In May 2003 my father,
Alan (AKM),
and I were due to travel to
An itinerary was drawn-up
that
specifically targeted all forms available in the Extremadura area that
either
AKM or I had not seen in the Western Palearctic. This produced a list
of 24
forms, with the target list longer for AKM who has less Iberian birding
experience than BAM.
Throughout the trip
birding was
focused on getting good views of these 24 forms, and the itinerary was
based
around these birds only. Equal attention was given to forms that some
authorities currently recognised as subspecies (e.g. Western Orphean
Warbler)
as to those universally recorded at the specie level.
As these target birds
determined
the itinerary and birding, I have highlighted them throughout the
report. Forms
needed by BAM are shown in bold, those by AKM are underlined.
We enjoyed a very
successful trip
with great birding in good scenery and good weather. We saw 21 of our
target
forms, hearing one other. Extremadura is wonderfully underdeveloped,
with
current agricultural practices allow wildlife and wild flowers to
flourish. We
would highly recommend the area for a birding trip.
The main birding guide to
the area
is the Birdwatching Guide to Extremadura by John Muddeman (2000,
Arlequin Press), and is highly recommended. Because of the detail
covered in
this book I have not included detailed site gen in this report; please
refer to
Muddeman. To enable quick cross-referencing for each site included in
Muddeman
I include the number of the site in Muddeman’s book using the
abbreviation
(M1,1) for Muddeman site 1, area 1. Please note this book only covers
the
We also took Where to
Watch
Birds in Southern and Western Spain (Garcia & Paterson, 2001,
Helm).
This covers a much wider geographical area, hence it does not give as
much
detail about Extremadura as Muddeman. It is, however, very well written
and an
enjoyable read.
We downloaded a large
number of
trip reports from the Internet to gain up-to-date gen, and to provide
details
of sites north of Madrid. We found these using www.google.co.uk searching on
species and
site names; and through www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/spain/index.htm.
I can recommend the following two reports:
·
Extremadura – 2002 by Simon Goodwin. www.simongoodwin.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/extremadura2002.htm
·
The Magnificent Marshside
Seven do Espana by John
Bannon, for a very humorous account www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/spain/tour5/tour-april2002.htm
We took the Michelin
Regional
Map 576 (note: previously numbered map 444 – Espagne Centre) to
Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha, Madrid at 1/400 000 scale. This
covered all
areas we visited in sufficient detail to be the only map needed.
For identification the
only book
required is the superb Collins Bird Guide (Mullarney, Svensson,
Zetterstrom & Grant, 1999, Harper Collins).
We flew return from
London
Heathrow to Madrid Barajas using bmi. This cost £105 booking
online with only
one weeks notice. See www.flybmi.com
Car hire was arranged
through
Worldwide Cars for £181.71 for a Citroen Xsara, including 2
drivers. Air con is
essential at this time of year. The Guardia maintained a high profile
on the
roads and speed traps were a common sight, on both motorways and more
minor
roads. You have been warned!
In Extremadura we stayed
throughout at the charming Finca Santa Marta. This is located 14km
south of
Trujillo along the EX208. Previously an olive and grape farm, the finca
has
been converted into a charming rural inn. Surrounded by countryside
away from
the town, the Finca provided excellent morning and evening birding
walks. We
recorded 42 species around the farm. Henri, the consummate host, has
aim the
hotel towards birders and general naturalists and during our stay up to
20
birders at a time were staying in the finca, providing good
opportunities to
exchange gen. The finca is also used by a number of birding tour
companies
visiting Extremadura. Recommended.
Double and twin rooms are
available
for 85 Euros per room. Good, home cooked 4 course evening meals are
also
provided for 28 Euros (excluding Sundays), including complementary
unlimited
local red wine… See www.fincasantamarta.com
for further details, or e-mail Henri at henri@facilnet.es.
Throughout this report the finca is abbreviated to FSM.
North of Madrid we stayed
one
night at the basic but clean and tidy Hotel Restaurante Villa de
Sepulveda.
Twin rooms were just 38 Euros per room. This is easily found on the
northern
side of the SG 233, although note it is actually in the village of
Santa Cruz,
just east of Sepulveda
English was only very
rarely
spoken in the areas we visited (except Henri at FSM), so a good
phrasebook and
a basic knowledge of Spanish are recommended.
Dawn in Extremadura was
07:10,
dusk at about 21:30. In Sepulveda, due to the distance travelled north,
dawn
broke at 06:15.
The weather in
Extremadura in
spring is changeable, before the heat of summer sets in. We encountered
cold
overcast conditions with occasional drizzle as fronts passed over
during our
first day and a half. After that the weather settled, and every day was
clear,
hot and sunny. During the middle of the day on hot days (1pm – 4pm)
bird
activity is greatly reduced and heat haze becomes a real problem. Try
to tailor
birding in recognition of this. The usual hot climate recommendations
of
covering up, a good sun block and drinking lots of water apply. Mornings could, however, still be cool.
In the Sierra de
Guadarrama the
air temperature was cooler but the sun still very strong.
Tuesday 6th
May
2003
We arrived at Madrid
around
midday, dispensed with the formalities then travelled southwest along
the quiet
and good quality NV E90. Note there is a great deal of EU-funded road
development
currently underway in Spain so consequently roadworks are frequent,
although
note much of a problem. Additionally, when a road has been upgraded its
name is
frequently changed. The map we took reflected the current status, but
Muddeman
and some trip reports are out of date. Also, motorways are dual named,
including an N name given in roman numerals. The use of Kilometre
markers on
all roads is very useful, especially on motorways where kilometre
markers are
used as junction numbers.
Our first stop was
Embalse de
Arroyocampo (M Q1). This wetland site is just off the NV at K200. In
the
reed-bed east of the road we easily found 1 Purple Swamphen,
and heard a
Savi’s Warbler singing. A group of Vultures overhead included 5 Black
Vultures. Many other birds around this good site included 2
Gull-billed
Terns, singing Cetti’s and Reed Warblers, 1 Common Sandpiper and 3
Spanish
Sparrows plus raptors over including
We then travelled a
further 50km
south to the town of Trujillo. The fishponds (M12) were quiet, but the
Bull
Ring provided excellent views of Lesser Kestrel.
We finally travelled
10mins south
to Finca Santa Marta (FSM). An evening stroll produced our first 10 Azure-winged
Magpies and common FSM birds including Short-toed Treecreeper,
Sardinian
Warbler, Nightingale, Serin, Woodlark plus Black Vulture
and Crag
Martin (!) over. At night 1 Scop’s Owl was heard calling.
Finca Santa Marta
Spotless
Starling at FSM
Wednesday 7th
May 2003
An early morning walk in
disappointing drizzle round FSM produced the same birds are the
previous
evening, plus Golden Oriole.
Progressing slowly along
this road
we found a further 3 Little Bustards, 1 Great Bustard
north of
the road, Little Owl and Stone Curlew. At the first obvious crossroads
we
turned right onto a well-maintained and wide track. The track leads
south, then
round to the right before forking. Around the fork and in the scrubby
hillside
south of the track we easily found 2 Great Spotted Cuckoos. This has
been a
reliable site for this species this year.
After returning along the
same
road, we headed north of Trujillo, then west towards Monroy on the road
described in Muddeman Site 11. Around areas M11, 1 and M11, 2 we found
a Red
Kite nest in a eucalyptus tree just right off the main road. The nest
also held
10+ pairs of Spanish Sparrows, providing great views, with up to c.100
more
pairs breeding in the area. Worth a stop. Our first Western Black-eared
Wheatears were on roadside fences further along this road.
We then turned south
towards the
village of Santa Marta de Magasca (SMdM). Where the road crosses the
rio
Magasca (M10, 3) we had great views of Crag Martin. It was now the heat
of the
day so despite searching the road south of SMdM (M10, 1) we saw little.
Montague’s Harriers were particularly common in this area and other
raptors,
including Black & Griffon Vultures
and Lesser
Kestrels, were ever-present. Returning north, just beyond SMdM we saw
our first
Golden Eagle.
At M11, 8 we found 3 Rock
Sparrows in the stony field just past the large farm, plus
Thekla Lark.
We then continued north of Monroy to the well-known Black-shouldered
Kite
site (M11, 10). This site is in use this year and we soon had excellent
views
of one Kite from the white gateposts at the end of the first section of
track,
looking across the dehesa to the right of the gates. It was c.16:30,
and the
weather had cleared out. It remained clear, dry, sunny and hot for the
rest of
the trip!
We returned along the
EX390
towards Caceres then drove the track detailed in Muddeman site 10, 5-10
in
reverse. Just before joining the track we saw our first 2 pairs of
Rollers. At
M11, 9 we had great views of sub-adult 2 Golden Eagles over then
steppe, one
being mobbed by a melanistic Montague’s Harrier. I had distant views of
a flock
of probable Pin-tailed Sandgrouse that dropped near M11,
8.
Despite searching we couldn’t find these again, and much better views
were
needed for a lifer! Continuing along the track we found 6 Short-toed
Larks and
2 further Western Black-eared Wheatears.
Thursday 8th
May
2003
Another early morning
walk at FSM
added Dartford Warbler to the finca list, but the star birds were 4 Common
Waxbill. If you stay at the Finca, follow the track downhill past
the car
park away from the entrance. The track bends right and then turns left.
It is
possible to continue walking straight on here, with a White Stork’s
nest on
your right and bare trees with breeding Short-toed Treecreepers on your
left.
The Waxbill were breeding just beyond the bare trees on the left.
We travelled north to the
Monfrague. There are currently major roadworks on the EX208 north of
Trujillo,
and it is closed on some places. Currently the best way to reach the
Monfrague
from Trujillo is to take the NV north to K227, then travel west through
Jaraocejo
on the EX385 until you reach the EX208, then travel north.
Our first stop was the Spanish
Imperial Eagle site near Torrejon el Rubio. We found out that
birders
have recently encountered problems at this site, with local farmers
claiming
the track as private. For this reason I have refrained from publishing
directions. Please only use this site if really needed; use La Bascula
in the
Monfrague first. We had distant views on one adult and one young Eagle
plus 1
Melodious Warbler, 1 Great-spotted Cuckoo and 2 Thekla Larks here.
Our first stop in the
Parque
Natural de Monfrague (M4) was Arroyo de la Vid and produced good views
of a
pair of Rock Sparrow, breeding Spanish Sparrow and a fly-over
adult
Golden Eagle.
Pena Falcon had the
expected hoard
of Griffon Vultures and 6 Black Storks. The highlight was distant views
of a
displaying
The large road-bridge
bridge by
the picnic-site at Aparacamiento produced 3 pairs of Alpine Swifts with
the
many House Martin. In scrub behind the next viewpoint, Puente del
Cardenal, AKM
had views of Spectacled Warbler. This was eclipsed when a pair of
After a quick stop at
Mirador de
la Bascula, which produced no adult Eagles, we moved to the lookout
point at
Portilla del Tietar. Here we quickly located this year’s 2 young Eagle
Owls, large but still not fledged. They were surprisingly
active for
late afternoon and gave excellent views.
We returned to La Bascula
and
explored the track that leads southwest from the car park. In an hour
of
exploring the different branches we were eventually rewarded with
excellent
views of 3 different singing male Western Subalpine Warblers,
plus Sardinian and Dartford Warblers. Back in the car park an adult Spanish
Imperial Eagle was on the nest, and Black Vultures
were
returning from their day in the plains, and provided excellent views
overhead.
We were then alerted to the fact that the adult Eagle Owl had
appeared, and we quickly returned to Portilla del Tietar. We had
excellent
views of a fantastic bird.
Friday 9th May
2003
A short walk at FSM
produced Common
Waxbill again, and our first 2 Cirl Bunting of the trip. We then
headed to
the track west of SMdM (M10, 5-10) to search for Sandgrouse. In the
first field
east of the track after turning off the SMdM road we saw a group of 8 Great
Bustards and a pair of Roller were using the Roller nest box on the
telegraph pylon next to the road where the first wires cross the road.
A short
distance further 5 Black-bellied Sandgrouse were feeding just 5 yards
from the
road.
As we drove north along
the road
we had good views of 3 Little Bustards, 3 Stone Curlew and 2
further
Black-bellied Sandgrouse. We stopped at the area when two days earlier
I thought
I had seen Pin-tailed Sandgrouse. Others had seen Pin-tails in this
area 2 days
earlier, so we were optimistic. As soon as we stopped the car 7 Pin-tailed
Sandgrouse flew over.
To find this area, when
travelling
north along the track the road turns 900 left after c.7km.
At this
point the field to the left is large, drops away from the road and is
ploughed.
To the right of the road is a brow. When the road turns a track that
continues
straight on, signed “Lomo de Hierro”. We parked next to the sign and
scanned
the fields. In the field right of this track, over the brow, we found 6
Pin-tailed
Sandgrouse which gave excellent perched views. A further 7 Pin-tails
flew past.
We returned south along
this track
seeing the same steppe species, including Short-toed Lark, Western
Black-eared
Wheatear, Great-spotted Cuckoo and Red-legged Partridge. This is an
excellent
track for all Steppe species and is highly recommended. We saw all the
above by
11:00am.
To bird through the heat
of the
day we first visited Embalse del Salor. This site is given in Garcia
and
Paterson (2001), but not Muddeman, and lies just south of Caceres. The
feeder
stream west of the reservoir produced singing Great Reed Warbler, 2
Cuckoo etc,
while from the picnic area on the southern bank next to the eastern
edge of the
reservoir we relaxed and digi-scoped Cattle and Little Egrets, Common
Sandpiper
and Little-ringed Plover while Azure-winged Magpies took crisps
placed
next to the car.
We next drove the minor
road
heading north from Torremocha (just east of Embalse del Salor) towards
to
village of
Returning to Trujillo we
found the
fishponds (M12) again quiet so crossed the EX208 to look round the
buildings
opposite the Bull Ring that Muddeman gives as a breeding site for
Pallid Swift.
We had fantastic close views of 6 birds there; recommended.
After dinner we again
explored the
grounds of the Finca, this time seeing 2 Scop’s Owls.
Saturday 10th
May 2003
The usual morning walk
around FSM
gave BAM a fly-over Hawfinch, the only one of the trip.
Today we headed south
from
Trujillo on the EX208 to bird the ‘northern rice fields’, an area of
paddyfields around Madrigalejo (M17). The aim of the day was to see Red
Avadavat, plus search for passage waders. This is a large area
and
during our May visit we found only very few paddyfields that held
birds.
Probably not recommended unless you want Red Avadavat (best at the old
bridge
over the rio Gargaligas, M17, 7) or have the time to spare.
Note that sites in this
area
change significance depending on the stage of rice cultivation in an
area. We
found some recommended areas completely dry. What is given here is a
May 2003
update, but this may not be relevant in later years.
We stopped at Embalse de
Sierra
Brava (M17, 2). Birds here were incredibly distant, but we could make
out a
breeding colony of Gull-billed Terns (20+ birds) plus Gadwall and
Black-winged
Stilt. Not recommended.
We then took the track
M17, 3. The
paddyfields in this area were all dry and birdless. We did, however,
find a
flock of 6 Red Avadavat feeding in a crop field along
this track.
We continued past Palazuelo and Zurbaran (M17, 9 & 10) seeing very
little
of note.
Driving the Gargaligas /
Los
Guadalperales (M17, 8) loop-road turned up our first good field of
birds
including 22 Little-ringed Plover, 2 Common Sandpiper, 1 Dunlin, 5
Greenshank
and 2 Redshank.
We then birded the old
bridge over
the rio Gargaligas (M17, 7). Looking down into reeds we found 20+ Red
Avadavat breeding, plus had great views of 4+ Great Reed
Warblers and
Cetti’s Warblers. We had over 25 species from the bridge in an hour.
We found the best site in
the
northern rice fields to be around Vegas Atlas (M17, 6). There is a road
that
leads due south from the village that then loops round and joins the
EX355 next
to the new bridge. This is shown on the Michelin map but is not in
Muddeman.
Paddyfields in this area produced some good birding, including Ringed
and
Little-ringed Plovers, 1 Dunlin, 5 more Greenshank and 1 Redshank, a
colony of
20+ Black-winged Stilts, 20 more Gull-billed Terns and our only
Black-headed
Gulls of the trip. In a flock of 25 Black-headed Gulls we found a
stunning
adult summer Mediterranean Gull, according to Muddeman only a vagrant
to
Extremadura. We also found a flock of 10 Collared Pratincoles in a
ploughed
field that gave excellent views.
We returned north,
driving the
road to Campo Lugar (M17, 1). Probably due to the time of day (c.16:00)
this
road produced nothing. However, just north of Zorita on the EX208 (at
Km post
100.5) we picked up a pair of raptors over the road and pulled very
quickly
into a track entrance. Amazingly they were
We returned to FSM when
an evening
stroll produced excellent views of Woodlark and later more calling Scop’s
Owls.
Sunday 11th
May
2003
A morning walk round FSM
was
required more to clear my head from the night before than for any
serious
birding… The aim of the day was to travel back to the Monfrague to
search for Western
Orphean Warbler missed on the 8th, and to try our
luck if
any early White-rumped Swifts were in.
We first searched the
road from
Arroyo de la Vid to the Castillo car park in the Monfrague for Western
Orphean Warbler. After an hours searching we had great views of
a
singing male. When travelling from the Arroyo de la Vid crossing you
pass a
obvious pair of white gate posts on the right just before the road
bends left,
then there is another pair of gateposts and a track entrance about 1km
further
on the left (the next set of posts). This is about 1km before the
entrance of
the Castillo car park. Parking here we had the Orphean in the trees
south of
the road.
We then parked in the
upper car
park at the Castillo (continue on the track through the lower car park
for a
much shorter walk!) and then climbed to the Castillo. This does provide
fantastic views over the park, and can give close views of passing
raptors, but
not when we were there. This is the site for White-rumped Swift
in Extremadura, but not unexpectedly we were just too early and failed
to see
any. In this area we had Rock Sparrow, 2 Cirl Buntings, many
Rock
Buntings and Blue Rock Thrushes.
Being a Sunday, the park
was far
busier than our first visit and, although perfectly acceptable, is
worth
avoiding if possible. We then birded the Pena Falcon and Puente del
Cardenal
(no more
At about 17:30 we decided
to bird
to Belen Plain road again (M12). From 18:00 onwards Little Bustards
began calling again and we found Great Bustard in the same
field as on
our first visit. As we progressed along the road the heat and haze
reduced and
we got better and better views of both Bustard species. Our final
totals were 9
Little Bustards and 17 Great Bustards, including 1
amazing
displaying male.
Monday 12th
May
2003
We left FSM and travelled
North on
the NV towards Madrid. We stopped again at Embalse de Arroyocampo (M
Q1) this
time getting excellent close views of a pair of Savi’s Warblers
nesting
east of the road. 3 Purple Swamphen on both side of the road
showed well
and a Great Reed Warbler was heard singing.
We then travelled south
of the NV
following up some gen about Black Wheatear. From Km 197 just south of
Almaraz
take the road south towards Valdecanas de Tajo. The road runs round the
west of
this village, then continues south. Take the fork towards Campillo de
Deleitosa. Follow this road into the valley, the road crosses a small
bridge
over a tributary then comes to a larger bridge over the main river.
Park on the
right just before the bridge, then cross the bridge and view back
across the
valley. A pair of Black Wheatears were present around the walled
garden, and
gave excellent views. Please view only from the road to prevent
disturbance.
Dupont’s Lark was a major
target
for the trip, which required us to leave Extremadura and travel 100km
north of
Madrid along the NI E5 to the Sepulveda area in Castilla-La Mancha. The
Larks
breed in the high plains of the Parque Natural de Hoces del rio
Duraton. To
find the site take the SG241 north from Santa Cruz (just east of
Sepulveda)
towards Uruenas. Take the left towards Castrillo de Sepulveda, then go
through
the village towards Villaseca. As you enter Villaseca take the wide
sandy track
that leads right, immediately past the church. The track is signed just
before
the church to ‘Ermita de San Frutos’.
This track leads 3.5km to
a car
park, from which it is a short downhill walk to the edge of a
spectacular gorge
that the rio Duraton has cut through the area, and is the reason for
the area
being a designated natural park. A church (Ermita de San Frutos) is
located
overlooking the gorge further along the track, and is a popular tourist
site.
In the scrub round the
path
shortly after the car park we found 3 Western Orphean Warblers,
which gave excellent prolonged views. Recommended over the Monfrague
for
searching for this bird. The gorge holds important numbers of breeding
cliff
nesting birds, which give spectacular close views, often just overhead.
We saw
60+ Chough (amazingly a new world bird for AKM, but we won’t
tell anyone
about that…) and 100+ Griffon Vultures plus Egyptian Vulture and Raven.
Blue
Rock Thrush was present while Iberian Black Redstart and Crag Martin
were
common. The fantastic scenery and close views of the birds made this
our
favourite site of the whole trip, and we highly recommend it.
We then searched along
the
entrance track for Dupont’s Lark, from 18:45 to dusk. We
found
most calling birds between 1km and 1.5km after the ‘stream-less valley’
that
the track crosses, if approaching from the main road. Larks abound in
this habitat
(we say many Short-toed, plus Crested, Thekla, Sky, Wood and 1
Calandra) and we
found 5 Western Black-eared Wheatears and 1 Tawny Pipit. However, we
could only
hear Dupont’s Lark, with a maximum of 3 distant birds.
Tuesday 13th
May
2003
We returned to the Dupont’s
Lark site just after dawn and searched until 09:30. Again
Dupont’s were
calling, this time 5 frustratingly all round us, but we just could not
see El
Diablo (cf. Bannon 2002). We recorded the same birds as last night,
with the
Tawny Pipit count rising to 2 birds.
A brief look into the
‘stream-less
valley’ produced another Western Orphean Warbler, while
Spectacled Warbler was heard singing and a male Dartford Warbler showed
well.
The final area of the
trip we
planned to visit was the Sierra de Guadarrama. Lying just 60km north of
Madrid,
and being accessible by car up to 1900 metres, it provides some quick
and easy
mountain birding and is a good site for Citril Finch. It took
an hour
and a quarter to reach Puerto de Navacerrada from Villaseca, via
Puerto de Navacerrada is
the
We then drove up the road
past the
ski-lift mentioned above. This eventually ends at some sort of military
/
air-force building. We parked just before this and explored the trails
that
start on the left just after a ski-pull, when coming from the main
road. We
walked to the start of the trails where you enter the coniferous
woodland, then
took the trails that led left. On a short walk we saw 2 Crested Tits, 1
Crossbill, 4 more Citril Finch and heard Great Spotted
Woodpecker. Coal
Tit and Goldcrest were common.
Returning to the car we
then
dropped to Puerto de Navacerrada and turned onto the M604, then took
the first
signed right turn to Valdesqui. This is a dead-end road that leads to a
large
car park for ski lifts, closed when we were there. The road to the car
park
climbs, allowing you to explore a fantastic open valley, getting above
the tree
line. Parking at the end of the road and walking back along the road we
found
another 4 Citril Finch, a stunning male Rock Thrush, 6+
Rock
Bunting, 3 Northern Wheatear and 1 Grey Wagtail. Others have seen Water
Pipit
and Ortolan Bunting at this site.
Returning back to the
M604
Valcotos is on your right, which has a very large car park overlooking
a wooded
valley. Birding round the car park produced 2 Citril Finch, 4+
Rock
Buntings and 3 Firecrest.
We were ahead of our
planned
timings so we decided to have another walk along the wooded trails
detailed
above at Puerto de Navacerrada. Turning left after entering the
woodland and
following the trail, one crosses a cleared ski run and then a parallel
area of
cleared trees, home to a ski lift. Looking down the valley we had great
views
of a stunning male Iberian Pied Flycatcher singing from
the
cables of the ski lift.
A really distinctive
bird, it’s a
shame that Saetre,
We then returned south
the Madrid
Barajas airport for the flight home. This was much delayed due to a
French air
traffic controller’s strike, eventually getting us into Heathrow at
As stated in the
introduction we had
a very successful trip, seeing 21 of our 24 target birds. We missed
White-rumped Swift at the Castillo de Monfrague, but we expected to as
we were
just too early. We also failed to bump into Iberian Green Woodpecker
anywhere,
but I had no specific gen. The biggest disappointment, however, was not
seeing
Dupont’s Lark. Always a difficult bird, some recent trip reports had
increased
out confidence about getting it at the Parque Natural de Hoces
A lack of time and gen in
the
Sierra de Guadarrama meant we only scratched the surface of what looks
like an
excellent area for birding. Comparing our systematic list to other trip
reports
from Extremadura notable dips included no Little Bittern or
Black-crowned Night-heron
at Embalse de Arroyocampo, no Peregrine or Goshawk in the Monfrague, no
Penduline Tit in the rice fields and no
Thanks to Tom McJannet
and Graham
Cantley for gen before we left, David Cottridge for the Oprhean gen and
Paul
Gale for getting us when the adult Eagle Owl appeared!
Thanks also to all the
birders we
met during our trip that we chatted to, saw birds with and exchanged
gen with.
We all saw more because of this.
FURTHER INFORMATION
For any further
info please contact the author at bamiller@talk21.com
·
Little
Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis
2 Birds as Embalse de Arroyocampo (M Q1), 5 at
Embalse
del Salor and 3 other individuals noted in Extremadura.
·
Great
Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus
Seen at Embalse de Arroyocampo
(M Q1) on both occasions
and 5 at Embalse de Sierra Brava (M17, 2).
·
Continental
Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis
2 flew over Embalse de Arroyocampo (M
Q1) on the 12th.
·
Little
Egret Egretta garzetta
Singles and pairs seen at
most wetlands sites throughout
Extremadura, often with flocks of Cattles. 18 recorded during the trip.
·
Grey
Heron Ardea cinerea
Occasionally noted in
Extremadura, but only common at Embalse
del Salor.
·
Purple
Heron Ardea purpurea
Only seen at Embalse de Arroyocampo (M
Q1), 2
birds on both visits.
·
Cattle
Egret Bubulcus ibis
A very common sight on
the plains, often in large flocks.
Between 200 and 300 seen daily.
·
Black
Stork
Ciconia nigra
Seen mainly the Monfrague
(M4) with 8 recorded on the 8th,
breeding pairs seen well at Pena Falcon and Portilla del Tietar. 2
singles seen
in flight away from the park.
·
White
Stork Ciconia ciconia
A very common sight in
Extremadura, away from the Monfrague.
100+ seen daily.
· Gadwall Anas strepera
Only 2 seen at Embalse del Salor.
· Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
Seen frequently at all
wetland sites. Most small pools in
the plains held a pair.
· Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus
1 adult bird showed well
at the site near Monroy
· Red Kite Milvus milvus
Frequently recorded
throughout, but in much smaller numbers
than Black Kite. Seen daily, trip total 31 birds.
·
Black
Kite Milvus migrans
Seen daily, the most
widespread raptor throughout.
·
Egyptian
Vulture Neophron percnopterus
Breeding birds seen in
singles and pairs in the Monfrague.
Also surprisingly frequently seen singly over the plains. Birds also
seen in
near the Black Wheatear site and in the Parque Natural de Hoces
·
Griffon
Vulture Gyps fulvus
Very common throughout,
Monfrague breeding birds range
widely. Best views, however, in the Parque Natural de Hoces
·
Black Vulture Aegypius
monachus
Seen surprisingly
frequently at all sites visited in Extremadura.
32 birds recorded. One seen between Sepulveda and Segovia was a
surprise.
·
Short-toed
Eagle Circaetus gallicus
7 birds seen in
Extremadura including good views of close
birds at Punte del Cardenal and Portilla del Tietar in the Monfrague.
·
Marsh
Harrier Circus aeruginosus
Seen on both visits to
Embalse de Arroyocampo
(M Q1). One female also surprised us by flying over the Belen Plains
(M12) on
the evening of the 12th.
·
Montagu's
Harrier Circus pygargus
Commonly seen at all
plains sites visited. Best views were
at a loose colony south east of SMdM (M10, 1).
·
Buzzard
Buteo buteo
32 birds recorded during
the trip. Mostly seen singularly in
lowland dehesa habitat.
·
Spanish Imperial Eagle
1 adult bird watched
circling the
nest-site at Torrejon el Rubio with one young bird seen in the nest. An
adult
eventually seen on the nest from the Mirador de la Bascula in the
Monfrague,
again with a young bird on the nest.
·
Golden
Eagle
5 birds seen. A single
just north of SMdM, a sub-adult pair
over the plains from the track west of SMdM (M10, 9), and adult over
Arroyo de
la Vid and an adult over the Black Wheatear site.
·
The highlight of the trip
for me. A distant bird was seen displaying
from the Pena Falcon viewpoint in the Monfrague was followed by good
views of a
pair from Punte del Cardenal, Monfrague. When I thought it couldn’t get
any
better a crippling pair were seen low over the EX208 just north of
Zorita.
·
18 birds seen,
predominantly over dehesa habitat.
·
Lesser
Kestrel Falco naumanni
Frequently seen in the
plains, but distant birds were not
always identified beyond Kestrel sp. Best views were the breeding birds
at
Trujillo Bull Ring (M12).
·
Kestrel
Falco tinnunculus
Seemed far less common
than Lesser in Extremadura.
·
Red-legged
Partridge Alectoris rufa
14 birds seen during the
trip. Pairs occasionally noted in
steppe areas visited, plus 3 calling birds seen when searching for the
Dupont’s
Larks.
·
Quail
Coturnix coturnix
Frequently heard from
suitable habitat. Seemingly very
common.
· Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio
1 bird seen at Embalse de
Arroyocampo
(M Q1) east of
the road on our first visit, 3 there on our second included one west of
the
road. Easy to get good views at this site.
· Moorhen Gallinula chloropus
Noted at most wetland
sites visited, very common in the
north eastern rice fields (M17, 6-10)
· Coot Fulica atra
Only 2 birds seen at
Embalse del
Salor
· Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax
Excellent views of birds
on the Belen Plains (M12) and the
steppe west of SMdM (M10, 5-8). 19 birds seen in total.
·
Great Bustard
Otis tarda
31 birds seen in total
during the trip, again on the Belen
Plains (M12) and the steppe west of SMdM (M10, 5-8).
·
Black-winged
Stilt Himantopus himantopus
Common in the northern
rice fields, especially in the area
south of the
· Stone-curlew Burhinus oedicnemus
Seen on both the Belen
Plains (M12) and the steppe west of
SMdM (M10, 5-8). 8 birds seen in total.
·
Collared
Pratincole Glareola pratincola
1 seen in flight from the
old bridge over the rio Gargaligas
south of Madrigalejo (M17, 7), then a flock of 10 gave excellent views
in
fields from the road we found south of Vegas Atlas (M17, 6).
·
Little-ringed
Plover Charadrius dubius
The most frequent wader
we recorded in Extremadura, with
breeding pairs seen at many wetland sites visited. A flock of 22 in the
paddy
fields near Los Guadalaperales (M17, 8) were presumably migrants.
·
Ringed
Plover Charadrius hiaticula
A flock of 9 were seen on
a paddy field south of Vegas Atlas
(M17, 6).
·
Dunlin
Calidris alpina
2 seen in the northern
rice fields. One with the flock of
Little Ringed Plovers, one with the Ringed Plovers!
·
Redshank
Tringa tetanus
3 migrants seen in the
northern rice fields, one in Muddeman
site 17 area 10, the other 2 on the Los Guadalaperales loop (M17, 8).
·
Greenshank
Tringa nebularia
10 migrants seen while
birding the northern rice fields.
· Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
9 birds seen at various
wetland sites; Embalse de Arroyocampo
(M Q1), Embalse del Salor and the northern rice fields (M17).
· Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus
Only seen in the northern
rice fields where 2 flocks
totalling 50 birds were seen south of Vegas Atlas (M17, 6) and north of
Madrigalejo (M17, 4)
· Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus
One seen at Embalse del Salor was our
only record.
·
Mediterranean
Gull Larus melanocephalus
A cracking adult summer
bird was with the flock of
Black-headed Gulls we found on a paddy field south of Vegas Atlas (M17,
6).
Only a vagrant in Extremadura.
·
Gull-billed
Tern Sterna nilotica
Common in the northern
rice fields, breeding at Embalse de
Sierra Brava (M17, 2) and seen frequently at areas M16, 4 and M17, 6.
Also two
birds on one occasion at FSM.
·
Pin-tailed Sandgrouse Pterocles alchata
Only seen from the track west of SMdM (M10,
5-10), as
described above. 15 birds seen in total.
·
Black-bellied
Sandgrouse Pterocles orientalis
Only seen from the track west of SMdM (M10,
5-6). 7
birds in 2 groups.
·
Feral
Pigeon Columba livia 'feral'
Common, not religiously
recorded.
·
Woodpigeon
Columba palumbus
Occasionally noted.
·
Turtle
Dove Streptopelia turtur
Frequently seen, 22 birds
on 7 days.
·
Collared
Dove Streptopelia decaocto
Reasonably common, 21
birds seen on 5 days.
·
Great
Spotted Cuckoo Clamator glandarius
4 birds seen. A pair
showed very well sat on fence wires on
the Belen Plains (M12), then fly-pasts at the Spanish Imperial Eagle
site west
of Torrejon el Rubio and on the steppe west of SMdM (M10, 6). Listen
for their
calls.
·
Cuckoo
Cuculus canorus
Frequently heard
throughout, 3 birds seen.
·
Scop's Owl Otus
scops
Heard nightly at FSM,
with 4 birds simultaneously the high
count. 2 birds seen on one occasion. Also heard calling from the gorge
at the Parque
Natural de Hoces
·
Eagle Owl
Bubo bubo
2 young, and eventually a
fantastic adult, seen very well at
Portilla del Tietar in the Monfrague.
· Little Owl Athene noctua
5 birds seen at steppe
sites visited.
· Red-necked Nightjar Caprimulgus ruficollis
2 birds seen and 1 more
heard at Mirador de la Bascula in
the Monfrague. Birds showed from
· Alpine Swift Tachymarptis melba
Only seen in the
Monfrague at Pena Falcon, La Bascula and
breeding under the bridge before Punte de Cardenal. Seen in small
groups, up to
6 birds at once.
· Swift Apus apus
Commonly seen throughout.
All Swift sp. recorded as this
species, but when searching it did genuinely seemed far commoner than
the
Pallid.
·
Pallid
Swift Apus pallidus
15 seen on 4 days. Best
views in the evenings opposite the
Bull Ring in Trujillo (M12)
·
Kingfisher
Alcedo atthis
3 birds seen.
·
Bee-eater
Merops apiaster
A delightfully common
sight throughout Extremadura.
·
Roller
Coracias garrulous
2 birds seen roadside posts on the EX390
just before
the start of the good steppe track west of SMdM from the western entry
(M10,
10) then 2 more just after starting along the track. A pair were seen
nesting
at the start of this track (M10, 5), and a further 2 birds seen in the
Vegas
Atlas area of the northern rice fields (M17, 6).
·
Hoopoe
Upupa epops
Seen daily, 36 birds
seen. Best views were in steppe and
dehesa areas.
·
Great
Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major
1 heard calling from the
walks near the military building,
Puerto de Navacerrada in the Sierra de Guadarrama.
· Calandra Lark Melanocorypha calandra
Seen in steppe habitat
where steppe was good quality. 56
recorded, excellent views at times.
·
Short-toed
Lark Calandrella brachydactyla
In Extremadura 6 birds
seen on the good steppe road west of
SMdM, mainly between sites M10 7-9. A further pair in Extremadura seen
south of
Vegas Atlas
in the northern rice fields (M17, 6) where we had the
Collared Pratincoles. Commonly seen in the plains of the Parque Natural
de
Hoces
·
Dupont's Lark Chersophilus duponti
A main target bird for
the trip, and a disappointing dip. Up
to 8 birds heard along the access track to the gorge at the Parque
Natural de Hoces
·
Crested
Lark Galerida cristata
Common
·
Thekla
Lark Galerida theklae
Neither searched for, nor
rigorously identified. Recorded
mainly in dehesa, and with excellent views while searching for the
Dupont’s
Larks.
·
Woodlark
Lullula arborea
Regularly heard from
suitable habitat. Excellent views of
birds at FSM and behind Mirador de la Bascula in the Monfrague (M4).
· Skylark Alauda arvensis
Only seen and heard at
the Parque
Natural de Hoces
· Crag Martin Hirundo rupestris
Seen daily, even 3 birds
on two occasions over FSM! Common
in the Monfrague and at the gorge at the Parque Natural de Hoces
·
Barn
Swallow Huirundo rustica
Very common
·
Red-rumped
Swallow Hirundo daurica
Quite common, especially
in lowland habitats. Excellent
views of pairs whenever roads cross small streams, as almost all small
bridges
on the plains seemed to have hold a breeding pair.
·
House
Martin Delichon urbica
Very common, the most
frequently recorded hirundine.
·
Tawny
Pipit Anthus campestris
I thought we were going
to dip after not seeing any in
Extremadura (few and far between?) until we saw 3 birds well at the Parque
Natural de Hoces
·
White
Wagtail Motacilla alba alba
Seen occasionally at
wetland sites and near streams.
·
Grey
Wagtail
Motacilla cinerea
One bird seen in the
valley that runs parallel to the road
to Valdesqui
in the Sierra de Guadarrama.
·
Wren
Troglodytes troglodytes
9 birds seen and heard
throughout.
· Dunnock Prunella modularis
Only seen in the high Sierra de Guadarrama,
mostly
around Valdesqui.
·
Robin
Erithacus rubecula
Again only seen in the
high Sierra
de Guadarrama,
mostly around Valdesqui.
·
Nightingale
Luscinia megarhynchos
Commonly heard in
suitable habitat. Occasional birds showed.
Most frequently recorded from areas of riverside vegetation.
·
Iberian
Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros aterrimus
Seen in the Monfrague
(with best views behind the parking
area at Pena Falcon), in the gorge at the Parque Natural de Hoces
·
Stonechat
Saxicola torquata
Common in most habitats,
especially steppe and cultivated
areas.
·
Black
Wheatear Oenanthe leucura
One pair seen very well
at the site described above near
Campillo de Deleitosa
·
Northern
Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe
Only seen at Valdesqui in
the Sierra
de Guadarrama, where
4 were around the car park.
·
Western
Black-eared Wheatear Oenanthe hispanica hispanica
Seen in small numbers
throughout, 15 birds recorded on 7
days. Birds seen around M11 3-7, M10 7-10, near the Black Wheatear site
and
commonly in the Parque Natural de Hoces
·
Blue
Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius
Excellent views of birds
in the Monfrague (Pena Falcon and
Castillo best) and in the Parque Natural de Hoces
·
Rock Thrush Monticola
saxatilis
One male bird showed really well in the valley that runs parallel to the road to Valdesqui in the Sierra de Guadarrama.