I've ever witnessed! Dinner at local restaurant - excellent and cheap.
Weather - Excellent again! Even in the hills, though became windy and overcast as the afternoon wore on.
22nd Early morning spent around Puerto
de las Palomas and Grazalema de Sierra, then long and very windy drive back
to Malaga, along the coast to look for Audouin's Gull. Dropped off hire car
and left Malaga airport for a cold
Weather - Misty, cold and wet in the hills. Largely overcast, though warm around coast.
Sites
La Serena
This site is easily reached from the south. From Cordoba travel north on the
N432, turn right at Espiel onto the N502 the A420 north at Alcaracejos. This
takes you up to Cabeza, then it west along the EX104, after 4-5 km turn right
towards Embalse de Zujar. You have now reached the 'triangle'.
After 16km there's a dirt track to the right, this goes on for several km's and is worth a drive, as there's a stream running along side it. Another 4+km further on the road will bend to the left and then go over the south end of the Embalse de Zujar, Dartford Warbler was seen around here. Turn left at the T-junction towards Castuera. The steppe here is completely different to the eastside, being very rocky and quite hilly, about half way down this road there is finally some unfenced habitat to the right, a walk around here allowed excellent views of Little Bustards and Larks.
We found this site disappointing, as most of the habitat had been turned into farmland? It's supposedly some of the best steppe in Europe, so perhaps we were just unlucky at this site! It was full of Golden Plovers and Larks, but it was hard work looking for Bustards here, and most views were distant, Sandgrouse were not even heard here. Few raptors were noted too.
Monfrague National Park
This area was well worthy of a day or two, and more if it's possible. With raptor
filled skies and bird packed trees.
From La Serena travel north along EX103, then 3km on from the 'triangle' turn left towards Acedera, drive all the way up to the N430, turning right onto here for 4km. Then left onto the EX355 towards Zorita, go into the town, and then turn right towards the end of the town onto the EX208 to Trujillo. Once here fight your way through the streets to find the EX208 to Plasencia. The habitat along this road is great, open fields and Cork Oaks; it's worth getting out the car anywhere along here for a scan of the skies and Oaks.
Once at Monfrague it's worth taking the road up to the Sanctuario de Monfrague, it may be steep, but our car just about hung on, though it was touch and go at some points! Passerines were everywhere here, mainly being Blackcaps. The views are great, with flocks of Griffon Vultures all around you.
Once back on the main road you go past a huge cliff face on the left, opposite the Sanctuario. This is the Penafalcon. Superb in the morning as Griffon Vultures roost here in their hundreds. Many passerines feed on these cliffs, and there's always other raptors soaring over the valley.
Carrying on from here you go over the river and past
the village of
After another 1.5 Km there's a cliff to the left. This is the Eagle Owl site. They appeared from a little cliff, just to the left of the main face, about half way down the hill. There is a viewpoint here; it's just a case of waiting until dusk now!
Caceres
This area proved to be excellent, perhaps the best area we visited, though we
only gave it an afternoon due to our tight schedule. We didn't even manage to
do the plains to the south. If I did this site again, I would give it several
days, it was that good.
From Monfrague NP, travel south for only about 8 km, until you get to Torrejon el Rubio, turn right here along the CC912, which becomes the EX390, towards Monroy.
A few raptors were seen, though we didn't stop and check
much, until we went past the Monroy turnoff. The plains then come into view
and constant scanning is required here. Luckily there are several pull-ins and
2 just north of the Rio
Make sure you don't miss the minor road on the left to Santa Marta de Magesca after c5km. It probably took us 4 hours to cover about 15km, it was that good! We soon had 77 Great Bustards in a field next to the road. This was followed by excellent views of both Sandgrouse, try scanning the fields full of stones or crops, continually scan just above the horizon, as the B-b Sandgrouse are easily flushed from great distances. Red Kites and Hen Harriers are always in view here too. We had to give up on this road early as it soon became dark, but I presume this habitat carries on.
Brazo del Este
Great site. Full of the usual Mediterranean wetland birds. To reach it from
Sevilla go south on the N IV, come off at the first sign for Isla Menor. Potholes
will be seen (hopefully!) more often Marsh Harriers here, and it all starts
as soon as you come off the N IV. Travelling along the SE685 you will take a
sharp right, by the 'bar', opposite the road off to Adriano. Remember this turn
off. Anyway, you will soon come to the marsh, you probably see chickens (oh,
sorry, Purple Gallinules) just as you reach the first marsh. Stop ad scan here,
especially along the river, this is where we had excellent views of Penduline
Tit and Bluethroat. Just as you pass the marsh there is a dirt track that’s
follows the edge of the marshes, this is great for Lesser Short-toed Lark, follow
the track for as long as you can. It's then back to the Adriano road, turn right
after a km here, just past the Silos. This track takes you to the rest of the
'Northern Marshes'. Turn left at the T-junction, this take takes you round the
south end of the marsh, then comes the tricky part. When you pass the marsh
you will come some crossroads. I think it's straight on, but you can see some
farm buildings at
Jerez Lagoons
Laguna de Medina is the most famous, and rightly so. This is now THE
place in
This is an easy site to reach. Get onto A4/E5, a PAY road! It will cost €4 from Los Palacios (opposite Brazo del Este) to junction 5, the turnoff for Medina and Algeciras, don’t miss the turnoff like we did, it will cost extra, and add 20 minutes! Here you take the A381 to Algeciras, after only 4 km you will see the sign for Laguna de Medina, turn left! There is a parking area and observation area. For a closer look at the lake follow the track that runs along the south side. The bushes are getting quite high though, restricting viewing a bit too much for my liking. The lake is fringed with reeds on the South and Northeast; these housed several Penduline Tits. The lake is covered with wildfowl, mainly diving ducks and Coot. Your only real chance of Crested Coot is hoping that the flock is on the near edge, allowing close looks. We were fortunate on our second day here that a few hundred were; this made Crested Coots easy to pick out.
Laguna de Commisario is a private lake, though we were fortunate that the farmer who owns the land next to the lake was about, he allowed us to walk across his field right down to the lake! Otherwise you will only get distant and poor views of this excellent site. To reach it from Laguna de Medina travel south on the A381, turn right towards Puerto Real after 10 minutes. After 5km you will see the lake on the right, pull over and scan. This was a very shallow lake, with White Storks standing in the middle, so obviously the only wildfowl were dabbling ducks, though this did include 4 Marbled Ducks! Try to get here for dawn and dusk, as it has incredible numbers of White Storks roosting, at least 2000 when we were there.
Laguna de Taraje is further on from Commisario, just past the 9km post is a track to the right through the pines, follow this, keeping to the right for a few km's. The water level appeared quite high here, though there was only Mallards and Coots here. It looks promising, as it is completely surrounded by reeds.
Mountains around Ronda
Sierra de Grazalema is the first, and could be the area you need to visit
here. To here from Jerez, get onto the A382 east to Arcos. Go through here and
onto the A372 to Ronda, the road soon climbs up into the hills, it wasn't until
we were past Benamahoma that we saw our first Rock Buntings, fantastic birds.
Turn right at the junction for Grazalema, towards Puerto de los Palomas. The
main car park s only a kilometre along this road, this was the best site for
Rock Bunting, check the grassy slope, if you have time it's worth walking from
here to Puerto de los Palomas, a 2-3 km walk, good for Black Wheatear. If not,
drive up to the Viewpoint, there is a mini car park/ pull-in here. I saw little
at the Puerto, except Alpine Accentor on the actual viewpoint!
Ronda. We travelled east from Grazalema to Ronda, then south on the A369 to Atajata before crossing the river to check the other side of the valley, back up to Grazalema. Any high road in this area will be worth a check, try to find hills with no fencing, so you can have a walk up them.
Guadalhorce River mouth
This was by far and away the best piece of coastline we checked, well it was
where we saw Audouin's Gull! To reach here travel north from Malaga airport
and come off at San Julian. As you enter the town take the first left to Guadalmar.
Once in Guadalmar follow the river down to the beach and scan the sea here.
You will be in the right place if there's some a large platform offshore. Better
still, get back onto the main road and come off straight after crossing the
river. There's a massive dome type building close to the road, go into the car
park closest to the river and follow the road that goes underneath the main
road. You then come to some crossroads, turn left onto the dirt track that goes
back under the bridge, and this will take you back to the beach.
Species
Great Crested Grebe
2 noted at Embalse de Zujar, La Serena and 3 noted at Laguna de Medina on 20th,
with a single next day
Little Grebe
At least 15 noted at Laguna de Medina on both dates
Black-necked Grebe
At least 25 were noted on both dates at Laguna de Medina. 8 noted on sea between
Marbella and Malaga
Mediterranean Shearwater
2 where off Torremolinos and another 2 where off the Guadalhorce River mouth
Gannet
3 (2 adults) noted off Guadalhorce River mouth
Cormorant
Regularly noted. Good numbers present at Monfrague NP and off Guadalhorce River
mouth
Night Heron
At least 300 were roosting in just 5 Willows on the Pinzon marshes
Cattle Egret
Regularly noted in small numbers in field throughout, though common on the Brazo
del Este
Squacco Heron
At Brazo del Este, 1 was at the Northern Marshes, with 8 together on the Pinzon
Marshes
Little Egret
Common in Southern Spain, with smaller numbers noted further north
Great White Egret
1 just north of Trujillo on 18th, with 5 at Pinzon Marshes
Grey Heron
Common, with large numbers at Brazo del Este
Black Stork
At Brazo del Este, 1 flew over the Northern Marshes, with 5 (1 1st
win) at Pinzon Marshes
White Stork
Noted in numbers at several sites. Though 40 were together at La Serena and
large numbers were at Brazo del Este, with at least 300 over the grain factory
just to the south. A big surprise was at least 2000 leaving Laguna de Commissario
shortly after dawn, several of which were completely black from oil/soil? At
least 20 were dead around the laguna
Spoonbill
At Brazo del Este, 3 were in the Northern Marshes, with a flock of c60 at Pinzon
Marshes
Glossy Ibis
Up to 70 were noted around the Pinzon Marshes
Greater Flamingo
c50 were at Laguna de Medina on both dates, with c60 at Laguna de Commissario
Wigeon
A single female was noted at Laguna de Medina on 21st
Mallard
Noted in reasonable numbers at Laguna de Medina/Taraje/Commissario, and other
sites
Gadwall
Noted in small numbers at Laguna de Medina/Taraje/Commissario
Pintail
Up to 10 were noted at both Laguna de Medina and Commisario
Shoveler
Several hundred were noted at Laguna de Medina and Commisario
Teal
Commonest duck at Laguna de Commisario, perhaps 500 present, large numbers at
Medina too. Much smaller numbers noted elsewhere
White-headed Duck
Up to 200 were noted on both dates at Laguna de Medina
Marbled Duck
1 briefly in the reeds on the eastside of Laguna de Medina on 20th,
with 4 at Laguna de Commisario next day
Red-crested Pochard
17 (10 drakes) were at Laguna de Medina on 20th, though none next
day
Pochard
Several hundred were noted at Laguna de Medina
Tufted Duck
2 fem. at Laguna de Medina on 20th, with 2 (1 drk) on 21st
Common Scoter
11 (4 drakes) were off the Guadalhorce River mouth
Red Kite
Abundant north of Trujillo and around Caceres, with several noted elsewhere
Black Vulture
Didn't realise how common they are now! At least 8 seen before we reached Monfrague
NP, then at least 4 in the sky constantly around Monfrague, especially along
the road running east of the info centre, where a flock of 10 were seen. A single
was seen perched at 100 yards range just north of Mirador de la Bascula, brilliant,
until some Spanish birders jumped out of their car, slamming the doors, allowing
it to fly off, just as I was about to photograph it! Also, at least 8 were seen
along the EX390 north of Caceres.
Griffon Vulture
Abundant around Monfrague NP, hundreds were roosting on the Penafalcon and Eagle
Owl site, allowing some superb views. Constantly in the sky between there and
Caceres and in the hills around Ronda
Hen Harrier
5 (1 male) were seen at La Serena, and 4 (1 male) were seen around Caceres.
A male was also noted at Brazo del Este
Marsh Harrier
Incredibly common around Brazo del Este, at least 30 notes. Several were also
seen around the Laguna's at Jerez
Sparrowhawk
2 were seen at Monfrague NP and 4 near Ronda
Buzzard
A common site, mainly in the lowlands
Golden Eagle
A sub-adult showed very well, over our heads just south of Monfrague on 18th
Spanish Imperial Eagle
Having missed this much wanted bird at Monfrague NP, I was getting a little
worried, until a pair of adults were circling distantly together a mile north
of the bridge along the EX390, just north of Caceres. Then as we stopped at
the bridge to try and get better views an immature was circling with a Black
and Griffon Vulture directly above us, excellent!
Bonelli's Eagle
Single pale-phase adults were seen around the Penafalcon at Monfrague and a
mile north of the bridge along the EX390, being mobbed by 10 Ravens, both on
the 19th
Booted Eagle
4-5 (2 dark, 2-3 pale-phase) were around the Brazo del Este, and a pair of mixed
phase birds were around the Guadalhorce River mouth
Short-toed Eagle
A big surprise was seeing this bird coming straight towards me at head height
at Brazo del Este, before it circled off and started hunting in the nearby fields,
are these regular in the winter?
Kestrel
A regular roadside companion
Lesser Kestrel
Noted around Ronda, at least 2 seen, though several Kestrel sp. not looked at
Peregrine
Singles seen around the Penafalcon at Monfrague on 19th and at Puerto
de los Palomas on 21st
Merlin
At least 4 around La Serena and others seen at Monfrague and around Caceres
Red-legged Partridge
Regularly seen from the roadside in most habitats
Pheasant
Several were seen in the reeds at Laguna de Medina
Moorhen
Abundant at Brazo del Este, seen at other sites
Coot
Small numbers noted at several sites, though at least 600 were at Laguna de
Medina
Crested Coot
I wasn't looking forward to looking for this, as I find Coots very boring! At
Laguna de Medina on 20th most Coots were quite distant, though a
picked out 3 likely suspects, then 1 much closer. On 21st however,
200 were in the near reeds, and 3 were easily picked out, a 1st winter,
an adult winter and a sexy looking adult in summer plumage. Much better than
I thought they would be! I found the best id to be the blue tinge to the bill,
as well as the lack of feathers pointing across the bill.
Purple Gallinule
These offensive looking chickens were literally everywhere at Brazo del Este,
hundreds of them! A few were seen at Laguna de Medina too.
Common Crane
Common in the Cork Oak fields around La Serena, also noted along the EX390 north
of Caceres
Great Bustard
After a distant flock of 4 along the east road of La Serena, a flock of 31 were
seen nearby in the evening. A much closer and greatly appreciated flock of 77
were seen along the minor road off EX390 just Northeast of Caceres. All birds
were seen in the richly covered green fields
Little Bustard
A flock of at least 60 were seen distantly in the same field as the 4 Great
Bustards at La Serena, then 2 flocks of 8 and 10 were seen as we walked the
only unfenced area on the west side of La Serena 'triangle'
Black-winged Stilt
At least 30 were present around the Brazo del Este, with 60 at Laguna de Commisario
Avocet
30 were seen at Laguna de Commisario
Ringed Plover
1 was present at Laguna de Commisario
Golden Plover
Abundant around La Serena, 1000's being seen. Much smaller numbers noted around
Caceres
Lapwing
Common at all lowland sites, especially at La Serena
Turnstone
Seen in small numbers along the coast on 22nd
Sanderling
Reasonable numbers were along the beaches on the 22nd
Dunlin
A small flock was at Guadalhorce River mouth
Black-tailed Godwit
15 were present at the Pinzon Marshes
Redshank
A single was noted at the Pinzon Marshes
Greenshank
2 were noted along a stream on the eastside of La Serena
Wood Sandpiper
At Brazo del Este, 2 were heard on the Northern Marshes, and 4 were together
on the Pinzon Marshes
Common Sandpiper
A single was seen at Brazo del Este
Green Sandpiper
Common around Brazo del Este
Woodcock
1 flew over the EX104 just east of Cabeza at dusk on the 17th
Common Snipe
Common at Brazo del Este
Arctic Skua
An immature caused a bit of mayhem among the gulls at Torremolinos seafront
Mediterranean Gull
Noted in very small numbers along the coast, including 6 at Fuengirola and 5
at Guadalhorce River mouth
Black-headed Gull
Common along the coast, with several sitings inland
Audouin's Gull
After several hours of fruitless searching along the coast, at least 7 (5+ adults,
2 2nd winters) were found off the Guadalhorce River mouth
Yellow-legged Gull
Small numbers seen along the coast, much less than what I expected, perhaps
only 100, 75% being 1st winters, odd birds seen inland too, with
6 at Laguna de Medina
Lesser Black-backed Gull
1000's along the coast between Marbella and Malaga, occasionally seen inland
Sandwich Tern
Small numbers (c20) seen along the coast
Razorbill
30 along the coast, with 25+ off Guadalhorce River mouth
Black-bellied Sandgrouse
After a complete blowout at La Serena we were very thankful when 4 (2 pairs)
were seen flying along the minor road NE of Caceres, this was followed by another
pair, then a further 12. We eventually found the field they had flown to, and
saw them distantly feeding, as we drove past we flushed a total of 40+ birds,
at a distance of several hundred yards. They have a very distinctive call, a
quiet gargle, bubbling noise
Pin-tailed Sandgrouse
Another failure at La Serena, but after seeing the first 6 B-b Sandgrouse, we
had a distant flock of 11 Sandgrouse flying around that looked much slimmer,
flying like Golden Plovers, circling then swooping, excellent stuff, but they
were a mile away!
Fortunately as we were watching the B-B's in the fields on the right, a flock of 25 P-T Sandgrouse flew round the field to the left, then flew straight over the car, calling their heads off! 2 minutes later at least 70 landed only 200 yards away, excellent stuff, one of the highlights of the trip. They have a completely different call to B-B, being more like a Tufted Duck!
Woodpigeon
Big flocks noted over Monfrague NP, seen elsewhere
Collared Dove
Noted in lowland areas
Eagle Owl
Another highlight. At Monfrague NP we checked out site 9 in the Gosney guide
for them. While watching the Griffon Vultures swoop in to the cliffs to roost,
an Eagle Owl started calling for 5 minutes, it was only
Kingfisher
A pair was at the Pinzon Marshes
Hoopoe
Up to 10 seen most days at a range of sites
Great Spotted Woodpecker
1 was seen on both days at Mirador de la Bascula, Monfrague NP on both days
Skylark
Flocks of up to 100 were seen around La Serena and Caceres
Woodlark
Several noted around the Cork Oaks and Olive plantations at several sites, especially
south of Monfrague NP
Crested lark
Common roadside bird
Thekla Lark
Not much attention paid until Ronda, when several were seen on the hills. Voice
is the best clue, a double-noted call, which rises, then falls. I thought the
face pattern was more uniform, with and obvious eye-ring
Lesser Short-toed Lark
At Brazo del Este, 3 flocks were seen (6+12+8), all in ploughed fields around
the Northern Marshes
Calandra Lark
Large flocks were present at La Serena and near Caceres, up to several hundred
in a flock
Crag Martin
Large numbers around the coastal resort. 'Real' ones were seen at dusk at the
Eagle Owl site at Monfrague, up to 10. Odd singles were present around Ronda
Swallow
Small numbers were hawking over Laguna de Medina
Water Pipit
A single was seen at Pinzon Marshes, with another 2 heard
Meadow Pipit
Common at most sites
White Wagtail
Another common roadside bird of all habitats
Grey Wagtail
Heard and seen briefly at Monfrague NP
Wren
Present at several sites
Alpine Accentor
Another highlight! We knew they were present at Puerto de los Palomas, apparently
at the car-park in the Gosney Guide, but as this is several years old we were
unsure where he meant, as there is a very new looking car park nearby, and not
much of a car park at Palomas. Having split up unsuccessfully to check both
areas, we left thinking it was all over. However, with 10 minutes of light left
we went back to have one last run around. Then, we found a bird feeding on the
observation platform (which looks very new too!) on the other hill. In the gloom
it was like a fat dunnock with a long looking bill, so I ran down and up 2 very
steep and slippery hills, while getting scope from the car in what must have
been less then a minute! Then there, no more than 20 feet in front of us is
4 cracking Alpine Accentors, a huge relief!
Robin
Common
White-spotted Bluethroat
At Brazo del Este, 4 were together by the river opposite the Northern Marshes
Black Redstart
A common bird in the hills, and recorded elsewhere
Stonechat
One of the commonest birds, absolutely everywhere!
Black Wheatear
4 were between the big car park and Puerto de los Palomas on 21st,
with 2 in the car park next day
Blue Rock Thrush
Regularly seen at Monfrague NP, especially around the Penafalcon. Commonly encountered
around Ronda, at least 15 seen
Ring Ouzel
On 22nd 2 were between the car park and Puerto de los Palomas
Blackbird
Common!
Song Thrush
Even commoner!
Mistle Thrush
2 recorded near Ronda
Zitting Cisticola (a.k.a Fan-tailed Warbler)
Common around Brazo del Este, noted elsewhere, especially at La Serena
Cetti's Warbler
A common sound at Brazo del Este
Dartford Warbler
2 at the Emblase de Zujar, La Serena and several seen around Puerto de los Palomas
Sardinian Warbler
A fairly common bird in scrubby areas, especially around Laguna de Medina
Blackcap
Incredibly common at Monfrague NP, especially at the Sanctuario de Monfrague,
common elsewhere
Chiffchaff
Common at most sites, particularly at Brazo del Este, some birds were heard,
but sounded just like collybita
Firecrest
Seen briefly between car park and Puerto de los Palomas on 22nd and
several 'crests' heard on both dates
Penduline Tit
At Brazo de los Palamos, at least a pair showed brilliantly around the River
and channel at the Northern Marshes. Several were heard in the reeds at Laguna
de Medina, but a few fly-bys were seen
Blue Tit
Recorded around Ronda, and elsewhere
Great Tit
As Blue Tit, but commoner
Coal Tit
Present around Puerto de los Palomas
Long-tailed Tit
Several were seen around Puerto de los Palomas
Short-toed Treecreeper
A single was seen between car park and Puerto de los Palomas on 22nd,
others being heard on both dates
Southern Grey Shrike
Surprisingly common, seen in both lowlands and uplands
Spotless Starling
After several good views I gave up on looking at them, but all that were looked
at were this species, though undoubtedly Common (S. Unicolor) occurred.
Common in most habitats, and several big flocks seen in evenings
Jay
2 at Eagle Owl site, Monfrague NP, with 2 nearby next day
Magpie
A regular but sporadic siting
Azure-winged Magpie
Common in and around Cork Oak plantations, but very common all over Monfrague
NP
Red-billed Chough
Flocks of up to 60 were noted at Puerto de los Palomas, Ronda and south of Ronda
on 21st
Jackdaw
Recorded, at least at La Serena
Raven
Common around the steppes and hills
Carrion Crow
Recorded, at least at La Serena
House Sparrow
Common, as per usual
Rock Sparrow
Singles were seen from the car park just above Grazalema on 21st
and just below Puerto de los Palomas on 22nd
Chaffinch
Common, especially in the hills
Hawfinch
A regular sound around Monfrague NP, several flocks being seen, especially
in the pines just above the dam crossing, up to 50, and the track up to the
Sanctuario.
Serin
A common but sporadic bird in most habitats, several were singing already
Siskin
Recorded pines around Puerto de los Palomas
Greenfinch
Recorded at least in the pines around Ronda
Goldfinch
One of the commonest birds, present in numbers at most sites
Linnet
Regularly seen
Corn Bunting
A very common and conspicuous bird around La Serena and Caceres
Cirl Bunting
A male was singing at Laguna de Medina on 20th, and a female was
seen below Grazalema on 21st
Rock Bunting
This most attractive bird was a regular site and sound around the Sierra de
Grazalema, especially in the grassy slope next to the big car park, odd birds
noted east to Ronda
Reed Bunting
A single male was seen in the Pinzon Marshes
*Monk Parakeet
10 were seen in the town of Guadalmar, by the Guadalhorce River mouth, countless
others were heard
James Eaton,
17 Keats Avenue, Littleover, Derby, DE23 4EE
If you have any queries I can be contacted on -James-eaton@talk21.com
Why not send us a report, or an update to one of your current reports?
