Had a great trip to some central Spain areas first 2 weeks of May so thought I'd bore you with a trip report, it's lengthy so I'll do it in parts and stick some photos in for those who can't read.
Two weeks in Spain… 1st May – 15th May. (Part 1)
Recently back from an excellent two weeks in Spain, plenty of quality birds and some photos – which was the main reason for the trip.
This time I decided to visit a few places I hadn’t been before and try for a couple of species I haven’t any photos of, i.e. El Planeron for Dupont’s Lark (with Sepulveda as a back-up) and a place I hadn’t heard of until my good friend Julian (Jules) Sykes put me onto it – Villafafila, for Great Bustard.
As most of you know Jules is a bird-guide based in Oliva, between Valencia and Alicante, and sees them regularly at fairly close range on his holiday tours to this area, so I considered it worth the extra mileage and certainly wasn’t disappointed – they were everywhere along one stretch of road.
Also on the agenda were La Plataforma in the Sierra de Gredos and the Trujillo/Caceres/Plasencia triangle in Extremadura. If things went well I was hoping to spend the last few days staying with Jules and Amanda at their guest house in Oliva.
I flew from Bristol into Valencia Airport on the 1st May, arriving at 10.35 which gave plenty of time to collect a pre-booked hire-car and have a look around Moro Marsh, about 30 km North of the airport, another of Jules’ little gems he took me to last year. Although it was warm and sunny it was also blowing a gale here so many birds had their heads down in the reed-beds, still I managed a few things – Pratincoles, Bee-eaters, Little, Common, Sandwich, Whiskered and a rarer White-winged Black Tern, 30+ Red-crested Pochard, Common Pochard, Gadwall, Mallard, Moorhen, Coot and Red-knobbed Coot, Little Grebe, Cormorant, Grey and Purple Herons, Little Egret, Yellow-legged Gulls, Reed and Great Reed Warblers, Fan-tailed Warbler (Zitting Cisticola-ugh, an awful name for one of my favourite birds), Tawny Pipit, Hoopoe, 1000’s Common Swifts with some Swallows and House Martins, Common Sandpiper, Kentish and Little Ringed Plovers, Black-winged Stilts and Redshanks, not bad for a couple of hours, seeing as most of this was spent trying to photograph a Pratincole.
Left here early afternoon and headed for El Planeron via Daroca, Carinena and Belchite arriving early evening. Light rain for most of the way with, surprisingly, some really heavy hail-showers on higher ground, in fact it was difficult to see through the windscreen at times and the road had suddenly turned white – I had to remind myself I was in Spain in May.
Not many birds en-route due to this but some interesting countryside north of Daroca - Peregrine, Griffon Vultures and a group of 14 Red-billed Choughs were seen.
A quick drive around the two El Planeron tracks soon produced several Dupont’s Larks singing along with Short-toed, Lesser Short-toed, Crested and Calandra Larks, Tawny Pipit, and a male Marsh Harrier.
I decided to sleep in the car here for an early start in the morning.
2nd May…Just as well I did because at about 12.00hrs an official of the SEO arrived and as I didn’t have a permit pleasantly asked me to leave – it would appear that local bodies might be tightening up on permits as a visit to La Lomanza after here got me the boot again from another warden for not having a permit. I probably now have the dubious honour of being the first person to be kicked off both reserves within an hour!! Anyway the few hours spent at El Planeron was well worth it, I managed to get a few photos of Dupont’s and Lesser Short-toed Larks which was what I wanted most of all.
Warning - beware the mozzies, they’re vicious, I killed over 100 in the car before I could leave.
Birds I managed to see in the area include – Dupont’s, Short-toed, Lesser Short-toed, Calandra and Crested Larks, Stone Curlew (heard during the night), Tawny Pipit, Red-legged Partridge, Cuckoo and Great Spotted Cuckoo, Bee-eaters, Hoopoe, Corn Bunting, male and female Marsh Harrier, Kestrel, Black Kite, Griffon Vulture, Blackcap, Woodchat, Serin, Common Sandpiper, Redshank, Greenshank, Black-winged Stilt, Purple and Grey Heron, 2 egrets overhead (Little or Cattle), Swifts, Swallows and House Martins.
After a quick look around the ruins of the original town of Belchite, just to remind myself of man’s folly, I set off for Sepulveda via Calatayud, Soria, Aranda de Duero and the E5/A1 arriving at the Hostal Villa de Sepulveda in nearby Santa Cruz by evening and booking in for three nights, I enjoyed the area so much I booked a fourth night.
Two weeks in Spain… 1st May – 15th May. (Part 2)
3rd - 5th May..The next three days were spent between Santa Cruz and the Ermita de San Frutos, a great area for birding and the scenery around the Ermita area was alone worth the trip. I’ve never seen so many larks in such a small area and holding 7 of the 8 species in Spain must make it the lark hotspot in Spain. Other birds were well represented, apart from waders and waterfowl which was to be expected in such a dry area, virtually everything seen was seen very well giving excellent opportunities for close study of differences between species, all in all a brilliant place to spend a couple of days.
One of the highlights of the trip was waking in the mornings to the dawn chorus from the Hostal window, Great and Blue Tits, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Serin, Blackcap, Cetti’s Warbler, Black Redstart, Blue Rock Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Blackbird, Cuckoo, Wood Pigeon, Golden Oriole, Great Spotted and Green Woodpeckers, White Wagtail and Nightingale were all taking part in this orchestra of sound.
Over the three days good birds were seen at several road stops on the way to the Hoces de Rio Duraton/Ermita de San Frutos including – Ortolan Bunting, Golden Oriole, and Montague’s Harrier, which I didn’t see along the Ermita track, Rock sparrow, Black-eared Wheatear, Orphean Warbler, etc.
Birds along the Ermita track include - Dupont’s, Short-toed, Calandra, Crested, Thekla, Woodlark and Skylark, Tawny Pipit, Corn and Cirl Buntings, Black-eared and Northern Wheatear, Black Redstart, Blue Rock Thrush, Rock Sparrows, Blackcap, Orphean (several), Dartford, Subalpine and Spectacled Warblers, Yellow and White Wagtails, Stonechat, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Serin, Wren, Woodchat Shrikes, Nightingale, Azure-winged Magpie, Swifts, Swallows, House and Crag Martins, Red-legged Partridge, Kestrel, Black Kites, 3 Booted Eagles, 1 Short-toed Eagle, 2 Egyptian, 100+ Griffon Vultures (these pass so low over your head you’ve got to duck!), Ravens, Carrion Crows, Jackdaws and 60+ Red-billed Chough. Bee-eaters were noted most days – seemingly still moving north.
A short visit to the Rio Duraton just outside Sepulveda produced Subalpine Warbler, Blackcap, Golden Oriole Wryneck, Robin, Long-tailed Tit, Chaffinch, Song Thrush and Green Woodpecker.
6th May. Left for Villafafila about 8.30am via the E5/A1 to Aranda de Duero, the 122 to Valladolid, the E80 to Tordesillas and the A6 as far as Villapando, where I picked up the minor road to Villafafila. Only problem here was the road to Villafafila had a roadworks sign and barrier across it with a detour, on looking closer the barrier left room for cars to pass and it had a speed limit sign so it couldn’t really be closed, could it, anyway knowing this was the best area for Bustards, and being a Sunday, I ignored all this and drove past the barrier, no problems at all! The road was a bit rough but perfectly driveable, when you got to Villafafila the road was closed but there was a detour track that took you into the town!!
Most of the best birding areas are along, or off, this road including a couple of hides and several good tracks and lagoons, this combined with a short trip down the road to Otero de Sariegos gave plenty to see.
A drive down the first track I came to produced 6 Great Bustards, one standing on the track itself, several Montagu’s Harriers, a Short-eared Owl hunting over the cereal fields – this was at mid-day so feel sure it must be breeding here, 2 Booted Eagles and a Black Kite overhead.
Back on the main road again more Great Bustards were soon seen, (50 + by the time I’d reached Villafafila), several more Montagu’s, 70+ White Storks, another Short-eared Owl, Red and Black Kites, Booted Eagles, Calandra and Crested Larks, Northern Wheatears, Corn Buntings, Yellow and White Wagtails, Spotless Starlings, House, Tree and Rock Sparrows (all three side by side on one of the hides), Fan-tailed Warbler, Turtle Doves, Hoopoe, Red-legged Partridge, Quail, Raven, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Jackdaw, Kestrel, several Lesser Kestrels, Swifts, Swallows and House Martins, Mallard, Gadwall, Shoveler, Coot, Dunlin, Knot, Sanderling, Ringed and Grey Plovers, Lapwings, Redshank, Greenshank, Black-winged Stilts, Avocets, 15+Whimbrel, Gull-billed Terns, Black-headed, Yellow-legged and one adult/sub-adult Audouin’s Gull – which I think must be unusual for the area.
A short drive back along the main road in the evening looking to get some photos of Great Bustards was everything Jules said and more – they were everywhere you looked, singles displaying, small groups of young males fighting, females watching the older well-whiskered males in full display and others just feeding in the cereal fields, some coming quite close to the road, this was what I’d been looking for the past few years, somewhere where you’re at least in with a chance of getting a picture, so I rigged the tripod up in the car and just sat quietly waiting for one or two to come closer, and they did – easy, many thanks Jules.
I slept in the car again overnight, there is a hotel in Villafafila but it was a bit too expensive for a single.
Hiya John
Been checking for your report since you got back, great pictures and description of your trip. Which camera did you use most.
Eagerly awaiting the next chapter.
Malc