Extremadura
2005 Tour Report 17th-23rd
May
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17th May We
departed Liverpool airport on time and arrived at Madrid. We eventually
left Madrid and headed SE towards our base- Trujillo. Driving down we
picked up lots of White Stork and Cattle Egret in roadside
colonies. Overhead were many Black Kite. We arrived at dusk and
checked in. Walking across to the dining room in the converted Olive Farm
(Finca), we heard Little Owl, Scops Owl and 2 Red-necked
N 18th May Our
first full day began with a pre-breakfast stroll around the grounds of
our base, a restored finca 10 mins from the historic town of Trujillo.
Our walk took us through olive groves along tracks. We saw and heard 2
Golden Orioles, including 1 male. From our rooms we saw Hoopoe
feeding on the lawns, in the distance we could see multi-storey White
Stork nests. Sat on wires bubbling away were half a dozen Bee-eaters,
with a melodic Woodlark above. Searching the groves we found the
first speciality bird of the region- our first Azure-winged Magpie,
which proved to be very common in the area. The Starlings were
worth a second look, as they were Spotless Starling, ano 19th May We
ventured a little further for our pre-breakfast jaunt, heading out west
to the plains. These well grazed plains proved easier to find birds, straight
away 4 Little Bustard were seen, although dwarfed by 12 Great
Bustard, which majestically wandered across the plain. Along the fences
were 8 Black-eared Wheatear, with 6 Montagu's Harrier in
the fields behind, also in the air were 5 Black Vulture, lots of
Black Kite and several Lesser Kestrel. Following breakfast
we ventured further north again, reaching the Monfrague area. The warmer
air currents produced 22 Griffon Vulture circling, 2 Booted
Eagles, 20 Black Kite, Short-toed Eagle and Black
Stork, plus 20 Pallid Swift. The river attracting c100 Red-rumped
Swallow, plus Little Ringed Plover. We moved quickly on to
our main destination, the hugely impressive Monfrague National Park. Arriving
at the monastery here we made the climb to the top, which yielded Buzzard,
Rock Bunting and Blue Rock Thrush. Instantly recognisable
was the call of Chough that showed well, as did White-rumped
S 20th May Our
early morning jaunt was again in the grounds of the finca, as we wanted
an early start to begin our big loop of the plains to the west of Trujillo.
Our preamble yielded the usual Azure-winged Magpies, Hoopoes,
Bee-eaters, Woodlark and Melodious Warbler. Buying
our lunch we headed west to the heart of the wild Spanish plains. This
began with Black-eared Wheatears, Southern Grey Shrike and
lots of Montagu's Harrier, plus groups of Black Vulture.
Making our wa 21st May An
early pre-breakfast jaunt to the plains to the east this morning began
with a few Calandra Lark, plus 6 Little Bustard, which are
more active very early in the morning, as were the 12 Great Bustard.
Coming out of roost were 30+ Black Kite, reluctant to fly in the
cool morning air. Although our best birds were saved until last, when
we returned here at the end of the day. We had a quick look around the
finca, which produced Golden Oriole, Rock Sparrow, and the
usual Azure-winged Magpie.We heard about a Bonellis Eagle
nest, so off we went back to Monfrague. We found the nest and saw a distant
chick, with brief views of the adult over an adjacent hillside. Whilst
watching this we found out about an Eagle Owl that was showing
well, which still showed well by the time we arrived. We also saw plenty
of vultures including 100+ Griffon Vulture and half a dozen Black
Vulture, plus a few Egyptian Vultures. We also saw Short-toed
Eagle, plus a few Rock Bunting, Dartford, Subalpine
and Sardinian Warblers. Our luck was in when we returned to the
plains in the 22nd May Another
pre-breakfast drive to the plains to west produced 3 Black-eared Wheatear,
plus 12 Great Bustard and 2 Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, which
proved elusive this year. 40 Black Kite put in an appearance, as
did a couple of Montagu's Harrier. A total of 10 Calandra Lark
were counted, plus single Black Stork. After breakfast and a welcome
caffeine boost we moved south, passing throu
A quick wander around the finca was our last birding here, before we packed and headed north to Madrid in time for our afternoon flight. This produced the usual Woodlark, a myriad of Azure-winged Magpies and Bee-eaters, plus Nightingales and Golden Orioles. Making our way back north we made a short detour to an area of water by a power station. This bolstered our species list somewhat as we got to grips with Savi's Warbler, Purple Gallinule and Little Tern, with 2 more Great Spotted Cuckoo and 4 Purple Heron. We sped north, negotiating Madrid, in time to catch our flight back and back to Liverpool. Another excellent GB Tour, catching up with all the speciality birds of the area, taking the time to sit, watch and learn. If we've whetted your appetite, then we return here next year. |
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