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Birdingextremadura.com Birding Extremadura and Casa Rural El Recuerdo SPRING TOUR 11th March 2010 – 16th March 2010 |
Guests: Colin Carter, John Davies and Terry Clark Guide: Martin Kelsey
Itinerary 11th March 2010: Collection midday at Madrid Airport and transfer to Casa Rural El Recuerdo, Pago de San Clemente, Trujillo with stop at Arrocampo reservoir. 12th March 2010: Monfragüe National Park, River Almonte and Trujillo Bull Ring 13th March 2010: Sierra Brava Reservoir (south of Zorita) and the rice-growing area near Madrigalejo (Casas del Hito, Moheda Alta, Vegas Altas and Palazuelo) 14th March 2010: Plains near Santa Marta de Magasca, Talaván Reservoir, Trujilllo and Belén. 15th March 2010: Jaraicejo, the Villuercas Mountains and Trujillo. 16th March 2010: Arrocampo reservoir and Valdecañas, then transfer to Madrid airport.
TRIP REPORT
11th March 2010 Colin, John and Terry arrived ahead of schedule and just after noon we were leaving the airport at Madrid. It was a bright day, with scattered cloud with just a touch of a chill to the air. We took the A5 motorway from Madrid and made excellent progress with very light traffic across the plains of northern Toledo province into Extremadura. White Storks a plenty were seen on the drive. We stopped for lunch just off the motorway near Saucedilla, with Serins singing in the car park and Swallows hawking insects. From there it was just a few minutes to our first birding stop (pausing to admire a fine Iberian Grey Shrike): the ramp of one of the hides overlooking the Arrocampo reservoir, with a Spoonbill being one of the very first birds seen. Arrocampo acts as a giant cooling pool for the Almaraz power station and boasts the finest habitat in Extremadura for a range of marsh birds. From the ramp we heard the toy trumpet call of Purple Swamphen, the song of Cetti’s Warbler and Zitting Cisticola and watching dozens of Chiffchaffs foraging in short sallies from the reed mace. At the next hide we quickly found two very obliging Purple Swamphen, and were rewarded by the arrival of a Squacco Heron, coming to land nearby. The fine calls of Penduline Tit were just about audible and we found a pair feeding on the reed mace seed heads and then had magnificent views of the male singing in a willow tree. We then explored an area to the north of Saucedilla village. At our first stop along a rather pot-holed road, Colin found a Black-winged Kite perched on top of a willow tree and we watched it at length as it preened, before taking off and flying close by. A splendid Short-toed Eagle drifted over. Further along we found a newly arrived male Woodchat Shrike as well as Hoopoes, Sand Martins and a pair of Lesser Kestrels. Pools in the fields were quite productive, yielding Teal, Shoveler, Green Sandpiper and a party of Common Snipe, caught in superb afternoon sunlight. We made a final stop back at the reservoir and spent several minutes trying to locate a singing Savi’s Warbler, but the light was deteriorating so we agreed to return to the car and make the final leg of the journey, reaching Casa Rural El Recuerdo just after 7pm with a welcome fire in the hearth and a pre-dinner glass of the local wine.
12th March 2010 It was a fine, clear morning and Colin et al enjoyed a short pre-breakfast walk near the house, adding birds like Red-rumped Swallow and Sardinian Warbler to the holiday list. After breakfast we headed north to the Monfragüe National Park. En route we saw at least two Woodchat Shrike and Colin spotted a Black Stork beside a pool in the dehesa. Approaching the park itself, we all had good views of a party of four Wild Boars clambering their way up a bank. Our first stop was the magnificent Peña Falcon, the massive cliff face beside the river Tajo superbly illuminated in the morning sunshine, whilst we shivered in the shade! Griffon Vultures wheeled over the crags, whilst many more were perched on ledges. A pair of Red-billed Choughs called behind us. We also heard the high-pitched greeting calls of Black Stork and watched a bird come into land half way up the rock, its iridescent neck shining bottle-green. A Spanish Imperial Eagle made three showings to the right of the crag – the third time being mobbed by a Peregrine that had been circling. We also had good views of Black and Egyptian Vultures, as well as Blue Rock Thrush and a plucky Wren singing from a rock just below us. Just before leaving we had distant views of a Black Wheatear high up on the skyline. We then drove over to the Portilla del Tiétar, a smaller but no less impressive rock face beside the Tajo’s tributary, the Tiétar. We hoped to get more views of Spanish Imperial Eagle here but despite waiting for a couple of hours, we were not to be lucky. We did however get more good views of all three vultures (including a mating pair of Egyptian Vultures), as well as a Short-toed Eagle which came into to land on a tree nearby. But pride of place must go to a superb juvenile Golden Eagle which coasted along the hillside in front of us, giving us prolonged views in excellent light. Smaller birds were not overlooked: parties of Azure-winged Magpie, Long-tailed Tits, a Short-toed Treecreeper and the noisy rivalry between two male Great Spotted Woodpeckers, resulting in some extraordinarily resonant drumming. Time was getting on and so we took off to the picnic area of Tajadilla, just as a front was arriving taking away the sunshine and giving us overcast skies for the rest of the day, with a noticeable drop in temperature. Flocks of Azure-winged Magpies came to the picnic tables, but we also had to keep checking the skies between mouthfuls as above us were Egyptian Vultures, a pair of displaying Short-toed Eagle, Black Stork and party of eight Black Kite. After lunch we birded in an area of pines, finding a singing Hawfinch, as well as Crested Tit and a pair of Cirl Bunting. As we were driving back we saw the pair of Short-toed Eagles on a pylon and then immediately stopped the car and got out to watch an adult Bonelli’s Eagle glide past close-by. We made a further stop close to the Tajo river which gave us a chance to have good views of a pair of Thekla Lark and a Black Kite. On our way back to Trujillo we enjoyed a short walk beside the River Almonte, picking up Grey Wagtail and seeing another pair of Short-toed Eagle. Back in Trujillo we completed the day watching the Lesser Kestrels on the roof of the Bull Ring with intimate views of the pair-bonding. 13th March 2010 Excellent weather throughout the day, but with just a slight chill on the wind. Colin at al enjoyed another productive pre-breakfast walk, with brief views of Long-eared Owl not far from the house. Today we headed south driving through Zorita and then across the plains towards the reservoir of Sierra Brava. The banks were thronged with anglers, many of whom had evidently spent the night there. Out in the far distance were thousands of duck, vast rafts of them, but too far to identify, but checking through some closer individuals we picked up Common Shelduck, Gadwall and Shoveler amongst the Mallard. A pair of Great Spotted Cuckoos had greeted our arrival, perched obligingly nearby to afford us good views. A ruined barn had a few Lesser Kestrels. We then drove down onto the rice-growing area of Casas del Hito, en route seeing our first Red Avadavats of the day. A first stop to watch a two Avocet, also produced a small group of Wood Sandpiper and a flock of Dunlin. Dozens of White Wagtail were feeding on the open muddy paddies. Whilst standing there a party of four Spoonbill flew over, a wonderful sight against the clear blue sky; the individuals positioned perfectly equidistant from each other. We reached an embanked pool where we saw another Spoonbill as well as small numbers of Mallard, Teal, Shoveler and some Grey Lag Geese. Following the embankment we reached a good point to survey some fields holding large numbers of Black-headed Gulls, as well as a flock of Dunlin, two Common Redshank and a small party of Greenshank. There were also two very distant Kentish Plover as well as two Water Pipit, just getting into breeding plumage. The numbers of Common Snipe present (throughout the day) were extraordinary: a hundred in total would be a very conservative estimate indeed. Three Tree Sparrow were found, perched huddled together on top of a post. The sky was also checked and near a soaring Red Kite, we picked up a pale phase Booted Eagle. Back at the car we had coffee and Kit Kats and Terry spotted a pair of Penduline Tits on a bush nearby, which also had a throng of Spanish Sparrows. The Penduline Tits were in super light and the difference in the size of facial mask between male and female was easily discernable. As we stood there a party of Grey Lags headed off toward the Sierra Brava reservoir, it would not be long before they would be heading north for Norway. Further along we approached a flock of about a hundred Common Crane and managed to drive carefully passed without disturbing them, despite them being very close to the road. We entered an open wooded area with large number of tree-nesting White Stork and also had good views of Iberian Grey Shrike. We then explored an area south of Madrigalejo, a mixture of small paddies as well as drier arable land. We encountered several parties of Great Bustard, having views of them striding on the ground as well as in flight. We also had flight views of a party of nine Black-bellied Sandgrouse and enjoyed a prolonged view of a fine male Hen Harrier quartering the fields. At our lunch stop we saw a few more Great Bustard, including three large males with fine sets of whiskers! Our next stop was another small pool at Moheda Alta, like the Casas del Hito pool there were not many birds present, but we did find a fine breeding plumaged Black-necked Grebe, as well as a female Common Pochard. The embankment held a flock of Red Avadavats which called constantly to each other in their rather thin high-pitched notes. The rest of the afternoon was spent in the rice fields near Palazuelo. A Common Waxbill was seen briefly near the village as well as a Great White Egret. We enjoyed a short walk along one of the farm tracks, finding a group of Little Stint feeding with a small party of Kentish Plover. But pride of place was a wonderful Bluethroat, found by Colin as he gallantly walked beside a ditch. The bird gave us magnificent views as it perched on a concrete water channel and hopped about on damp vegetation, its tail cocked. 14th March 2010 Colin et al walked before breakfast up the lane before dawn to try to see Barn Owl, but unfortunately had no luck. It was another fine frosty morning heralding yet another glorious day, with just a bite to the north-east breeze. After breakfast we made our first stop on the plains between Trujillo and Santa Marta de Magasca. Here we had two walks along tracks, accompanied the whole time by the song of Calandra Larks. We were given several excellent views of Great Spotted Cuckoos, including birds being chased by Magpies, sitting on nearby fences and one bird feeding on caterpillars on the ground, completely unconcerned of our presence. Raptors also drifted overhead: Booted Eagle, Red and Black Kite, Black Vulture and Buzzard. The fields had good numbers of White Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, groups of Skylark, as well as both Crested and Thekla Lark. We found several groups of Great Bustard, having good views of one group standing close to the skyline on a flower-rich meadow, with at least two of the males just starting to show lekking behaviour. On the first walk we also heard and had brief views of a Stone Curlew, and also heard Pin-tailed Sandgrouse. There were parties of Golden Plover, some coming into breeding plumage. On the second walk, we had some superb views of Black-bellied Sandgrouse flying close by and much more distant views of a large flock of Pin-tailed Sandgrouse. We then drove north of the village of Santa Marta de Magasca to a high plateau where we stopped for coffee. Just as we were getting out of the car a male Montagu’s Harrier flew close by, settling a couple of times on the ground. Within minutes we were watching two females above us. During our stay three pairs of Black Vulture also drifted overhead. It was a magnificent place. We then drove north, through the village of Monroy and then to the small reservoir of Talaván. A fine Woodchat Shrike was one of the highlights of the drive. There were small numbers of Mallard and Gadwall on the reservoirs, as well as both Great Crested and Little Grebe. We stopped for lunch there and were rewarded by the superb sight of a displaying Golden Eagle and a very close male Penduline Tit. We stopped briefly at a bridge over the Rio Almonte in the hope of finding early Alpine Swifts, but no joy so we continued to Trujillo to visit the historic Main Square. No sign of Pallid Swifts there either, but one cannot complain seeing Black and Red Kite, Black and Griffon Vulture, Lesser Kestrel, White Stork, Crag Martin and Swallow whilst sitting enjoying a sunny Sunday afternoon, with some people-watching thrown in to boot! Our final visit was to the expansive, rolling Belén Plains. Here we came across more scattered groups of Great Bustard (bringing our day total to 75 birds), Hoopoes, hunting Lesser Kestrels, a brief view of a Merlin dashing by and longer view of a male Hen Harrier. We came across a feeding party of vultures (about 25 Griffons and four Blacks) at a carcase close to road. A distant group of Common Cranes, watched against the backdrop of the snow-covered Gredos mountains was an evocative sight, but best of all was a wonderful party of eight Little Bustard feeding close to the road in lovely low evening light. Another group was seen in flight a few minutes later, the white on their wings shimmering against the blue sky.
15th March 2010 No Long-eared Owl on this morning’s pre-breakfast walk, but Colin et al did see two Montagu’s Harriers flying northwards, high overhead, clearly on migration. Despite the forecast suggesting that it would be overcast, it was a bright sunny morning and remained so throughout the day, indeed it was probably the warmest day of the year so far. The conditions were perfect for the first stop on the heath at Jaraicejo and even before we had stopped the car we had seen the first Dartford Warbler perched on top of a broom bush. As we walked across the heath, Dartford Warblers were undertaking their jerky little song-flights. Thekla Larks too were in good numbers, perched on top of bushes and on the track. A couple of parties of Black Kite drifted northwards, like the harriers, also on migration. Griffon and Black Vultures drifted in a line on the opposite direction. The track descended into a cork oak grove which had a good number of feeding Chiffchaffs along the track in the sunshine, as well as an early Willow Warbler. A Firecrest was also found as were Nuthatches and several Short-toed Treecreepers. We made a brief stop beside the Arroyo de la Vid, just in time to have extraordinary views of a Short-toed Eagle which soared just a few metres, it felt, above our heads. We then drove into the Villuercas Mountains, spotting Mistle Thrushes in the dehesa and then stopping at the River Almonte between Retamosa and Cabañas del Castillo. Here we saw a juvenile Golden Eagle drifting slowly overhead and our first glimpse of Alpine Swift, amongst a myriad of House Martins and Crag Martins. At the village of Cabañas del Castillo, we found quickly a female Black Wheatear and then had magnificent views of Alpine Swift, gliding close by at eye-level. We had a short walk to the base of the crags which stand above the village, reaching a pass that we crossed to enjoy the spectacular view of the valley and ridges to the east. A Peregrine was calling and it wheeled and then settled on the cliff face. A very obliging Rock Bunting sat on a rock and preened itself in the sunshine, whilst we also found Blue Rock Thrush and Black Redstart. We returned to have lunch in the little car park with its magnificent view of the rolling hills to the west, having more sightings of Alpine Swifts. Then we headed south, along the side of the ridge, stopping for a walk in cork oak woodland. Another Peregrine was very vocal here and we also saw a pair of Egyptian Vultures. The woods had Nuthatch, Short-toed Treecreeper, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Crested Tit. We then drove all the way to the south of the range, climbing to reach the highest point (1600 metres), close to the town on Guadalupe. This is sometimes a wintering site for Alpine Accentor, but despite a search we failed to find any, but we heard Wren, Robin, Sardinian and Dartford Warbler in the dwarf high altitude scrub. Despite the paucity of birds, the views were breathtaking – north to the snow-clad Sierra de los Gredos, east into Toledo province and south towards Andalucía. The day was concluded sitting in the square of Trujillo, enjoying a drink, hoping to see Pallid Swifts. Martin had gone for a few minutes to fill the tank of the car and just as he returned to join the team the long-awaited Pallid Swifts appeared…perfect timing! Several times they came over, showing well in the early evening sunshine.
16th March 2010 An early breakfast at 7a.m. and then just as the car was being loaded for the return to Madrid, Martin heard a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker drumming. Heading down the lane, Colin located the bird high on a dead branch in a poplar. An excellent start to the day! Another fine sunny day, but with a fresher breeze which picked up mid-morning whilst we were at our first port of call, the reservoir of Arrocampo. We heard at least three Savi’s Warblers singing at the first stop we made (two more than five days earlier) but only brief and distant glimpses were obtained, although the Purple Swamphens were more obliging. At the next stop, Martin and John found a male Little Bittern sitting right out in the open. Several Barn Swallows hawked over the reeds, one appearing quite reddish-buff below. A couple of Reed Buntings were also present. Onward to the next stop, we paused to watch two Great White Egrets flying low over the vegetation. A Sedge Warbler was singing from the vegetation, but remained out of sight. Bearded Tits (a local rarity) were heard and then at least three were seen moving from one island of reeds to another. A female Bluethroat appeared right on the track and then flew to perch on nearby reeds, its tailed cocked characteristically. We lingered on to have some coffee, a good move because just when we had cups in hand an Osprey appeared, hovering over the water. We had tremendous views of it, watching it dive eventually and reappear shortly afterwards with a large fish in its talons. What a bonus! We returned to the first stop and were rewarded by a very close view of a Purple Heron flying overhead, what a great morning it had been! We then headed up the Valdecañas valley for a brief visit, stopping to look at some emerging orchids (conical and naked man) before exploring the area near the Valdecañas dam. It was excellent for raptors: all three species of vulture, as well as what appeared to be a passage of Red Kite, as well as a Short-toed Eagle and two Black Storks. We came a cross of party of Hawfinch coming down to drink in a stream and as we were enjoying an early lunch a pair of Red-billed Choughs flew past and a Grey Wagtail sang from a nearby eucalyptus tree. The valley was a fitting place to finish the tour: raptors in the sky, rocky outcrops and bird song set against a blue sky.
List of species seen Generally good weather and an excellent mixture of winter birds and early spring migrants helped us reach an excellent total of 147 species of birds. These are listed below.
Mammals seen include: Wild Boar: Near Monfragüe 12th March Iberian Hare: Jaraicejo 15th March Rabbit: Pago de San Clemente Red Deer: Monfragüe National Park 12th March. Butterfly list: Holly Blue Other wildlife: Stripeless Tree Frog
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CASA RURAL EL RECUERDO Apartado de Correos 28 Phone: +34 927319349
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Martin Kelsey |
