The birds of Fuerteventura

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A Report from birdtours.co.uk

The birds of Fuerteventura,

John Girdley

A visit to Fuerteventura will not yield a huge list of birds but you will see an off-beat collection of birds that are almost impossible to see anywhere else!

The star birds are Berthelot's Pipit and Canary Island Chat (which are endemic ), Trumpeter Finch, Lesser Short-toed lark and Spanish Sparrow all of which can be seen fairly easily. There are also those that require a degree of luck or careful planning, i.e.; Plain Swift, Houbara Bustard, Cream Coloured Courser, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Barbary Partridge, Egyptian Vulture and Ruddy Shelduck.

I managed to see all of these species and several other good birds during a one week stay in early April '96. The best birding was to be had in the early morning, (pre 10 am) as the deserts became very hot later in the day. This left me with plenty of time with the family. Seawatching was best in the evening, with a continuous stream of Cory's Shearwaters seen from my accommodation on most days.

Where to stay:

The Majority of the good sites are in the north of the island and so this would be the obvious place to stay. I travelled with Sun-seeker holidays and stayed at their complex in Parque Hollandes. (About 10 miles north of the airport.) The accommodation was excellent and I would certainly use it again.

Birdwatching sites in Fuerteventura:

Barranco de la Torre. One of the best birdwatching sites on the island! It is about four km. south of Caleta de Fuste and very easily reached from the airport. It can be driven into at the seaward end.( At Las Salinas.) There are several pools along its length, all good for birds. With care, it is possible to scramble down into the Barranco, from the main road, at several points along its length. About two miles inland the main road crosses the Barranco and beyond this it is possible to drive into its upper reaches, where there are more pools and a small reservoir, all worth exploring
Barranco del Miraflor. Situated just to the north of the above site, it is reputed to be one of the best places to see desert species on the island. About one mile south of Caleta de Fuste is a radio mast on the left of the road. The area inland of this is the Barranco del Miraflor. This would be a long walk, however about 100m north of the masts is an ill defined but perfectly drivable track. The roughest section is leaving the main road.
Embalse de los Molinos. Another excellent spot! This is in the north west of the island and can be driven to quite easily along a dirt track south from Las Parcelas village. It is probably the most likely place on the island to host a long staying rarity (especially ducks.) In addition to the main dam area it is well worthwhile following the valley downstream from the dam as there are more pools and good birds.

All of the main target species should be viewable at a combination of these three site though there are many other promising areas i.e.:

Rosa de la Catalina Garcia.
Embalse de la Penitas
The beach at Jandia
Inland from El Matoral.
The desert around Parque Hollandes

The Birds of Fuerteventura

The Birds	Comments
Cory's Shearwater	Seen in large no's most evenings off Parque Hollandes. Up to 10 birds/min on occasions and often close inshore.
Gannet	Just one off Parque Hollandes.
Little Egret	Reasonably common, both around the coast and at inland waters.
Grey Heron	Just one at Barranco de la Torre.
Ruddy Shelduck	Two breeding pairs seen, one with young. One pair in the upper reaches of the Barranco de la Torre and the other at Rosa de la Catalina Garcia with five young.
Egyptian Vulture	Two near to the Caldera Los Arrabales and one over Barranco del Miraflor.
Buzzard	Several seen.
Kestrel	Several seen.
Barbary Partridge	One on the inland section of the Barranco de la Torre.
Moorhen	Just two seen at the Embalse de los Molinos.
Coot	At least 30 at the Embalse de los Molinos. These need to be checked carefully for Crested Coot which has occurred at this site.
Houbara Bustard	Only one seen. It was flushed by my car at the Embalse de los Molinos.
Cream-coloured Courser	Just one seen on the road leading inland from El Matoral. Apparently a good area for this species.
Little-ringed Plover	Several the Embalse de los Molinos and at the Barranco de la Torre.
Kentish Plover	Reasonably common especially along the Barranco de la Torre.
Grey Plover	Three at Barranco del Miraflor which seemed to be very much out of habitat.
Whimbrel	Several along the coast including a flock of 30 on the beach at Jandia.
Greenshank	Six on the inland section of the Barranco de la Torre.
Redshank	One seen at Rosa de la Catalina Garcia.
Green Sandpiper	Three at the Embalse de los Molinos.
Common Sandpiper	A few seen
Lesser Black-backed Gull	About 40 seen during a seawatch off Parque Hollandes.
Yellow-legged Gull (Atlantis race)	Common both along the coast and in the mountains
Black-bellied Sandgrouse	Just two seen flying over Barranco del Miraflor.
Rock Dove	Feral birds seen almost everywhere. You have to the resist the temptation to try to turn them into something more exotic!
Collared Dove	Surprisingly two calling birds at Parque Hollandes. I didn't think that they had spread this far!
Turtle Dove	Several seen in the few woody areas of the island.
Plain Swift	Eight at the Barranco de la Torre and thirty at the Embalse de los Molinos.
Pallid Swift	More common than Plain swift and often seen in towns.
Swallow	Several north bound migrants seen.
Hoopoe	Seen in several areas but especially at the Barranco de la Torre and the Embalse de los Molinos.
Lesser Short-toed Lark	Quite common in most desert areas.
Berthelot's Pipit	Very easy to see in all desert areas. Perhaps the commonest inland bird.
Canary Island's Chat	Seen with little difficulty in several places but most common in the Barranco de la Torre and around the Embalse de los Molinos. It should be noted that Stonechat does winter on the island, especially in the Barranco de la Torre and should be checked for!
Spectacled Warbler	Reputedly more common than I found it! Just two seen.
Sardinian Warbler	As above. Only a few seen.
Blue Tit (Fuerteventuran race)	Two seen at the Embalse de la Penitas. This is a distinctive race both in looks and calls. It is worth seeking out as a potential future split.
Southern Grey Shrike (Canarian Race)	Quite common. Several seen. Again there is potential for a future split here.
Raven	Several seen in the mountains. The only large black bird that you are likely to see although there have been rumours of Brown-necked Ravens on the island.
Spanish Sparrow	Common, especially around Parque Hollandes. Fortunately there are no House Sparrows on the island yet.
Linnet	Four seen on the inland section of the Barranco de la Torre.
Trumpeter Finch	Fairly common inland and with a very distinctive call.

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