Extremadura, Spain 1 - 5 June 2006 by Mike Prince

See the full photo gallery

Photos | Introduction | Itinerary | Site Notes | Systematic List | Other Wildlife | Contacts

Introduction

Fellow ex-pat friends from Delhi, Martin Kelsey, his wife Claudia and son Patrick, had moved to Spain in 2004 to set up a lodge in Extremadura (see it at www.birdingextremadura.com), catering especially for birders. I had visited briefly with my wife in 2005 and was keen to spend a bit longer to enjoy the great birdlife in the area, plus to see how Martin and Claudia had progressed after one year of operation. It turned out to be good on both fronts! Early June also meant that I would be there at the same time as Andy Musgrove and family who were on a two week trip through southern Portugal and Spain, thus the trip qualified as a true BUBO trip!

Since I had been before there weren't too many ticks for me in the area, and I was keen to spend more time enjoying some quality birding than travelling far (hence decided not to look for Dupont's Lark for example, which would have been a tick for me). Great and Little Bustards were obviously target species, White-rumped Swift, Spanish Imperial Eagle and Black-shouldered Kite specialities of the area that I was keen to see again, and Rufous Bush-chat is a difficult species to find in Extremadura and one that I last saw in Israel in 1995. Other than that the "western" warblers were a target although not easy at this time of year. Overall the trip was quite successful for all of these species (Western Olivaceous Warbler not surprisingly eluding me) and plenty of other great birds.

Most of the site information is very well known and described elsewhere on the Internet or in site guides such as Where to Watch Birds in Southern and Western Spain: The Definitive Guide to Finding Birds in Andalucia, Extremadura and Gibraltar by Ernest Garcia and Andy Paterson (new edition available soon) which I used and Birdwatching Guide to Extremadura by John Muddeman which I didn't have access to. The site for Rufous Bush-chat is a new site discovered by John Muddeman whilst researching for a new edition of his book - for further information it is probably best to email Martin or John (or buy the update to John's book when it is out!).

I booked a flight with BA online at www.ba.com and car hire with Avis at www.avisba.com. The drive from Madrid Barajas airport takes about two and a half hours.

A complete photo gallery from this trip can be viewed at https://bubo.org/gallery/list.php?exhibition=18. A few of the better photos are also included within the species list below.

A detailed trip report for Andy Musgrove's complete trip, including Doñana, is available at http://www.stokeholycross.freeserve.co.uk/daily_diary_iberia_mayjun06.htm.

Feel free to contact me for any more details on this trip.

Itinerary

1 June: Flight from Gatwick to Madrid, drive to Trujillo with en-route birding stop at Arrocampo.
2 June: Early morning visit to Belen Plain, then most of day at Monfragüe National Park.
3 June: Early morning birding Trujillo Plains, late morning Trujillo, afternoon Rio Almonte.
4 June: Early morning Belen Plain, followed by rice fields near Madrigalejo and drive across La Serena to Cabeza del Buey.
5 June: Drive to Sierra de Gredos for a few hours birding before catching early evening flight from Madrid back to Gatwick.

Daily Diary

1 June

Landed in the early afternoon and picked up the hire car. Then drove to Extremadura with a birding stop at Arrocampo (near Almaraz), located conveniently just off the motorway. This was a great site to pass a couple of hours, although the Black-shouldered Kites nesting on a pylon there were nowhere to be seen. The lagoon on the north side of the road produced most of the birds, which included great views of a Penduline Tit at its nest, Purple Swamphen with recently fledged young, surprisingly good views of Savi's Warblers (and not so surprisingly no views at all of the Great Reed Warblers which were singing most of the time), Purple Herons, Night Herons and flight views of Little Bittern on several occasions.

Arrived at Martin's in the late afternoon, to find Andy and Trudy already there, with Thomas and Duncan enjoying the pool with Patrick. Resisted the urge to disappear off birding immediately and instead enjoyed a cold beer in the garden, accompanied by Bee-eaters, White Storks and a breeding pair of Azure-winged Magpies. Later a Scops Owl in the garden called incessantly.

2 June

Up early with Andy to check for Red-necked Nightjars. We heard probably three different birds but, as on my visit last year, we were unable to see any. Then we headed out to Belen Plain. Immediately on to the plain Calandra Larks were obvious and we saw or heard Little Bustards at several points. Scanning the distant ridges produced a spectacular sight of a flock of 28 Great Bustards, although unfortunately these were never close. A perched Black Vulture was an impressive sight, and it later gave us a close fly-past. Lesser Kestrel, Montagu's Harrier, Short-toed Lark, Spanish Sparrow, Spotless Starling, Woodchat Shrike, Red-rumped Swallow, Zitting Cisticola, Nightingale and Raven were some of the other interesting species here.

After breakfast back at San Clemente we all (that is Trudy, Thomas and Duncan as well) went to Monfragüe National Park. We walked up to the Castillo de Monfragüe from the bottom car park (where we photographed a Horseshoe Whipsnake coiled in a tree) seeing plenty of Griffons close-by, Black Storks, Crag Martins, Red-rumped Swallows, Alpine Swifts and, the main target species and a tick for Andy, White-rumped Swift. Although we had flight views on a few different occasions, there may have only been the one individual seen. We thought we heard an Iberian Chiffchaff here (which would have been a tick for me) but were very surprised when we worked out that it was actually the Alpine Swifts calling! At the top we saw an excellent Two-tailed Pasha, and other birds included Rock Sparrows, Subalpine Warbler, Blue Rock Thrush, Short-toed Treecreeper and Hawfinch.

After lunch we went to Portilla de Tietar where the Spanish Imperial Eagles were nesting, in exactly the same nest as last year. One well-grown juvenile could be seen (at times) in the nest although it was quite a long wait before we finally managed to see a distant adult in flight. Some while later we had better views, although always fairly distant and never actually visiting the nest. Last year here we had failed to see the Eagle Owls that nest on the cliff, so I was delighted when my patient scanning produced two juveniles.

3 June

An early start for Andy and I again, this time to the plains west of Trujillo, on the road to St Marta de Magasca. Species were similar to the Belen Plains with about 12, similarly distant, Great Bustards and several Montagu's Harriers. Roller was a new species compared to yesterday as was Black-bellied Sandgrouse, although only flight views were possible. A surprise sighting was a Little Bittern in flight over the steppes, although there were reedy areas nearby from where it had presumable come. On the return to San Clemente we saw a fine Great Spotted Cuckoo perched on a roadside wire, and a Black Vulture flew over the garden.

The rest of the morning was spent in Trujillo, visiting the castle. In Trujillo several Pallid Swifts were seen, although Common outnumbered them at least 10:1. Lesser Kestrels were plentiful in town and gave great views, and the White Storks on the buildings were equally impressive. Little else other than Booted Eagle and Crag Martin were seen around the castle.

We then headed to the Rio Almonte, a small river that crosses the main road to Monfragüe. Lunch under the bridge was accompanied by Rock Sparrows and Red-rumped Swallows, with another Horseshoe Whipsnake seen there. We then walked the river, which proved rather quiet in the heat of the afternoon; a distant soaring Bonelli's Eagle was the highlight.

4 June

I spent a little more time around the rice fields but didn't see much else. Then I headed down to Cabeza del Buey. This was an unknown area to Martin but he had heard from John Muddeman who had found four Rufous Bush-chats there the previous week. This is a very difficult bird to find in Extremadura and one I was very keen on seeing, having only seen the eastern race before and not for many years. I found the site, on the slopes of the very obvious hill north of the town, quite easily thanks to directions provided to Martin by John (contact them for these directions). Within a few minutes I followed up an unusual thrush-like song and had glimpses of a bush-chat flying away. Thereafter I only got back-end views but eventually found one (near where I'd parked!) that perched in a tree singing and showed very well. It was a nice site with Thekla Lark, several Sardinian Warblers and a Bonelli's Eagle being mobbed by several Montagu's Harriers (11 Monty's in one thermal!). Just as I was leaving I picked up my bins to look at another Sardinian Warbler and was delighted to see a nice white eye of a Western Orphean Warbler! Unfortunately I only got a couple of seconds view, but good enough for a tick! Even better would have been the Western Olivaceous that I think I had, singing and briefly seen.

5 June

Systematic List

Some photos are included within the list below, but for a full photo gallery see https://bubo.org/gallery/list.php?exhibition=18.

1. Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) - One at Arrocampo
2. Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) - Seen at Arrocampo and Monfragüe
   
3. Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea) - About 10 at Arrocampo
   
4. Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) - Recorded from Trujillo steppes and the rice fields, with about 50 at the latter site
5. Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) - Eight at Arrocampo
   
6. Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus) - Five in flight at Arrocampo, and one surprise over the Trujillo steppes
7. Black Stork (Ciconia nigra) - About 10 at Monfragüe including a nest with three juveniles
   
8. White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) - Common breeder, the birds in Trujillo square being particular impressive
   
9. Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) - Small numbers recorded from Trujillo steppes and the rice fields
10. Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus caeruleus) - One seen near its pylon nest at Arrocampo
11. Red Kite (Milvus milvus) - One at the Trujillo steppes and four at Sierra de Gredos
    
12. Black Kite (Milvus migrans) - Common, peak count recorded being 120 at La Serena
    
13. Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) - Five at Monfragüe
14. Eurasian Griffon (Gyps fulvus) - Fairly common, with peak being about 80 at Monfragüe
    
15. Eurasian Black Vulture (Aegypius monachus) - Two at Belen Plain and Monfragüe, singles at Rio Almonte and twice over the garden at San Clemente
    
16. Short-toed Eagle (Circaetus gallicus) - One at Sierra de Gredos
    
17. Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus) - Four at Arrocampo, one at La Serena
    
18. Montagu's Harrier (Circus pygargus) - 10 at Trujillo steppes, one Belen Plain, pair at Rio Zujar, six at La Serena and an impressive thermal of 11 at Cabeza del Buey
    
19. Buzzard (Buteo buteo) - Small numbers at Belen Plain, Trujillo steppes and Monfragüe
20. Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aquila adalberti) - Adult pair with one chick in the nest at Portilla de Tietar, Monfragüe
    
21. Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) - Immature mobbed by Booted Eagle at Sierra de Gredos
    
22. Bonelli's Eagle (Aquila fasciatus) - Adult at Rio Almonte and another at Cabeza del Buey, the latter mobbed by Montagu's Harriers
    
23. Booted Eagle (Aquila pennatus) - Nine recorded altogether at various sites, but only one dark morph
    
24. Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni) - Common in Trujillo with about 30 seen there, others also at Belen Plain, Trujillo steppes and the rice fields
    
25. Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) - One at Sierra de Gredos was the only sighting
    
26. Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa) - One at Trujillo steppes
27. Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) - About five at Arrocampo, with especially good views of one adult and juvenile
28. Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) - Only seen at the rice fields
29. Great Bustard (Otis tarda) - Flock of 28 seen at Belen Plain (on both visits) with about 12 at Trujillo steppes
    
30. Little Bustard (Tetrax tetrax) - 12 seen or heard at Belen Plain and two at Trujillo steppes
    
31. Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus) - Recorded from Arrocampo, Trujillo steppes and rice fields
32. Stone-curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus) - Two heard at Belen Plain and three seen at Trujillo steppes
33. Collared Pratincole (Glareola pratincola) - About 30 seen at the rice fields
34. Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius) - Two at Rio Almonte
35. Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Pterocles orientalis) - Three seen in flight over the Trujillo steppes
36. Rock Dove (Columba livia) 
37. Stock Dove (Columba oenas) - Two seen at Sierra de Gredos
38. Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus) 
39. Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) 
40. Great Spotted Cuckoo (Clamator glandarius) - One seen on roadside wires between Trujillo and San Clemente, and one in flight over the garden at San Clemente
41. Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) - Heard at San Clemente and Sierra de Gredos
42. Scops Owl (Otus scops) - Heard in the garden at San Clemente
43. Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) - Two juveniles seen on the cliffs at Portilla de Tietar, Monfragüe
    
44. Little Owl (Athene noctua) - Heard at San Clemente and one seen at Trujillo steppes
45. Red-necked Nightjar (Caprimulgus ruficollis) - Three heard at San Clemente
46. Alpine Swift (Tachymarptis melba) - About 10 seen at Monfragüe
    
47. Common Swift (Apus apus) - Common at Arrocampo and in the Trujillo area
48. Pallid Swift (Apus pallidus) - Only recorded in Trujillo, with about 10 there
    
49. White-rumped Swift (Apus caffer) - At least one at Castillo de Monfragüe
    
50. Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) - One at the rice fields
51. Bee-eater (Merops apiaster) - Fairly common, with about 50 at both Rio Zujar and Cabeza del Buey the most notable counts
    
52. Roller (Coracias garrulus) - Three at Trujillo steppes and six at the rice fields near Madrigalejo
    
53. Hoopoe (Upupa epops) - Up to five recorded at most sites
54. Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) - One seen on a telegraph pole north of La Serena
55. Calandra Lark (Melanocorypha calandra) - Common at Belen Plain (about 40) and Trujillo steppes
    
56. Greater Short-toed Lark (Calandrella brachydactyla) - Up to three seen at Belen Plain on both visits
    
57. Crested Lark (Galerida cristata) - Small numbers at Arrocampo, Belen Plain and Trujillo steppes
    
58. Thekla Lark (Galerida theklae) - Four seen at Cabeza del Buey
    
59. Eurasian Skylark (Alauda arvensis) - One heard at Sierra de Gredos
60. Wood Lark (Lullula arborea) - About five heard at San Clemente
61. Sand Martin (Riparia riparia) - An impressive flock of 500 on wires over the Rio Zujar
    
62. Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) - Recorded at most sites
    
63. Crag Martin (Ptyonoprogne rupestris) - About 40 at Monfragüe, ten at Sierra de Gredos and smaller numbers at Belen Plain, Trujillo steppes, Rio Almonte and Rio Zujar
    
64. Northern House Martin (Delichon urbicum) - Many hundreds nesting under the bridge at the reservoir at Monfragüe, otherwise only noted at Trujillo steppes
    
65. Red-rumped Swallow (Cecropis daurica) - Small numbers at several sites, with a maximum of about 20 at Monfragüe
    
66. Water Pipit (Anthus spinoletta) - One seen briefly near the Platform, Sierra de Gredos
67. White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) - Just seen at Rio Almonte and Sierra de Gredos
68. Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea) - Two at Sierra de Gredos near the Platform
69. Dipper (Cinclus cinclus) - One seen briefly flying down the stream at the Platform, Sierra de Gredos
70. Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) - One at Monfragüe and eight at Sierra de Gredos
71. Dunnock (Prunella modularis) - About 20 at Sierra de Gredos, singing from vegetation or rocks near the Platform
    
72. Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus) - Single at Sierra de Gredos
73. Blackbird (Turdus merula) - Four at Sierra de Gredos
74. Blue Rock-thrush (Monticola solitarius) - Two seen at Monfragüe
75. Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) - Singing birds at Monfragüe, Belen Plain and Rio Zujar (three at the latter site)
76. Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica) - Great views of four singing birds near the "ski-lift", up from the Platform, Sierra de Gredos
    
77. Robin (Erithacus rubecula) - Four at Sierra de Gredos
78. Rufous Bush-chat (Erythropygia galactotes) - Four different birds singing, one of which was eventually seen very well, at Cabeza del Buey
    
79. Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros) - About eight birds seen at Sierra de Gredos
80. Stonechat (Saxicola torquatus) - One at Arrocampo, three at the rice fields and seven at Sierra de Gredos
81. Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) - Eight at Sierra de Gredos
    
82. Black-eared Wheatear (Oenanthe hispanica) - Two seen whilst driving through Monfragüe
83. Zitting Cisticola (Cisticola juncidis) - One at the Trujillo steppes and about 10 at the rice fields
84. Cetti's Warbler (Cettia cetti) - Birds heard singing at Arrocampo and the rice fields
85. Savi's Warbler (Locustella luscinioides) - At least eight at Arrocampo, with four birds seen very well
    
86. Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) - About five at Arrocampo
    
87. Great Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) - Up to five at Arrocampo, and three at the rice fields, where one showed well at distance
88. [Western Olivaceous Warbler (Hippolais opaca)] - One bird at Cabeza del Buey initially thought to be an acrocephalus warbler singing was seen briefly and was probably this species
89. Melodious Warbler (Hippolais polyglotta) - One seen in the garden at San Clemente, four at the rice fields and two at Rio Zujar
    
90. Western Bonelli's Warbler (Phylloscopus bonelli) - Three singing in the woods at the Parador, Sierra de Gredos
    
91. Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) - One singing male at Sierra de Gredos
92. Whitethroat (Sylvia communis) - About eight seen at Sierra de Gredos
93. Western Orphean Warbler (Sylvia hortensis) - One male seen briefly at Cabeza del Buey
94. Subalpine Warbler (Sylvia cantillans) - Two were seen at Monfragüe
95. Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala) - Singles at San Clemente, Rio Almonte and the Trujillo steppes, with four at Cabeza del Buey
96. Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus) - About 10 at Monfragüe
97. Coal Tit (Periparus ater) - About 20 at Sierra de Gredos
98. Crested Tit (Lophophanes cristatus) - Four seen in the woods at the Parador, Sierra de Gredos
99. Great Tit (Parus major) - Small numbers recorded from Monfragüe, the rice fields and Sierra de Gredos
100. Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) - Small numbers at Monfragüe and suprisingly one near the summit at Sierra de Gredos
101. Nuthatch (Sitta europaea) - Single at Monfragüe
102. Short-toed Treecreeper (Certhia brachydactyla) - Up to recorded from Monfragüe, San Clemente and Sierra de Gredos
103. Penduline Tit (Remiz pendulinus) - Two seen at Arrocampo included one male at the nest, one heard at the rice fields
     
104. Southern Grey Shrike (Lanius meridionalis) - Five seen at the Trujillo steppes and two at Madrigalejo
     
105. Woodchat Shrike (Lanius senator) - Up to three recorded from Belen Plain, Monfragüe, Rio Almonte, Trujillo steppes and Cabeza del Buey
     
106. Jay (Garrulus glandarius) - One at Monfragüe
107. Azure-winged Magpie (Cyanopica cyana) - Pair breeding in the garden at San Clemente, three seen at Monfragüe and about 20 at both Trujillo steppes and the rice fields
     
108. Magpie (Pica pica) - Several at Arrocampo and especially in the Trujillo area
109. Jackdaw (Corvus monedula) - Several at Arrocampo and in Trujillo town
     
110. Carrion Crow (Corvus corone) - About ten seen at Sierra de Gredos
     
111. Common Raven (Corvus corax) - About 20 seen at Belen Plain
112. Spotless Starling (Sturnus unicolor) - Relatively common, about 30 in Trujillo the peak recorded
     
113. House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) - Common
114. Spanish Sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis) - A few at Belen Plain and Trujillo steppes, about 40 at Rio Almonte and an impressive colony of about 300 at Rio Zujar
     
115. Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) - Five seen at the rice fields
     
116. Rock Sparrow (Petronia petronia) - Two at the Castillo de Monfragüe and about six at Rio Almonte
     
117. Common Waxbill (Estrilda astrild) - About 20 near the metal pipes at the rice fields
118. Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) - Two at the Castillo de Monfragüe and about 50 at Sierra de Gredos
119. Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris) - Two at Monfragüe
120. Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) - Recorded from Arrocampo, Monfragüe and Sierra de Gredos
     
121. Common Linnet (Acanthis cannabina) - Two at Cabeza del Buey and about ten at Sierra de Gredos
122. Serin (Serinus serinus) - Small numbers at various sites, with 60 at Rio Zujar and 30 at Sierra de Gredos most notable
     
123. Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes) - Two seen at Monfragüe
124. Cirl Bunting (Emberiza cirlus) - Single at Castillo de Monfragüe
125. Rock Bunting (Emberiza cia) - About eight near the Platform, Sierra de Gredos
     
126. Ortolan Bunting (Emberiza hortulana) - Good views of three birds near the Platform, Sierra de Gredos
     
127. Corn Bunting (Emberiza calandra) - Very common at Belen Plain and Trujillo steppes, four also at Rio Almonte
     

Other Wildlife

1. Plenty of moths and butterflies: see Andy's report for details



2. Horseshoe Whipsnake - One in a tree by the lower car park at Castillo de Monfrague and one by the Rio Almonte bridge



3. Red Squirrel - Two in woods at Sierra de Gredos


And finally, Moro - not quite so wild!

Contacts