Daily Diary: Iberian Holiday May/June 2006

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24th May 2006

Our big trip kicked off today at last. We left Jess in Leeds (no Red Kites today) and drove to Liverpool Airport, flying off to Seville late afternoon. Arrived in the evening, when c30 House Martin, c10 Common Swift and 1 House Sparrow seen at the airport terminal, but darkness had fallen by the time we'd got the bags and picked up the hire car. Had a Peugeot 307 (turbo diesel) for the holiday, which was an excellent car. Drove from the airport into Seville, making use of a fairly defective city plan map, and after getting lost, driving down a taxi lane, going the wrong way around a bus station and failing completely to communicate to some Spanish teenagers, we eventually located our hotel. After getting the kids to bed, I made the amazing discovery of a coke machine in the hotel that also contained cans of cold beer. Fantastic.

Yellow Submarine, Liverpool John Lennon Airport, 24/5/06

25th May 2006

Up for breakfast, then spent the morning wandering around Seville. Avian highlights were Pallid Swift (small numbers amongst the much more numerous Common Swifts), Lesser Kestrels (at least five, mostly near the cathedral, as pictured in the Collins guide!), a few Spotless Starlings and the rather surprising sight of three Griffon Vultures gliding steadily north high over the city. Other new birds for the trip were Collared Dove, Feral Rock Dove, Jackdaw, Goldfinch, Swallow, Mallard and Blackbird. By a small playground near the river, we had a Two-tailed Pasha zipping around the trees, along with Clouded Yellow and Rush Veneer.

Seville Cathedral, 25/5/06

We then headed out of town through heavy traffic along the road to La Puebla del Rio. As we left the outskirts of town behind, we started to see the first White Storks and Black Kites of the trip, both of which were to prove very common during the trip. After passing through dry fields, we started to come across flooded fields (rice?). The storks were joined by Cattle Egrets and at a pool where we stopped for lunch there were at least 30 Whiskered Terns, lots of Black-winged Stilts, a few Little Egrets, a Hoopoe and a singing Serin. We then continued, forked left just before Colinas (past a pool that I didn't notice at the time but on which I later saw a Red-knobbed Coot) and along a road forming a border between the totally flat delta fields to the south and the rising land to the north. We went past a couple of small roadside pools which I had a quick look at, then past the Canada de Rianzuela, a huge lagoon north of the road that was full of birds, including Greater Flamingo, Black-necked Grebe, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Grey Heron, Moorhen, Common Coot, Mallard, Pochard and Red-crested Pochard. White Storks and Black Kites were also common here, as were Bee-eaters. However, the heat of the day and the "sit in the car" roadside nature of these stops were not particularly fun for the 75% of the party not trying to find Red-knobbed Coots, so we pressed on towards El Rocio. Further roadside birds included Raven, Crested Lark, Marsh Harrier, Woodchat Shrike, Corn Bunting and Nightingale. Best of all, however, were our first Azure-winged Magpies of the trip, which we started to encounter as soon as we reached the stone pine woods near Villamanrique; about ten were seen from the car.

We made it to La Aldea campsite at El Rocio and set up the tent, then cooled down in the swimming pool. Another Azure-winged Magpie appeared by the pool, along with Spotless Starlings, Black Kites and White Storks. As we sat by the tent towards dusk, four Night Herons flew south overhead, and about ten passerines flew over calling in small groups, that I suspect were Yellow Wagtails although the calls seemed not quite right and I wondered if Tawny Pipit might have been a possibility. They looked more like wagtails however, and I suspect the slightly odd call was merely local variation. After dark, a check of the toilet block produced a fine Moorish Gecko. Moths were not much in evidence though, although there were Vestal and Silver Y present. Some strange calls eminating from a field by the campsite sounded superficially like Baillon's Crake, but presumably were from Edible Frog; these were heard all over the place although I never saw one.

Moorish Gecko, El Rocio, 25/5/06

26th May 2006

Woke quite early, but no-one else did which was frustrating, imagining all the ornithological delights within a few miles. Eventually, went for a wander along the waste ground behind the campsite. A small marshy hollow was found from which at least six Night Herons flushed; obviously a day-time roost. A female Golden Oriole was also seen, along with several Bee-eaters, Turtle Dove, Hoopoe, Black-billed Magpie, Nightingale and brief views of one of the short-toed lark species. Back on the campsite, a Serin was singing next to the tent. Eventually, everyone was up and breakfasted and we drove the short distance to La Rocina on the south side of El Rocio. From the roadside, at least 300 Spoonbills were visible on the Marismas, as well as about 100 Greater Flamingos, 100 Whiskered Terns, Black-winged Stilts, Avocets, and the only Squacco Heron and the only Black-headed Gulls of the trip. We then walked along the trails here looking out of the various hides. Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Great Tit, Cetti's and Reed Warblers and Short-toed Treecreeper were soon recorded. Small lizards were common along the boardwalks. The marshes produced several Little Grebes but no more interesting waterbirds.

La Rocina, 26/5/06

Further along, a chiffchaff was heard given an incomplete song largely on one note. I failed to see this bird but on the way back heard it again and got a brief recording of the song - click here to hear. Although I was not impressed at the time, in retrospect this was surely an Iberian Chiffchaff, given later experience in Portugal. From other hides, two singing Savi's Warblers were heard although not seen, and Zitting Cisticola, Blackcap and Melodious Warbler also soon joined the list. Overhead, raptors included several high-flying Griffons, a Marsh Harrier, a surprise appearance by an Osprey and a fine light-morph Booted Eagle. Insects included Bath White, presumed Scarlet Darter, Egyptian Grasshopper and a crazy-looking insect called Nemoptera bipennis. On the return to the car, a Golden Oriole was heard in song from dense vegetation, whilst a Woodchat Shrike was seen feeding a juvenile.

Egyptian Grasshopper, La Rocina, 26/5/06

Nemoptera bipennis, La Rocina, 26/5/06

We drove back into El Rocio (hundreds of House Martins along the streets) and got some food for a picnic by the north shore of the Madre de las Marismas. This was very pleasant, except for the occasional explosions from shotgun cartridges being let off behind us as the locals geared up for the forthcoming festival. As well as the Spoonbills, Flamingos, Black-winged Stilts and Avocets already noted, a single Greylag Goose was presumably left-over from the winter and about 20 Common Coots were scrutinised. A male Spanish Yellow Wagtail was seen in the marsh and there were also four Pochard, five Little Egrets and two Griffons over.

Madre de las Marismas, El Rocio, 26/5/06

In the afternoon, we drove down to the beach at Matalascanas for some paddling practice, the bird highlights being restricted to about 20 distant Yellow-legged Gulls, eight Avocets east and Black Kites right over the sun-bathers. As the afternoon drew on, we returned north with a stop at the El Acebuche centre. At least 15 Azure-winged Magpies were extremely obvious around the car park (apparently sometimes aggressive here!) From the hides over the marshes we had a Little Bittern in flight, a pair of Little Ringed Plovers on nest, 20 Spoonbills, 10 Little Grebes, six Pochard (other birdwatchers claimed Ferrug Duck but there were none that I could see), Hoopoe, Stonechat, Woodpigeon, Sand Martin, Serin, Reed Warbler and White Stork. We unfortunately narrowly missed both Purple Gallinule and a family party of Wild Boar. Painted Lady and Red Admiral were both noted. We didn't spend very long here as the kids were desperate to return before the campsite swimming pool was closed for the evening so we bombed back to El Rocio, with a Red Kite and two Red-rumped Swallow by the roadside. A good cooling down then in the pool before tea and bed.

27th May 2006

I set my alarm early, to go birding before the others woke. This is not so easy whilst camping as it would be in a hotel, and I slept fairly badly waiting for the alarm to go off. In the end, I got up in the dark at 0500 and drove back along the road towards Villamanrique, stopping occasionally to listen to little but some sort of Wood Crickets. Eventually (0600), I reached the roundabout where I'd first seen the AW Magpies two days before and walked into the stone pines for about quarter of a mile in the pre-dawn light. Here I could heard a distant Red-necked Nightjar calling; it seemed rather distant so I decided not to follow up on it, as time was limited and Red-knobbed Coot was my primary target of the morning.

I drove out into the northern marsh areas, with Night Herons appearing over the road at dawn. I headed directly to the small roadside pools I'd passed two days before and thought looked promising for the coot (according to the vague gen I'd managed to glean from John Butler's website reports). A Kingfisher here was the only one of the trip, and Cetti's and Nightingale were singing away. This wasn't ideal so I returned by a few hundred metres along the road to a second small set of pools which held Little Grebe, Moorhen and Cetti's. The first Purple Heron of the trip flew over and about 30 Whiskered Terns flew past over the fields. A Savi's Warbler was singing here too, but more interesting was an odd song coming from the tamarisks between the pool and the road. The birds were very skulking but eventually my suspicions were confirmed with a pair of Western Olivaceous Warblers here. Not a stunning bird, but an apparent recent split of a species I'd only seen before in Israel and Turkey.

Time was ticking by, and I'd promised to be back by 0900. In desperation, I drove further east along the road until just before the junction, I noticed a small pool I'd overlooked. A Cuckoo was calling as I set my scope up and after looking through the Little Grebes and Moorhens, a cracking Red-knobbed Coot swam into view. Unfortunately, it was sporting an extremely obvious white neck collar (4H). On this small pool, it would have been easily identifiable without the collar. I settled down and waited for other coots to come out of the reeds, perhaps even chicks, but nothing ever did. Somewhat frustrating, as this was my key target for Donana and I wasn't going to tick a released bird. There was minor recompense, however, in another pair of Western Olivaceous Warblers here, as skulking as the first pair.

I eventually gave up and headed back. A quick stop at the Canada de Rianzuela produced a singing Great Reed Warbler by the roadside (not seen well), and a quick scan of the lagoon produced two fine male White-headed Ducks, as well as numerous Pochard, Black-necked Grebes, Flamingos, two female Red-crested Pochards and another Purple Heron. I then tore back along the road, eyes peeled for Black-shouldered Kites. No success with these, but I did stop by one field to check a raptor (a Common Buzzard) then noticed a stunning male Pin-tailed Sandgrouse in the field. The bird was spectacularly coloured in the early morning sunlight and was one of my best sightings of the trip. Soon afterwards, four females were seen nearby, also fantastic but not as superb as the male. This was a species I'd only previously recorded in flight, in Israel in 1994. A little further along, over the same field three Collared Pratincoles were seen in flight, along with two female Yellow Wagtails, Common Kestrel, Zitting Cisticola, Corn Bunting, Raven, Sand Martin and plenty of Bee-eaters.

After returning for breakfast, we all set off to try to go to the Jose Antonio Valverde Centre. However, after driving for 20 minutes we found the track for it, which looked in rough repair and said it was about 30 km away. This seemed too far for the team, especially seeing as we'd then have to bump our way back up it later. We instead thought we'd explore towards Isla Mayor but really failed to find any decent birding habitat - or birds, apart from Purple Heron, Great Reed Warbler, Spoonbill, Common Kestrel and a flock of 25 Grey Herons. Presumably there are better sites we missed. We circled round via Villafranco then back north, eventually refinding the Red-knobbed Coot junction. A quick look at the pool (the coot was hiding again by now) then we went to the Dehesa de Abajo visitor centre (next to Canada de Rianzuela). The centre was not yet open but we walked up to the viewpoint overlooking the stork colony, with great views of the birds on the nests. Two light-phase Booted Eagles also came low overhead, and there were lots of Bee-eaters about. An interesting sounding song near the viewpoint could not be pinned down but sounded like a Sylvia warbler - perhaps Spectacled (click here to hear - rather a quiet recording)? Tired and hot children then meant no chance of a look from the hides here, although a quick scope produced a Black Tern amongst the Whiskereds. A small scorpion ran across the path as we returned to the car, then we returned to El Rocio.

White Storks at the nest, Dehesa del Abajo, 27/5/06

Booted Eagle, Dehesa del Abajo, 27/5/06

Later in the afternoon we visited the trails around the Palacio del Acebron. Really nice woodland here, if not spectacular bird-wise. Sardinian Warbler and Tree Sparrow were new for the trip, and there must have been about 20 singing Nightingales, a good scoped male Serin, plus other birds including Night Heron, Azure-winged Magpie and Hoopoe. A Two-tailed Pasha was seen, along with Speckled Wood, and further non-avian interest was provided by some attractive pink orchids, two lizards and a terrapin in the lake. A light-phase Booted Eagle flew over as we drove away, past the Marismas where there were still hundreds of Spoonbills, back to the campsite.

Azure-winged Magpie, Palacio del Acebron, 27/5/06

Found an interesting little pyralid moth, Euchromius cambridgei, in the toilet block.

Euchromius cambridgei (per Martin Corley) - found in toilet block at El Rocio.

28th May 2006

No early start today. After breakfast we packed up and left El Rocio (Night Heron overhead again). We drove to the coast then along to Mazagon where I dropped the rest of the family; about 50 Yellow-legged Gulls were on the beach but I didn't look at them carefully. Instead, I drove off to look for Laguna Primera de Palos, another Red-knobbed Coot stakeout. Fairly soon, I found a nice lagoon off a track north of the coast road. This turned out to be (I think) Laguna de la Jara. Although not the right place, this was a good spot with at least two Purple Herons (one of which was watched swallowing a sizeable mammal, probably a rat), Little Bittern, Zitting Cisticola and the first pair of Gadwall of the trip. Just Common Coots here though so I continued along the road towards Huelva, finding the track to Laguna Primera de Palos a couple of km further on. I parked on the track and walked over the railway line and through a gate to a raised viewing area. This was a super site, but I suffered from heat haze as the day was warming up. There must have been 500 Common Coots here, many quite distant. I scanned them carefully probably about ten times. On the first scan, I found a distant collared bird, presumably another Red-knobbed but too far away to get much on. Although this perked my spirits up, they soon dropped as I failed again and again to find anything that looked right, and I eventually gave up as my time ran out. However, I did have my only Purple Gallinules of the trip (a European tick - saw them in India), plus Shoveler, Gadwall, Red-crested Pochard (a female with five juvs) and stacks of Whiskered Terns again. I bombed back to Mazagon, via brief looks again at the first lagoon, plus another which was probably Laguna de Madre (Great Crested Grebe). After picking up the family, we went for some shopping and ice creams then set off for country number two - Portugal!

The road inland from the Algarve was fast and quiet and we put the miles behind us easily. Roadside birds included White Stork, Spotless Starling, Raven, Common Kestrel and Crested Lark, although there were no Black Kites, which seemed very odd after the masses in Donana. Eventually, we headed north towards Ourique along the non-toll road, which was good quality and again with very few other drivers. The highlight along here was a Bonelli's Eagle I picked up floating over a hillside behind a garage in Sao Marcos da Serra. Once at Ourique, we headed westwards with the help of some written directions along roads and through villages that were often not on our roadmap. White Storks became incredibly common here, and I pulled up at one and immediately found what I was looking for; Spanish Sparrows nesting in the stork nests. At this first nest, one of the sparrows looked like a hybrid male House x Spanish. Another trip tick by the roadside was a Grey Wagtail in one of the villages.

White Stork and Spanish Sparrow residence, near Ourique, 28/5/06

Eventually, after bumping our way down a mile of unlikely looking track, we found our campsite - Corgo do Pardieiro. This was a fantastic out-of-the-way spot, being about six pitches on a steep-sided scrubby hill. We camped on a low coll, under a cork oak with a fantastic view either way. The campsite was owned by a Dutch couple who'd been there two years. They were very welcoming, provided us with maps of walking trails from the campsite and were even able to supply us with both cooking gas (although we were able to use their supply there) and home-made bread. Excellent facilities, although the swimming pool was still under construction.

View from the tent at Corgo do Pardieiro, 28/5/06

Here in these low hills the avifauna became a little different and more north European in some ways. New species for the trip around the campsite were Crested Tit, Nuthatch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Wren, Robin, Jay and Blue Tit. There were also many Nightingales singing around the site and lots of butterflies, including Spanish Gatekeeper, Southern Gatekeeper, Small Copper, Meadow Brown, Small Heath and Clouded Yellow. I also netted and photographed a couple of moths which proved to be Bright Wave and Rhodostrophia calabra (see photos). I also heard a distant, feeble effort of a song from a chiffchaff, which again didn't sound particularly impressive, but it did contain several notes on one pitch then some on another, no up-and-down elements.

After the temperature (which had reached 41^oC today) had cooled a little, we went off to do one of their recommended hiking trails. This took a little longer than expected, probably due to 5-yr-old legs, but again revealed a fantastic area, apparently unspoilt habitat rich in wildflowers and insects. Birds of note included Woodlark, Corn Bunting, Common Buzzard, at least five Melodious Warblers, Short-toed Treecreeper, the Iberian race of Long-tailed Tit (with scuffy dusky faces) and a Carrion Crow. The highlight, however, was three further chiffchaffs, all of which had repetitive songs on single notes, then different notes but again no "chiff-chaff" elements. They were always found in distinct clumps of high poplars and eucalyptus along the valley bottoms, instead of in the oaks or scrub. One bird was seen closely and was seen to have a very obvious supercilium behind the eye and mid-coloured legs. This one also finally gave up the full song with several "chiffs" on one pitch then a more rapid set of notes on a lower pitch, rather Chaffinch-like. On the basis of the views and song of this bird, I was happy that these birds were all Iberian Chiffchaffs.

Hiking trail, Corgo do Pardieiro, 28/5/06

Apart from the birds, we also jammed into two small snakes (the first found by Duncan and photographed), the second rather similar and seen only by me. The snakes were largely grey with several indistinct lines of marks down the back, a clear dark band around the neck and a dark mark below the eye. Additionally, an odd caterpillar was seen and photographed, which turned out to be a Spanish Festoon, as was a moth on a tree-trunk which proved to be Lydd Beauty -see photos.

Returning to the tent, after tea we put the 6W moth-light on which was very successful in attracting insects, as was the standard torch. Most species were unidentified, although I recognised Ethmia bipunctella. Others were photographed and were later identified mostly by Martin Corley - see photos.

29th May 2006 

Woke and went through the moths, which included a particularly fine Praying Mantis. Around the campsite, Crested Tit, Woodlark, Nightingale, Buzzard, Woodchat and a Red-legged Partridge were noted. We then set off to explore the area. Drove first to Ourique and stocked up on shopping. Then continued east to Castro Verde. Just west of the town, as I slowed down for some roadworks I had brief but good views of a Black-eared Wheatear perched on the crash barriers, followed shortly by two different Montagu's Harriers. We made our way through the town then east on the Merida road, making our way to the main stake-out near Guerriero given in all the trip reports. This looked like a superb area. Three Southern Grey Shrikes were found on roadside wires and at least eight more male Montagu's Harriers were noted (no females - on nests presumably?) Black Kites also started to re-appear, the first since leaving Donana. Other roadside birds were Cattle Egret, White Stork, Common Buzzard, Hoopoe, Bee-eater, Red-rumped Swallow, Azure-winged Magpie, Spanish Sparrow and loads of Corn Buntings. Additionally, another three Black-eared Wheatears were found with ease by the roadsides.

Eventually we got to the recommended track. As we bumped our way up it, we quickly saw two Great Bustards flying off over a nearby hillock! One of my main targets of the trip, so I wanted to see them a little better. We got out, and the boys and I crept carefully over the hill. As we got to the top, a Great Bustard flushed from perhaps 30 feet away and gave an awesome view as flapped away across the plain. It landed further away where we scoped it up, albeit partially obscured. Fantastic! However, the heat and lack of shelter was rapidly taking its toll on the non-birding 75% of the party. I gave it another five minutes or so, with further views of Montagu's Harrier and Buzzard. A Stone-curlew was also seen, and a lark scoped up singing looked more like a Thekla Lark, in comparison to all the others on the trip so far which looked like obvious Crested Larks; not a tick so good enough for me. We then drove back into Castro Verde, with some Red-rumped Swallows on the way, and had some grub and drinks; amongst the swifts screaming overhead were c20 Pallid Swifts.

We then took a different route back to the campsite, up to Aljustrel then back via Messejana, shortly after which I stopped for a bird on the wire. This turned out to be a fine Tawny Pipit, the only definite one of the trip. As we drove back down the final track to the campsite, a Hawfinch flew over the car. We then chilled out for a bit, with Tom netting a small Praying Mantis in flight near the tent and a light-phase Booted Eagle drifted over the campsite. We then went off on another of the marked trails. Again, this was not bird-filled but was extremely pleasant. Amongst the birds recorded, I saw three Short-toed Eagles soaring together which were (amazingly as I thought) the only ones I saw during the whole two week trip. Lots of Corn Buntings again, Nightingales, Woodchats, Crested Tit, Short-toed Treecreeper, Stonechat, three Melodious Warblers and a Cuckoo. The highlight, however, was more Iberian Chiffchaffs again. As yesterday, these were always found in tall poplars or Eucalyptus. At least four were heard, all of which were recorded. Again, none gave a two-tone "chiff-chaff" element; all were "chiff-chiff-chiff...", sometimes switching to another note (sometimes higher, sometimes lower) but just one gave the three-part song, with the rapid third element. None were seen as well as yesterday; some looked just like Chiffchaffs from the views obtained, others appeared to have reasonable supercilia.

We also found Spanish Marbled White (very distinct underwing marking), Cleopatra, Southern Gatekeeper, Clouded Yellow, Painted Lady and what must have been a Large Tortoiseshell but seen only briefly. After dark, at least two Tawny Owls were heard from the surrounding woods. I set the moth-light again, and again had lots coming in. The highlight was a fine Striped Hawk-moth, and I also recognised Palpita unionalis, Purple Marbled, Setaceous Hebrew Character and Foxglove Pug - see also photos for more identified by Martin Corley.

30th May 2006

Up for a wander near the campsite first thing and two Iberian Chiffchaffs again, probably two of yesterday's. One with very variable song but generally three elements, the other being one that yesterday had a two element song but this morning was singing more fully a classic three element song including a rapid final burst. The latter bird had a dirty yellow wash to face, was dirty grey below and the supercilium was not obvious with bins at c20 m but became more so at closer range. Also down the track this morning was a singing Cirl Bunting, as well as Cuckoo, Nightingale, Serin and Red-legged Partridge. We then packed up and headed off on our way to Lisbon. As we left the campsite, I stopped to look at a roadside bird along the track which appeared to be a hybrid male Spanish x House Sparrow, whilst a pair of Red-rumped Swallows were seen at the bridge at Amoreiras Gare as we reached tarmac. We then headed coastwards, with Corn Bunting audible almost all the way. Other roadside birds were White Stork, Black Kite, several Zitting Cisticolas, Bee-eater, Hoopoe, Cattle Egret and Carrion Crow.

We reached the coast at the village of Porto Covo. I wasn't expecting much on the bird front here and was therefore pleasantly surprised when I looked out into the bay and found it dotted with storm-petrels! A sudden panic that I didn't know what Madeiran Storm-petrel ensued, as I recalled there was a breeding colony further north along the coast. I jogged back to the car for the book and returned. All the birds, however, did appear to be European Storm-petrel. Many were following a fishing boat, but some were just zipping around the bay and there may well have been southwards passage going on. During one scan I counted 18 but I suspect there were more in total. Whether this is a regular occurrence here, or whether these were connected to the major movements into the English Channel at the time, I have no idea. Further scanning produced at least ten Gannets and a single Mediterranean Shearwater flying south, but no Cory's. There was also a large colony of Yellow-legged Gulls on an island to the south of the village, with at least 300 present, as well as over 100 Jackdaws. We hung around on a small beach at the base of the cliffs for a while and found my first Black Redstarts of the trip, a pair visiting a nest in a hole in the cliff. Crested Larks were also present around the car park.

Eventually, we moved north to Lisbon. Very little of interest was seen during this journey, except for a Black Redstart and Red-rumped Swallow near Grandola (where we diverted in a panicked move to find petrol, only to then drive around the town for half an hour to find any!) White Storks were present in the areas near the estuary of the Rio Sado, but in nowhere near the numbers seen inland. Eventually we got fed up with the traffic on the standard road and hopped over to the toll motorway for the last few junctions which was well worth it. The crossing of the Tejo into Lisbon was particularly spectacular, then we negotiated the city roads until we found Camping Lisboa. This was a wooded site within the city, close to a busy dual carriageway. The toilets were fairly unpleasant but given the location it could have been worse I suppose. We saw our only Red Squirrels of the trip in the campsite here, and there was also Serin, Short-toed Treecreeper, Turtle Dove, Spotless Starling, Crested Tit and Grey Wagtail around the site.  The toilet block did reveal a bit of moth life, identifiable ones being Vestal, Lime-speck Pug, Bordered Straw, Silver Y, Nomophila noctuella, Udea ferrugalis, Ni Moth and others photographed and later confirmed as Portland Ribbon Wave and Guernsey Underwing -see photos.  I didn't bother to set the trap here though.

31st May 2006

Spent the day in Lisbon, travelling to the fine Oceanarium by bus and returning by tube and then bus. The entire day list was: House Sparrow, Grey Wagtail, Black Redstart, Serin, Crested Tit, Short-toed Treecreeper, Blue Tit, Turtle Dove, Goldfinch, Feral Pigeon, House Martin, Yellow-legged Gull, Common Swift, Swallow, Blackbird, Spotless Starling and Blackcap, along with Red Squirrel and Bordered Straw, the latter in the middle of the city.

1st June 2006

Got up in Lisbon and packed up the tent. Spent a little while around the swimming pool, and failing to find any way of playing on the crazy golf course there but picking up the first White Wagtail of the trip, a surprisingly late addition to the trip list. Other species around the campsite included Turtle Dove and Serin. We then headed out of Lisbon and off inland along the toll motorway at first. Along the roadside we picked up two Hoopoes, Black Kite, White Stork, Buzzard, Red-rumped Swallow and Black-billed Magpie. We later went onto the main non-toll road as we looked for somewhere to get some food. Additionally, we'd bought some stamps for our postcards and now realised we'd better write them rapidly before we left Portugal! We stopped by the road for a picnic near the village of Azaruja, where more Red-rumped Swallows were seen, along with Nightingale, Corn Bunting, Nuthatch, Chaffinch and Blue Tit.

We then pressed on across the border back into Spain, bypassing Badajoz. We hit some nasty thunderstorms here with torrential rain, but they didn't last too long. More storks and kites by the road, including two Red Kites. Azure-winged Magpies reappeared, along with Woodchat Shrike, Bee-eater and Cattle Egret. We also saw some vulture high over the motorway near Merida that I suspect we Black Vulture but I couldn't easily stop.

Eventually, we made it to Martin and Claudia Kelsey's lovely guest house at San Clemente, about eight miles south-east of Trujilo. Unfortunately, I managed to scrape the side of the car door handle as I drove into their yard, which was annoying although as it turned out we never got charged for it. The guest house, La Recuerdo, was great. It's not a cheap option, probably costing as much as the rest of the accomodation on the trip put together, but it was an extremely pleasant place to stay. The kids loved the swimming pool and playing with young Patrick Kelsey, and we ate there each night (again, probably not the cheapest option but trying to eat out in Spain with young kids at an early enough hour in the evening is impossible). We were joined here by Mike Prince who had flown into Madrid and driven down from there. Around the garden, we had Bee-eater, Woodchat Shrike and White Stork. After dark, a Scops Owl started singing continuously from somewhere nearby, although we didn't make any effort to see it.

We also put the moth light up tonight, catching a few things that Mike photographed for me. Species included Acleris variegana, Ethmia bipunctella and many more photographed by Mike and later identified by Martin Corley - see photos.

2nd June 2006

I didn't sleep well, having planned to get up early with Mike and out on the plains. Eventually, after listening to the flipping Scops Owl for what seemed like hours, I got up at about 0530 and we set off. First of all we didn't go far, just up a track behind the village bar. At the top we got out and could soon hear a Red-necked Nightjar calling its distinctive "kutok" song. The sky was starting to lighten and we wandered up the track trying to see one but to no avail. We also managed to disturb two noisy dogs in the adjacent garden which then proceded to wake every other dog in the village, so we headed back to the car. Stood here, there seemed to be three Red-necked Nightjars calling, but again none to be seen. However, Woodlark song was also much in evidence around here at this early hour.

We left the village, past a Little Owl and a Cuckoo, made our way to the outskirts of Trujilo, then to the village of Belen, got lost in the narrow streets briefly, then found our way out onto the Belen Plain. This is a superb stretch of steppe habitat on either side of a minor road and we did very well here. Not far out onto the plain I scored one of my main target birds of the area, Calandra Lark. We probably saw about 40 of these here, mostly seen in flight but a few were seen well perched, showing heavy build, heavy bills and big blotchy breast-side spots. In flight, the dark underwings with white trailing edges were obvious.

We also did very well with bustards here. On about our second stop by the roadside, Mike picked up a couple of Little Bustards in flight, which we then managed to scope up. Whilst distant, these showed well, standing tall and displaying, with puffed up necks and occasional short display flights/jumps. After this, every time we stopped we either saw Little Bustards, or heard their distinctive short-fart calls. Calling birds were impossible to find on the deck though, and the sound perhaps travels further than expected. In all, we saw about six and heard about another six. Most of the birds seen were males, although one female. At the first stop we also found the excellent sight of a flock of Great Bustards on a distant slope. Initially, there appeared to be about a dozen but further scanning revealed at least 28 in the same general area. Although further away than those seen at Castro Verde, these were on view for much longer.

Further along the road we stopped to look at a huge lump off to one side. This proved to be a massive Black Vulture sat on the deck, having presumably spent the night there. Its size was rather staggering. After a few minutes, it lumbered into flight and headed off. This was only my second Black Vulture, following one in the Himalayas in 2004. A little later, as we returned we had two Blacks and a Griffon Vulture glide low over the road. The other quality raptors were at least five Lesser Kestrels, which included one sighting of three males perched quite close on a wire fence (perhaps my first ever perched views), plus later sightings of birds in flight. A female Montagu's Harrier, about five Buzzards and 50 Black Kites were also present. Other species of interest included a single Short-toed Lark, at least five Hoopoes (with constant song echoing across the plain), Bee-eaters, five Spanish Sparrows, Spotless Starling, Woodchat Shrike, Red-rumped Swallow, Stone-curlew, Little and Cattle Egrets, Zitting Cisticola, Nightingale, about 20 Ravens, about 20 Black-billed Magpies (much more numerous around here than elsewhere on the trip) and about 50 Corn Buntings. As we left Belen, we had a Crag Martin by a road bridge.

Eventually, we made our way back to San Clemente, had breakfast, then after a Black Vulture and about 10 Bee-eaters over the garden, we all headed out for Monfrague, via a short stop for food in Trujilo (where about four more Lesser Kestrels were seen). We stopped first at the Castillo de Monfrague, by the bottom car park. Although it was hot, we all made the walk up fairly easily. By the car park, Mike picked out a large snake in a tree, which we later identified as a Horseshoe Whip Snake. Many of the oaks here were also infested with moths, which I suspect were Oak Yellow Underwing unless something similar. As we climbed the slope, we were treated to constant views of Griffon Vultures, some very close and a few landing on the cliffs here. No other raptors here though, except a few Black Kites, but other soaring birds did include several Black Storks, the first of the trip. Hirundines were very much in evidence, including many Crag Martins and a number of Red-rumped Swallows. The first swift seen, however, proved to be the big target here, a White-rumped Swift. We saw singles of these on about five occasions here but never more than one at a time, so it was unclear exactly how many were present. A very distinctive bird though, even from below, with the white-tipped secondaries often evident. In addition, there were several noisy Alpine Swifts screaming around here, their calls initially sounding surprisingly reminiscent of an Iberian Chiffchaff's song! We made it to the top, where we had fantastic views of a Two-tailed Pasha right by the Castillo itself, as well as a gecko (Moorish?) on the back of an information sign. The boys and I climbed to the very top; Red-rumped Swallows were nesting in the Castillo itself. On the decent, we couldn't find any Orphean Warblers but did see Blue Rock Thrush, a singing Subalpine Warbler, two Rock Sparrows, a Cirl Bunting and two Hawfinches, as well as several Azure-winged Magpies, Long-tailed Tits, Nuthatch and Short-toed Treecreeper.

After this, we went down and had lunch by the reservoir, where the bridge was home to hundreds of House Martins and a few Alpine Swifts. Plenty more Griffons in evidence here, and we also picked up our first Egyptian Vulture of the trip. We then made our way straight to the Portilla de Tietar, missing out various other view points in order to maximise viewing time for our other main target. Almost as soon as we got to Tietar, I picked out what I guessed must be the nest we had been told about, and soon after that an ugly looking Spanish Imperial Eagle chick came out into view. Great, but not exactly what you want from an eagle tick! Trudy and the boys went off to find shade and Mike and I stayed out and roasted searching the sky for raptors. Griffons were abundant here, with many on the cliffs. We also picked out two Black Vultures, four Egyptian Vultures and a light-phase Booted Eagle. Looking at the cliff, Mike amazingly found the two young Eagle Owls on the cliff-face, on a shady ledge. These scoped up well for everyone to see but we never found the adults. Blue Rock Thrush, Turtle Dove and Jay were also seen. Eventually, Mike picked out an adult Spanish Imperial Eagle but it was exceptionally high and I couldn't get my scope on it before it disappeared behind a hillside. More waiting and scanning but we were eventually rewarded with prolonged views of a pair of adults, mostly still high but at the end one adult was soaring fairly close by, when it was really a quite excellent bird. Hard work though!

As the day was getting on now, we didn't stay much longer. A few hundred metres back along the road we stopped where we'd been instructed and saw three juvenile Black Storks on a nest across the river, below a Griffon nest. We also had a couple of Black-eared Wheatears along the roadside later on, but then made our way back to San Clemente. A swim in the pool, another light-phase Booted Eagle overhead, dinner and then bed, to the sound of the Scops Owl again. We set the moth-light on the sheet again but had relatively little and nothing striking that wasn't recorded the previous evening.

3rd June 2006

Mike and I rose early again, this time heading straight out to the plains to the west of Trujilo, which was another excellent area. The highlight and main target bird for me was Black-bellied Sandgrouse. We picked one up on call and then saw it flying away from us, but the black belly patch was extremely obvious. Later we heard and then saw another two in almost exactly the same manner. Disappointing not to see this species on the ground, but sandgrouse can be like that. The other main species we saw here that we'd not seen before on the trip was Roller, with three frequenting an area of trees around an isolated farmhouse. There were plenty of other birds to look at though. At least 12 Great Bustards showed well, including one juvenile with an adult and several in flight. Again, not close enough for Mike to get really good photos, but excellent all the same. Unlike yesterday, however, Little Bustards were thin on the ground but we did see two males. At least ten Calandra Larks were seen, along with a few Crested Larks. At least three Stone-curlews were seen, as were about 10 Montagu's Harriers, two Lesser Kestrels and a Red Kite. A small pool which we scanned for sandgrouse had attracted Black-winged Stilt and Mallard. We drove back via a slightly different route, picking up five Southern Grey Shrikes, Azure-winged Magpies, Little Owl, Sardinian Warbler, c10 Spanish Sparrows, Zitting Cisticola and one of the few rabbits of the trip. On the outskirts of Trujilo we came across a reservoir, where there were Black-winged Stilts, Coots and Little Grebes, plus a perched light-phase Booted Eagle. We then jammed in on a Great Spotted Cuckoo sat on a roadside wire between Trujilo and San Clemente.

After breakfast, and another Black Vulture overhead, we went into Trujilo to explore the town and made our way up to the castle. The first place we parked, near a children's playground, was excellent for Lesser Kestrels and a few Pallid Swifts were also picked out around the town (although Common Swifts were by far the more numerous). Also over the town we saw Griffon and Black Vultures and another light-phase Booted Eagle. Up at the castle there was a fair amount of butterfly activity and we identified Cleopatra, Scarce Swallowtail and Cardinal, as well as Silver Y and Bordered Straw, but there were also some unidentified skippers here.

The plains from Trujilo castle, 3/6/06

Scarce Swallowtail, 3/6/06, Trujilo castle

After this, we made our way back along the Monfrague road but stopped by the bridge over the Rio Almonte. We had lunch in the shade of the bridge. This was a good little spot and we saw a superb view of another Horseshoe Whip Snake in riverside vegetation. There were Rock Sparrows and Red-rumped Swallows around the bridge and Griffon Vultures overhead. A Little Ringed Plover flew along the river and White Wagtail was also seen along the rocky banks. After a while, we walked downstream but it was very hot and we didn't get too far. Trudy and the boys found some terrapins in the river, whilst Mike and I wandered a little further and saw rather little except for the reward of a soaring Bonelli's Eagle, as well as another Black Vulture. There were further unidentified skippers here (perhaps Sage Skipper?) as well as either Ilex or False Ilex Hairstreak, plus Small Copper, Clouded Yellow and Painted Lady. Eventually, we returned and cooled down again at the guest house, where we had a Hawfinch and a Red Kite in the afternoon. Again, the Scops Owl called after dark.

4th June 2006

I failed to get up early this morning with Mike, although didn't miss any new species (or more sandgrouse) as a result. After breakfast, and a surprise trip-tick in the shape of a Linnet, we packed up and set off south-east to the area near Madrigalejo with Mike, seeing Griffon Vulture and Lesser Kestrel on the way. We initially tried out a stake-out for Black-shouldered Kite but without success, although several Rollers and Southern Grey Shrikes were along the same stretch of road. We then headed into the rice fields to look for waxbills and avadavats. Initially, we went the wrong way and spent too long bumping along hot dusty tracks. I did glimpse some small finches, one of the two target species, in flight but couldn't get onto them. Eventually, we escaped with little for our trouble except a few Tree Sparrows and a Whiskered Tern, found the correct track and the stake-out by the big metal pipe. Immediately, we saw a pair of Common Waxbills as we got out of the car. This was a good little spot. Another highlight would have been the Penduline Tit we could hear calling continually, but we failed to see it. There were singing Great Reed, Savi's, Cetti's and Melodious Warblers here and about five Collared Pratincoles hawking over nearby rice fields, along with other standard species such as Zitting Cisticola, Azure-winged Magpie, Nightingale, Bee-eater and Red-rumped Swallow. As we were about to leave, a flock of 10 Common Waxbills appeared on the edge of the adjacent field.

We then said goodbye to Mike, who was off to look for bushchats then back to San Clemente. We drove to Merida, seeing a few Little Ringed Plovers and Black-winged Stilts plus a small "twister" in a dusty field which was quite impressive. At Merida we walked along the river to the old bridge and looked out at the islands. No avadavats here, but a good view of a Great Reed Warbler singing on one of the islands, plus Reed Warbler, Little Bittern, Purple Heron, the only Cormorant of the trip, c5 Alpine Swift amongst many Common Swifts, Hoopoe, Serin, Crested Lark and at least 100 Cattle Egrets around a nesting colony. There were also really immense concentrations of Silver Ys and Bordered Straws on flowers here (lavender?), as well as a helice form Clouded Yellow.

5th June 2006

In the morning we packed up before anyone could tell us off for camping here (and before anyone could charge us!). Around the site, a calling Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was new for the trip, and there were Nightingale, Red-rumped Swallow, Serin, Melodious Warbler, Short-toed Treecreeper, Grey Wagtail and a juvenile Robin. We then headed off to Constantina to try to find a tourist office the Rough Guide said was here. We planned to use this to find a real campsite in the area, then get exploring properly. However, the disasters continued. It took us ages to find the town hall where the tourist office was meant to be (getting our registration jotted down whilst going unwittingly through a red light on the way!) and then when we got there, there was no such tourist office. Multiple attempts to ask directions came to nothing, probably not helped by our very minimal grasp of Spanish! A few Griffons and a light-phase Booted Eagle over the town didn't lighten the mood much. Eventually, we got annoyed and drove out of town, only to then find a tourist office by the side of the road as we left. Needless to say, it was closed today!

We were then a little lost for a plan. We drove down from the Sierra Morena to the floodplain of the Guadalquivir with little real idea of what to do next. Perusal of the Rough Guide led us to find a campsite in the town of Aracena, quite a drive away but it looked more enticing than the alternative (a campsite next to Seville airport!) On the way we had Griffon, Buzzard, Raven and Crag Martin. After leaving the Seville-Merida motorway on the Aracena road we stopped for lunch in a dry river bed, a pleasant if hot spot with Azure-winged Magpie, Bee-eater, Turtle Dove, Spotless Starling, Woodchat and Red-rumped Swallow. It was then a fairly short drive up to Aracena. The campsite was open, and manned! We quickly pitched the tent and then made use of the swimming pool to cool down after the trials of the previous 24 hours. Around the campsite, several Griffons went overhead as well as Buzzard and White Stork, whilst smaller birds included Nightingale, Hoopoe, Long-tailed Tit, Nuthatch and Short-toed Treecreeper. I nipped into the town to gather provisions and to get a leaflet with guided walks from the local tourist office. I achieved this only getting lost once, a major accomplishment. As it turned out, the leaflet was completely useless, but it felt like a victory.

After tea, the kids raced around catching butterflies (Clouded Yellow, Small White sp, Small Heath, Panoptes or African Grass Blue?). Then, as the night drew in, a Woodchat Shrike spent the evening fly-catching from the tree above the tent. Two Tawny Owls were calling after dark. Couldn't be bothered to moth-trap here, with the toilet block not supporting much of interest either except for a micro I photographed and which turned out to be Ematheudes punctella - see photos.

Woodchat Shrike and moon, Aracena, 5/6/06

6th June 2006

Got up in a fairly leisurely way, with Bee-eater and Nightingale around the campsite. We then set off along the minor road to Canaveral de Leon, expecting to find lots of great way-marked trails. There were a few hints of markers, but nothing very clear. We passed a reservoir, which had a few Great Crested Grebes on it, and I finally picked up a dark-phase Booted Eagle - my first of the trip following 12 light-phase birds! Eventually, we stopped looking for a walking trail, found a minor road off to the right instead, and parked along here then walked along the road, up over a small col. Very hot and not particularly stunning bird-wise. The highlight was a pair of Black Storks that flew over, but also two more light-phase Booted Eagles, a dozen Griffons, a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker calling, six Woodlarks, a female Subalpine Warbler, Melodious Warbler, Azure-winged Magpie etc. As the kids started to wilt, I left them and walked back to get the car. On the way, I could hear a loud thrush-like song coming from up a slope too far from the road that I suspect may well have been an Orphean Warbler. After picking up the kids we continued to Canaveral, then took what we thought would be a fairly short loop back to Aracena via Hinojales. This took absolutely ages as the road was mostly poor quality and was very windy. Fantastic scenery but not quite what we were expecting. A few more Griffons on route and some Thekla Larks when we got to the highest point (and perhaps a calling Dartford Warbler).

Back at the campsite, we chilled out for a bit around the pool, with a Raven and 10 Griffons overhead and three Crag Martins around the pool itself. We then went into Aracena town and visited the Gruta de las Maravillas, including the last cavern known as the "cave of the buttocks", so-named after the unusually shaped rock formations. Buttocks aside, these were indeed spectacular caves. After this, we went back and took it easy.

7th June 2006

Our last day on holiday. As we weren't flying until the evening we weren't a particular hurry, but then again, we didn't want to wait in the hills all day only to suffer a car breakdown later. We packed up, with another Lesser Spotted Woodpecker calling at the campsite (I checked the CD to confirm it wasn't Wrynecks I kept hearing!), then set off for the lowlands. Griffon, Black Kite and an un-phased Booted Eagle (seen from above from busy road!) were seen en route. We made for the Roman ruins at Santiponce, which were rather well preserved and quite impressive. Very hot here though! Overhead, an interesting intermediate phase Booted Eagle was seen, along with both Red Kite and Black Kite, a Lesser Kestrel, Griffon, Serin, Woodlark and Red-rumped Swallow. There was also a small lake with Little Grebe, Moorhen and some feral Greylags. After this, we headed around the Seville ringroad and went south along the east side of the Guadalquivir to the town of Los Palacios y Villafranca. On the way we got stuck in a traffic jam formed by gypsy caravans, which were presumably on their way back from the big El Rocio festival. When we finally made it to Los Palacios, we tried to find the Laguna de la Mejorada which is given as a stakeout for Rufous Bushchat. However, although we think we found the approximate location, we failed to find the lagoon; there seemed to be a final bit of the instructions missing from our directions We also failed to find any Bushchats here, or much at all except for a few Bee-eaters and a Swallowtail. Eventually, we gave up, went and got some grub and hung around at a village not far from the airport. A Common Kestrel was the only bird of note here (and only the fourth of the trip). Eventually, we made our way to the airport, handed in the car, seemed to get away with the scratch on the doorhandle and hung around until our flight. It was late when we made it back to Liverpool then back to Leeds to sleep.

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