Never having birded anywhere in Europe other than Ireland, we decided it was time to combine a visit to Paul’s family in Dublin with a birding trip to the European diversity hotspot of southern Spain. Although the best time to visit this area is apparently during the height of migration from mid-April to early May, we were unable to travel until the second half of May. As a result, most migrants had already passed through but the breeding season was well underway and many species were on territory, attending nests or newly fledged juveniles. The weather was excellent at this time – warm (but not overly hot) sunny days and cool nights, with some afternoon showers on just two days. We could afford to spend about 12 days in Spain, and decided this would be adequate time to explore the area south of Seville (Doñana NP and environs), the western province of Extremadura, and the mountains of central Spain; northern Spain and the Pyrenees will have to wait for another trip! To plan our itinerary we relied very heavily on the recently published 3rd edition of Garcia & Paterson’s “Where to Watch Birds: Southern & Western Spain.” This book proved a very useful resource both for pinpointing general areas to visit and places to stay as well as for specific directions to sites once we were in Spain. For parts of central Spain that are not covered by Garcia & Paterson (primarily the mountainous areas west and north of Madrid) we found two very helpful trip reports: Gruff Dodd’s 2005 report “Central Spain” (http://www.surfbirds.com/trip_report.php?id=700), and Ben Miller’s 2003 “Central and western Spain including Extremadura” (http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/spain/extra8/extre-may-03.htm). The latter in particular gives excellent directions to sites in the Sierra de Guadarrama and to the Dupont’s Lark site in Hoce del Rio Duraton Natural Park. We also benefited greatly from advice and directions shared by Lance Benner, a friend who had just visited Extremadura and Sierra de Gredos in late April.
We flew from the U.S. to Madrid on Delta Airlines (via Atlanta), and rented a car from National, the only company that would guarantee us a sedan (Citroën C5) with a trunk into which we could lock luggage securely out of sight. Michelin regional map 576 (Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha, Madrid) was an excellent resource for navigating those three provinces, as even the smallest rural roads are shown. We also purchased the Spain maps for our Garmin GPS, and found that device very helpful for finding our way through the maze-like towns and cities. We booked most of our accommodations in advance through the online reservation service booking.com, except for the nights spent in Castuera and Sepúlveda, where we had no difficulty finding a room mid-week. Most of the places we stayed were comfortable, mid-priced hotels well known to birders and reviewed in numerous trip reports: Hotel Toruño in El Rocío; Hospederia de Parque Monfragüe; the charming Finca Santa Marta outside Trujillo; the Parador de Gredos; and Hotel Villa Sepúlveda near Hoce del Rio Duraton. In addition to these we can highly recommend Hacienda los Jinetes, a beautifully restored 400-yr old hacienda outside Seville, surrounded by olive groves and featuring resident Red-necked Nightjars in the courtyard.
We found Spanish dining habits to be a bit of mystery, and difficult to reconcile with our desire to be out birding during the most productive early morning and evening hours. Sunrise was at about 7 a.m. and sunset at 9:30 p.m., so a 6 a.m. breakfast and 6 p.m. dinner would have been just perfect. Not possible in Spain. No hotel served breakfast before 8 a.m. (some not until 9 a.m.), and restaurants were generally open 1-4 p.m. for lunch and not until after 8 or 9 p.m. for dinner. On most days we went out early to bird for a few hours then returned to the hotel for a big, late morning breakfast, which meant we weren’t ready to eat again until after 4 p.m., when it was impossible to find anywhere open. And then we were ravenous by the time restaurants finally opened for dinner! Picnic lunches that we could eat whenever we got hungry in the late afternoon ended up being the best way to bridge the too-long gap between a late breakfast and a late dinner. Gas station junk food saved the day a couple of times, too…
Complete Itinerary:
16 May: Arrive Madrid 9:30 a.m., drive to Seville, stopping en route at Tablas de Daimiel NP (Hacienda los Jinetes, Carmona)
17 May: Brazo del Este and Laguna Medina (Hotel Toruño, El Rocío)
18-19 May: Doñana NP (Hotel Toruño)
20 May: Marismas del Odiel, then drive to Extremadura (Baron del Pozo, Castuera)
21 May: Plains of Serena, Guadiana rice fields, and Monfragüe NP (Hospederia de Parque Monfragüe, Torrejón el Rubio)
22 May: Monfragüe NP (Hospederia de Parque Monfragüe)
23 May: Caceres-Trujillo steppes (Hospederia de Parque Monfragüe)
24 May: Monfragüe NP and Sierras de las Villuercas (Finca Santa Marta, Trujillo)
25 May: Valle del Jerte and Sierra de Gredos (Parador de Gredos, Navarredonda de Gredos)
26 May: Sierra de Gredos, then drive to Sepúlveda (Hotel Villa Sepúlveda, Santa Cruz)
27 May: Hoce del Rio Duraton Natural Park and Sierra de Guadarramas (Hotel Villa Sepúlveda)
28 May: Depart Madrid, 10 a.m.
[Alphanumeric codes following place names refer to site descriptions in Garcia & Paterson’s “Where to Watch Birds: Southern & Western Spain”, 3rd ed. (2008)]
Saturday 16 May
We arrived into Madrid’s Barajas airport at about 9:30 a.m. and by 11:30 a.m. had cleared customs and immigration, collected our luggage and a rental car, and were on the road for Seville. About 1-1/2 hrs into the journey we turned off the main motorway to make our first birding stop at Tablas de Daimiel, a national park located near Ciudad Real. Formerly an important wetland along the Rio Guadiana, this site suffers from a depleted water table due to agricultural developments in the surrounding area, and an extensive system of boardwalks now runs through marshes that are largely dry at this time of year. We arrived to find a large crowd at the Visitor’s Center, and were directed to overflow parking in an adjacent field. The reason for the site’s popularity became clear a minute later when a police car came around the corner leading a procession of about 50 Ferraris into the main car park. After a very noisy entrance they parked, allowing the crowd to view the cars while the drivers and their families headed off to stroll through the marshes. Despite the resultant traffic on the boardwalks, we saw a number of wetland birds, the highlight a Savi’s Warbler that cooperatively sat atop the reeds and “reeled” endlessly for us. This site also provided a good introduction to some of the more common wetland species such as Great Reed-Warbler, Corn Bunting, Western Yellow Wagtail, Red-crested Pochard, Black-winged Stilt and Pied Avocet, and produced the only Reed Buntings of the trip. We continued south to the historic town of Carmona, just east of Seville, where we had booked a room for the night at Hacienda los Jinetes, an establishment about which we knew nothing in advance. We eventually found this hotel down a small dirt lane in the outlying village of Jinetes, and discovered it to be a beautifully restored and luxuriously furnished 400-yr old hacienda surrounded by olive groves. Barn Swallows and Spotless Starlings were nesting under the eaves, and a Red-legged Partridge scurried away from the parking area upon our arrival. After enjoying a very nice dinner, we walked into the courtyard to hear the ka-donk ka-donk of a Red-necked Nightjar, which turned out to be calling from atop the hacienda’s roof. An easy and unexpected tick!
Sunday 17 May
A pre-breakfast walk through the olive groves turned up a variety of common species such as European Serin, European Greenfinch, Eurasian Hoopoe, European Bee-eater, Woodchat Shrike, and Crested Lark. After breakfast we packed up and headed off to the Brazo del Este near the village of Pinzón (SE1). The raised, central track here provides excellent views over the surrounding rice fields and ponds. Whiskered Terns were abundant, with a few Gull-billed and Black Terns among them, and large flocks of Collared Pratincoles foraged over the fields and roosted on the berms. In the reedbeds we found Purple Swamphen, Little Bittern, Purple Heron, Eurasian Spoonbill, and a single Great Egret. In the late afternoon we drove an hour further southeast to Laguna Medina (CA15), a lake located just east of Jerez. Our quarry here was White-headed Duck, which we found, and Red-knobbed Coot, which we failed to pick out among the thousands of Eurasian Coots on the lake. All three grebes (Little, Eared and Great Crested) were present here, and the path along the lake edge was rife with Common Nightingales, Sardinian Warblers, and Zitting Cisticolas. A Western Marsh-Harrier worked the reeds while a Short-toed Eagle and pair of Red Kites circled overhead. Eventually we had to leave to drive back through Seville and around to El Rocío, where we would spend the next three nights at Hotel Toruño (“The Greylag Goose”), a well-known hotel popular with birders visiting Doñana NP. Our room faced the lagoon, with good views of Greater Flamingos feeding in the distance; directly below the window a small patch of reeds held Great and Eurasian Reed-Warblers and at least one Purple Swamphen.
Monday 18 May
We had arranged in advance for a guided tour of Doñana NP, and so at 9 a.m. met Peter Warham of Doñana Bird Tours (http://www.donanabirdtours.com/index.php) in the nearby village of Villamanrique de la Condesa. After a brief stop at a colony of White Storks nesting on ruins at the edge of town, we proceeded to the “Corredor Verde”, a protected wildlife corridor that borders orchards and other agricultural land on the outskirts of the national park. Here we got our first good looks at Azure-winged Magpie and Booted Eagle, two species we would see on most days, and with Peter’s help were finally able to get on one of the very vocal Cetti’s Warblers skulking in dense vegetation along the riverbank. Next we drove a maze of small dirt roads to eventually arrive at the remote José Valverde Visitor’s Center (H5E). Along the way we encountered Montagu’s Harrier, Short-toed Eagle, the only Black-Shouldered Kite of the trip, Melodious Warbler, Whinchat, a large breeding colony of Spanish Sparrows, and a variety of larks. The latter tended to sit in the road, providing good opportunities for side-by-side comparisons of Greater vs. Lesser Short-toed Lark, and Crested vs. Thekla Lark. Calandra Larks were conspicuous in flight, the dark lining and white trailing edge of the wings distinctive. The wetlands surrounding the Valverde Center held large breeding colonies of Glossy Ibis and Cattle and Little Egrets, with smaller numbers of Purple and Squacco Herons and Black-crowned Night-Herons. We made our last stop of the day at the lake adjacent to the Centro Dehesa Boyal near Villamanrique, where a pair of Red-knobbed Coots was known to be breeding. We didn’t find them, but did add Southern Grey Shrike to the day’s list.
Tuesday 19 May
At first light we ventured across the road from El Rocío to the Centro de La Rocina (H5B). Here blinds look out on wetlands, and a boardwalk leads through stone pine forest and scrub habitat. In the pines we picked up Long-tailed Tit, Short-toed Treecreeper, and Chaffinch, while the scrub habitat produced Dartford Warbler, along with numerous Sardinian Warblers and Great Tits. Melodious Warblers were common in the riparian areas along the marsh edge, and we also encountered a few Common Waxbills in the reeds. After a late breakfast back at the hotel, we drove south to El Acebuche, Doñana’s main Visitor’s Center (H5A). This site is similar to La Rocina, with boardwalks that wind through stone pines and scrub habitat and lead to blinds overlooking wetlands and riparian areas. From one of these blinds we had good views of Little Ringed Plover and Common Sandpiper; a nearby fruiting tree was occupied by Azure-winged Magpies, at least three Garden Warblers, and, for a brief moment only, a Eurasian Golden Oriole. In the scrub and pines we found Crested Tit, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Stonechat, and a possible Western Olivaceous Warbler (bill looked right, tail looked wrong). We ended the day with a walk along the Nature Trail at the Palacio del Acebrón (H5C), where the dense cork oak forest was teeming with Common Nightingales and Eurasian Blue Tits.
Wednesday 20 May
Following a prompt breakfast we left El Rocío for the hour’s drive to Huelva and the Marismas del Odiel (H4B). Across the road from the Visitor’s Center an extensive area of salt pans held Greater Flamingos and a large flock of shorebirds: mostly Dunlin, with smaller numbers of Red Knot, Sanderling, Common Redshank, Black-bellied and Common Ringed Plovers, and a single Black-tailed Godwit. On a berm sat our target species, two sub-adult Audouin’s Gulls, along with several other immature large gulls whose IDs we didn’t pin down before they flew (presumably Yellow-legged or Lesser Black-backed). Very pleased to have seen the Audouin’s, we continued out the causeway, racing an incoming tide. On sand bars and in tidal pools along the way we picked up Kentish (Snowy) Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Whimbrel, Eurasian Curlew, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Black-headed Gulls, and Gull-billed, Little and Sandwich Terns. As the tide rose the birds all disappeared, and we left for the long drive north into Extremadura. We reached Mérida in the late afternoon, and spent an hour on the historic Roman bridge (BA5) watching Alpine, Common and Pallid Swifts coming and going from the colony that nests there. We then continued driving east, finally stopping to spend the night at a large, impersonal hotel on the outskirts of the village of Castuera, within easy striking distance of the plains of Serena.
Thursday 21 May
We left the hotel before sunrise and drove east, turning north onto route BA35 shortly before reaching Cabeza del Buey. As suggested by Garcia & Paterson (BA9A), we explored various dirt tracks leading from the main road and scanned the steppes, succeeding in finding a group of about 10 Great Bustards, a pair of Eurasian Thick-knees (Stone-Curlews), and a Little Owl. Montagu’s Harriers and both Eurasian and Lesser Kestrels were common, and in one field a flock of Collared Pratincoles was feeding. We turned east on a track located 12 km north of the EX-104 (Garcia & Paterson give this as 32 km north of EX-104, a serious typo!), followed it for a few km, and then turned sharp right onto a good, sandy track that circled back around to the BA35. Along this track we had good views of a mixed flock of Black-bellied and Pin-tailed Sandgrouse in flight, and close to the junction with BA35 both species were flying in to visit a watering hole. Unfortunately, this small pond was in a depression and could not be seen from any angle, so once the birds landed they disappeared from further view. We continued north on the BA35, worked our way across to Campanario on the EX-349 (great scenery but no birds of note), and from there headed northeast on the EX-115 to Vegas Altas. As we rounded a corner on this fairly busy road, another car sitting on our tail waiting to pass, we surprised a female Little Bustard in the middle of our lane. Unable to brake or swerve, we missed the bird by inches, almost ending up with a lifer on our grill! The rice fields in the vicinity of Vegas Altas (CC11) were fairly quiet (a briefly glimpsed Little Bittern the most noteworthy sighting), but along the EX-355 north of there several European Rollers were perched on power lines along the roadside.
We arrived at the Hospederia de Parque Monfragüe outside the village of Torrejón el Rubio at about 5 p.m., hungry after driving all day. After checking in, we headed straight for the “open all day” Cafeteria, only to discover that the “cafeteria” was in fact a bar and didn’t actually serve food until after 9 p.m. So we made do with a snack of stale bread and sweaty cheese leftover from lunch, and then drove the short distance to Monfragüe NP, going straight to the cliff at Portilla del Tiétar (CC6F) where we had been given directions to the recent nest site of a Eurasian Eagle-Owl. We located the nest site easily, but the young had already fledged and left to roost elsewhere. Luckily, not long after we arrived a woman who had been carefully scanning the cliff face located one of the adult owls, perched so that only its head was visible. By moving down the road to a different vantage point, we eventually were able to see most of the bird clearly. Many Eurasian Griffons were also roosting on the cliff, and from the roadside pullout immediately west of Portilla del Tiétar nesting Black Storks and Egyptian Vultures could easily be viewed. Making our way back towards the hotel at dusk, we stopped to scan the cliff at Peña Falcón and found our first Cinereous (Eurasian Black) Vulture, conspicuous among the smaller Griffons.
Friday 22 May
After a quick breakfast we headed back towards Portilla del Tiétar, stopping en route at the Saltillo del Gitano overlook (CC6B), where we found Rock Bunting and Blue Rock-Thrush, and had a Peregrine Falcon fly over. A crowd of birders was already at Portilla del Tiétar hoping to see the Eurasian Eagle-Owl, which had moved from the previous day’s roost and was nowhere to be found. We, however, were hoping to find Spanish Imperial Eagle, and were informed that one had appeared about half an hour earlier, and that if we waited long enough it was sure to return to a favorite roost tree. For several hours we amused ourselves watching the antics of a pair of Black Storks, the comings and goings of Eurasian Griffons and Egyptian Vultures, and a variety of small passerines in the surrounding scrub, including Subalpine Warblers, but no eagle appeared. Eventually we moved on to the next pullout to try photographing the nesting Black Storks. Driven out of the blind by the arrival of some noisy children, we emerged onto the road just in time to see a Spanish Imperial Eagle come over the ridge, circle above us several times, and disappear once more behind the ridge. Next we searched the area around the bridge at La Tajadilla (CC6D), looking unsuccessfully for Black-eared Wheatear and Bonelli’s Eagle, and after a lazy lunch in the village of Villareal de San Carlos hiked to the top of the Castillo de Monfragüe (CC6A). The Castillo offers stunning views over the surrounding countryside as well as eye-level views of soaring raptors, but unfortunately only Eurasian Griffons plus numerous House Martins and Red-rumped Swallows were to be seen while we were there. We spent the early evening back at Portilla del Tiétar, where neither the Spanish Imperial Eagle nor the Eurasian Eagle-Owl put in appearances.
Saturday 23 May
Today was spent back out on the steppes, an early morning departure from the hotel putting us just north of Trujillo at dawn. From there we worked our way northwest towards Monroy on the CC128, then southwest on the CC99 to Santa Marta de Magasca (CC3). Exploring dirt tracks leading away from the CC128, we found a number of Great Bustards, and had first one and then a flock of five Little Bustards fly over and land where we could watch them foraging through the grass. Common Cuckoos were numerous and conspicuous – in the course of the morning we saw a dozen or more, most perched in the open on fence posts and wires. We also stopped for a Great Spotted Cuckoo that was sitting in a shrub along the roadside, and as we watched it was joined by three others! Just outside the village of Sta. Marta de Magasca we flushed four Black-bellied Sandgrouse from a roadside pond, getting excellent views as they flew away from us. We finished the morning driving the unpaved road that loops north then west around the Embalse de Guadiloba (CC3G): nice scenery, numerous raptors (Booted and Short-toed Eagles, Eurasian Griffons, Cinereous and Egyptian Vultures) but no sign of bustards or sandgrouse at that hour of the day. We spent the afternoon exploring Trujillo, where Lesser Kestrels, Common Swifts and White Storks were all conspicuous around the central plaza, and late in the day drove the roads around La Cumbre (CC3B) and Belén (CC3H), still hoping for better looks at Pin-tailed Sandgrouse. No sandgrouse, but northeast of Belén we did find a colony of Spanish Sparrows, a flock of 50 or more Black Kites (and a few vultures) sitting around a farmyard looking like they were waiting for a sheep to die, and a handsome, melanistic Montagu’s Harrier. A thunderstorm interrupted the birding so we headed back to Hospederia de Parque Monfragüe for an early dinner (9 p.m. sharp!).
Sunday 24 May
A pair of German photographers we met on the Castillo de Monfragüe had told us they had seen a variety of raptors, including Spanish Imperial Eagle, from that vantage point on the previous morning, so we followed their example and were atop the ruin by 7 a.m. Unfortunately, the morning dawned somewhat cool and overcast, and after 3 hrs we had seen a grand total of one Booted Eagle and a handful of Eurasian Griffons. But Rock Buntings, Blue Rock-Thrush, and a Black Redstart joined us atop the Castillo, and a juvenile Hawfinch perched briefly in a tree below us, visited occasionally by a parent bringing food. As we were making our way back down to the car, a pair of Red-billed Choughs appeared and circled the site. We returned to the hotel for a late morning breakfast, packed up, and drove east to the Sierras de las Villuercas (CC5). At the bridge outside Retamosa (CC5C) we found Melodious and Subalpine Warblers, Crested Tit, a pair of Grey Wagtails, and had Egyptian Vultures and a Black Stork fly over. We drove into the village of Cabañas del Castillo (CC5D) and hiked to the castle ruins that sit above the village and presumably give it its name. Eurasian Linnets were common here, along with Black Redstart and Blue Rock-Thrush. Alpine Swifts and a Peregrine Falcon passed overhead as we climbed the crag. Cathy reached the Castillo in time to see a Black Wheatear perched on an outcrop below, but the bird flew just as Paul arrived on the scene. We sat and waited, hoping it would return to the same spot, but were forced to give up when very black clouds arrived bringing rain. For awhile we sheltered under a ruined arch, and then took advantage of a brief break in the rain to make a run for the village. We were still about 100 m from the car when several flashes of forked lightning split the sky, and the heavens opened up. Fortunately we had parked next to a covered bus stop, and we took shelter there, eating our picnic lunch amid torrential rain, hail, and crashing thunder!
After the storm passed we drove south of Trujillo to spend the night at Finca Santa Marta, a restored 300-yr old farm that caters to birders and offers good birding on the grounds. We had originally hoped to spend all 4 of our nights in the Trujillo/Monfragüe area here, but had only been able to get a reservation for one night (FSM is popular with birding tour groups at this time of year). In hindsight, despite being overpriced, pretentious and lacking charm, the Hospederia was a much more convenient place to stay for birding Monfragüe, as FSM is nearly an hour’s drive south of the park. Our arrival at FSM coincided with another heavy rainshower, but this one was short-lived and we were soon exploring the surrounding orchards and hedgerows. Short-toed Treecreepers were common here, and down the lane past the farm we found a small flock of Common Waxbills. Ripe cherries in the orchard were attracting Azure-winged Magpies, Eurasian Blackbirds, Spotless Starlings, and a Mistlethrush, but several pairs of Eurasian Golden Orioles stole the show. FSM does not serve dinner on a Sunday, so we ventured into Trujillo for a very nice meal at a restaurant on the central plaza. Returning to FSM at about 11 p.m., we walked down the lane to listen for European Scops-Owl. One was calling in the distance, but we were unable to lure it closer. We were rather abruptly dissuaded from going further to look for it by a bone-chilling shriek (fox? something scarier?) that came from very close by and sent us scurrying hastily back to our room!
Monday 25 May
A walk around the grounds of FSM before breakfast didn’t turn up anything new, so we packed up and headed north for the Valle del Jerte (CC8). It was another “unsettled” day with dark clouds looming on the horizon, but the rain held off long enough for us to enjoy the 5 km round trip hike to Los Pilones, a series of cascades located within the Garganta de los Infiernos Natural Reserve near Jerte (CC8B). The trail wound through dense oak forest with periodic views across the valley, and we saw numerous Eurasian Jays, Blackcaps, European Robins, and various tits. Eurasian Honey Buzzards and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers are supposed to breed here, but we saw no sign of either of those species. While picnicking near the Visitor’s Center, we were joined by a Eurasian Nuthatch, and watched both Grey and White Wagtails gathering insects in the river. Driving towards Sierra de Gredos, we stopped at the Puerto de Tornavaca (CC8C) long enough to find several singing Greater Whitethroats before the rain finally arrived. Showers followed us to the Parador de Gredos, but eventually abated and we ventured out into a damp and gloomy evening to bird the grounds. Here we found all of the tits, including Crested and Coal Tits, Black Redstarts, Eurasian Crag-Martins nesting under the eaves, and a Goldcrest.
Tuesday 26 May
It was still damp and gloomy in the morning, and the only new species we found around the grounds of the Parador were a female Red Crossbill and a singing Western Bonelli’s Warbler. No sign of Citril Finch. Although the mountains were still hidden in cloud, the weather forecast – thoughtfully posted in the hotel lobby – was for a partly sunny day with little to no chance of rain. We drove to the end of the AV931 where there is parking for a trail that leads into the Reserva Nacional de Gredos, arriving as the clouds were lifting to reveal a beautiful clear day. Around the parking lot we saw Western Yellow Wagtail, Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush, and Carrion Crow, and along the first km of the trail to Laguna Grande easily found singing Bluethroats, Ortolan Buntings, many Dunnocks, and a herd of about 20 Spanish Ibex who watched us from a ridge just above the trail. The trail climbs for <1 km and then crosses a flat, boggy area where Northern Wheatears and Eurasian Skylarks were displaying. We continued for another 5 km and dropped down into the Circo de Gredos to within sight of Laguna Grande, an alpine lake with a backpacker’s hostel on its shore. Within the cirque we encountered Water Pipits doing song-flight displays, and a pair of Alpine Accentors. We made it back to the car by about 2 p.m., and on our way back down the AV931 stopped at the river crossing that is about 1.5 km south of the junction with AV941. We had been told to look here for European Pied Flycatcher and Green Woodpecker, both of which we eventually found. A late lunch at the internet café in Hoyos del Espino fueled us for the long drive to Sepúlveda, but before leaving Sierra de Gredos we stopped again at the Parador to check one last time for Citril Finch. Still no luck, but a good look at a Firecrest made the stop worthwhile. We made it to Sepúlveda by about 8 p.m., and found a room at the Hotel Villa Sepúlveda, located just outside of the town and very convenient to the turnoff to Hoce del Rio Duraton Natural Park. We used the last hour of daylight to find our way to the park itself and to the best spot to look for Dupont’s Lark – thanks to the excellent directions in Ben Miller’s trip report, we had no difficulty finding this site and were now oriented for the morning.
Wednesday 27 May
We arrived back at Hoce del Rio Duraton at 6:30 a.m. (frost on the ground!), and parked 1 km past the dry valley that the road crosses 1 km from the church in Villaseca. We had walked about 100 m from the car when we heard a Dupont’s Lark singing south of the road, and made our way slowly towards it. The bird kept singing, and eventually we were able to see it moving through the low vegetation about 20 m in front of us. Several times it crossed open areas, and we got quite good views of the whole bird before it flew downhill and out of sight. Congratulating ourselves on having seen this difficult species, we turned our attention to separating Thekla from Crested Larks. Suddenly, a bird landed at Paul’s feet, and we looked down to see the Dupont’s Lark less than 10 ft away! The bird walked right by us, then sat up on a nearby rock and sang for about 5 minutes while we digiscoped and took video of it! And these birds are supposed to be impossible to see?!! We continued to follow this individual around, getting additional good looks and photos as it periodically sat singing in the open, and several times launched into the air for a song-flight display. We then moved down the road to where a second Dupont’s Lark was singing, and had a similar experience, getting more photos as that individual also sat on a rock and sang. Wow! Also common and conspicuous here were Greater Short-toed, Crested, and Calandra Larks, Eurasian Skylarks, Tawny Pipits, Black-eared Wheatears (a species we hadn’t managed to find at Monfragüe), and Red-legged Partridges. A quick check around the parking lot and start of the track leading to the Ermita de San Frutos turned up Western Orphean Warbler and singing Wood Larks. Although our Spanish is very poor and no one at the Villa Sepúlveda spoke English, we thought we had managed to arrange for a 10 a.m. breakfast (they had immediately recognized us as birders and assumed correctly that we would be going out early). We returned there, however, to find the restaurant still locked up and no one around. The owner eventually appeared and offered us coffee. When nothing more materialized we finally asked if it might be possible to have some breakfast, and were subsequently presented with a large plate of very dry toast and some apples and oranges. We were somewhat taken aback to then be charged €10 each for breakfast when we settled the bill that evening, but our Spanish wasn’t up to the level of being able to register a complaint!
After breakfast we returned to Hoce del Rio Duraton, where a stop in the dry valley turned up more Western Orphean Warblers, a Dartford Warbler, and a very unexpected Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush, and then spent some time at the Ermita de San Frutos, watching hundreds of Red-billed Choughs and Eurasian Jackdaws coming and going from nest holes in the cliffs. Since we’d seen all of our target species here so easily, we decided to drive into the Sierra de Guadarrama for the afternoon to give Citril Finch another try. We visited several sites near the ski resort town of Puerto de Navacerrada where others have reported finding Citril Finch in the past (i.e., the ski lift below the restaurants in Puerto de Navacerrada itself, the road to Valdesqui, and the parking lot at Valcotos) but to no avail. The only noteworthy bird we saw was another European Pied Flycatcher, under the ski lift in Puerto de Navacerrada. After discovering that none of the several restaurants in the village were open for dinner at this time of year, we drove back to Sepúlveda and ate at the hotel, faring somewhat better than we had in the morning, thanks to the intervention of an English-speaking bar patron who volunteered to translate for us! We then packed and headed for bed early, up at 6 a.m. to drive to Barajas airport to catch a 10 a.m. flight to Ireland.
Our trip total was 175 species (2 additional species heard only). We missed very few of the species we had expected to see, and had fantastic success with some of those we had considered long-shots. Thanks to the Citril Finch for giving us an excuse to go back someday to this beautiful, easy-to-bird country!
Complete trip list:
(Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of days out of 12 that a species was seen or heard.)
Greylag Goose (Anser anser): small flock at Tablas de Daimiel, origin unknown (1)
Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna): a few at Tablas de Daimiel (1)
Gadwall (Anas strepera): common in Doñana area (5)
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos): common (6)
Northern Pintail (Anas acuta): one at El Rocio (1)
Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata): one at Brazo del Este (1)
Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina): small numbers common in Doñana area (4)
Common Pochard (Aythya ferina): small numbers common in Doñana area (4)
White-headed Duck (Oxyura leucocephala): one male at Laguna Medina (1)
Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa): common in steppe areas (6)
Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix): heard only at Doñana (1)
Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis): seen at Laguna Medina and Doñana (3)
Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus): seen at Laguna Medina and Doñana (2)
Eared (Black-necked) Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis): seen at Laguna Medina and Doñana (2)
Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus): flocks at Doñana and Marismas del Odiel (3)
Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea): common (8)
Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea): common at Doñana, one seen at Mérida (3)
Great Egret (Ardea alba): one at Brazo del Este (1)
Little Egret (Egretta garzetta): common in Doñana area (5)
Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides): small numbers near Valverde Visitor’s Center (1)
Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis): fairly common (7)
Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax): uncommon in Doñana area (2)
Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus): individuals seen at Brazo de Este and Vegas Altas (2)
Black Stork (Ciconia nigra): small numbers seen at Monfragüe and Villuercas (3)
White Stork (Ciconia ciconia): common everywhere (10)
Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus): large numbers at Valverde Visitor’s Center (1)
Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia): small numbers at Doñana and Marismas del Odiel (4)
Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus caeruleus): one seen at Doñana (1)
Red Kite (Milvus milvus): a few seen in most places (6)
Black Kite (Milvus migrans): common everywhere (11)
Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus): fairly common at Monfragüe and Duraton (5)
Eurasian Griffon (Gyps fulvus): common most places (9)
Cinereous (Eurasian Black) Vulture (Aegypius monachus): small numbers at Monfragüe (3)
Short-toed Eagle (Circaetus gallicus): a few seen at Doñana and Monfragüe (5)
Western Marsh-Harrier (Circus aeruginosus): individuals at Laguna Medina and Doñana (2)
Montagu's Harrier (Circus pygargus): common in steppe areas (5)
Eurasian Buzzard (Buteo buteo): a few seen most places (7)
Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aquila adalberti): one seen at Monfragüe (1)
Booted Eagle (Aquila pennata): a few seen most places (7)
Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni): common in towns and on steppes (4)
Eurasian Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus): fairly common on steppes (5)
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus): individuals seen at Monfragüe and Villuercas (2)
Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio): small numbers at Brazo del Este and Doñana (2)
Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus): seen in most wetlands (6)
Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra): abundant at Laguna Medina, common at Doñana (5)
Great Bustard (Otis tarda): 10-12 seen at plains of Serena and Caceres-Trujillo steppes (2)
Little Bustard (Tetrax tetrax): 6 on Caceres-Trujillo steppes, 1 near Campanario (2)
Eurasian Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus): several at Marismas del Odiel (1)
Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus): common in wetlands (6)
Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta): small numbers seen in Doñana area (4)
Eurasian Thick-knee (Stone-Curlew) (Burhinus oedicnemus): pair on plains of Serena (1)
Collared Pratincole (Glareola pratincola): flocks at Brazo del Este and Serena (4)
Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus): seen occasionally in Doñana area (3)
Black-bellied (Grey) Plover (Pluvialis squatarola): small numbers at Marismas del Odiel (1)
Common Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula): small numbers at Marismas del Odiel (1)
Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius): one at El Acebuche, Doñana (1)
Snowy (Kentish) Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus): a few at Marismas del Odiel (1)
Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa): one at Marismas del Odiel (1)
Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus): one at Marismas del Odiel (1)
Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata): a few at Marismas del Odiel (1)
Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos): one at El Acebuche, Doñana (1)
Common Redshank (Tringa totanus): a few at Marismas del Odiel (1)
Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres): a few at Marismas del Odiel (1)
Red Knot (Calidris canutus): a few at Marismas del Odiel (1)
Sanderling (Calidris alba): a few at Marismas del Odiel (1)
Dunlin (Calidris alpina): large flock at Marismas del Odiel (1)
Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus): flocks at Brazo del Este and Odiel (2)
Audouin's Gull (Ichthyaetus audouinii): two at Marismas del Odiel (1)
Little Tern (Sternula albifrons): a few at Marismas del Odiel (1)
Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon nilotica): a few at Brazo del Este and Marismas del Odiel (2)
Black Tern (Chlidonias niger): a few at Brazo del Este (1)
Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybrida): common at Brazo del Este and Doñana (3)
Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis): a few at Marismas del Odiel (1)
Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (Pterocles alchata): several seen in flight on plains of Serena (1)
Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Pterocles orientalis): a few at Serena and Caceres-Trujillo steppes (2)
Rock Pigeon (Columba livia): seen most days (9)
Common Wood-Pigeon (Columba palumbus): seen most places (6)
Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto): seen most days except in mountains (9)
Great Spotted Cuckoo (Clamator glandarius): 4 near Sta. Marta de Magasca (1)
Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus): seen or heard most places (6)
European Scops-Owl (Otus scops): heard only at Finca Santa Marta (1)
Eurasian Eagle-Owl (Bubo bubo): one at Monfragüe (1)
Little Owl (Athene noctua): small numbers at Doñana, Serena and Caceres-Trujillo steppes (3)
Red-necked Nightjar (Caprimulgus ruficollis): one at Hacienda los Jinetes (1)
Alpine Swift (Tachymarptis melba): seen in Mérida, Monfragüe, and Villuercas (5)
Common Swift (Apus apus): common, seen most days (9)
Pallid Swift (Apus pallidus): only identified positively at Mérida (1)
European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster): a few seen most days (10)
European Roller (Coracias garrulus): several seen in Trujillo area (2)
Eurasian Hoopoe (Upupa epops): a few seen most days (9)
Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis): one in Sierra de Gredos (1)
Dupont's Lark (Chersophilus duponti): 2-3 at Hoce del Rio Duraton (1)
Calandra Lark (Melanocorypha calandra): fairly common on steppes (4)
Greater Short-toed Lark (Calandrella brachydactyla): a few at Doñana and Hoce del Duraton (3)
Lesser Short-toed Lark (Calandrella rufescens): a few at Doñana (1)
Crested Lark (Galerida cristata): common, seen most days (9)
Thekla Lark (Galerida theklae): only identified positively at Doñana (1)
Eurasian Skylark (Alauda arvensis): common in Sierra de Gredos and Hoce del Duraton (3)
Wood Lark (Lullula arborea): common at Hoce del Rio Duraton (1)
Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia): several near Valverde Visitor’s Center (1)
Eurasian Crag-Martin (Ptyonoprogne rupestris): common at Monfragüe, Sierra de Gredos (7)
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica): common, seen most days except in Sierra de Gredos (9)
Red-rumped Swallow (Cecropis daurica): common, seen most days (9)
House Martin (Delichon urbicum): common, seen most days (9)
Tawny Pipit (Anthus campestris): several at Hoce del Rio Duraton (1)
Water Pipit (Anthus spinoletta): small numbers at high elevation in Sierra de Gredos (1)
White Wagtail (Motacilla alba): a few in mountain areas (4)
Western Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava): fairly common at Doñana, one in Sierra de Gredos (6)
Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea): a few along rivers in the mountains (3)
Goldcrest (Regulus regulus): one at Parador de Gredos (1)
Firecrest (Regulus ignicapilla): one at Parador de Gredos (1)
Winter Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes): a few at Monfragüe and Villuercas (2)
Alpine Accentor (Prunella collaris): two at high elevation in Sierra de Gredos (1)
Dunnock (Prunella modularis): common in Sierra de Gredos (2)
Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush (Monticola saxatilis): a few in Sierra de Gredos, one at Duraton (2)
Blue Rock-Thrush (Monticola solitarius): small numbers at Monfragüe, Villuercas, Duraton (4)
Eurasian Blackbird (Turdus merula): very common, seen most days (11)
Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus): one at Finca Santa Marta (1)
Zitting Cisticola (Cisticola juncidis): common at Laguna Medina and Doñana (3)
Cetti's Warbler (Cettia cetti): one seen, others heard at Doñana (Corredor Verde) (1)
Savi's Warbler (Locustella luscinioides): seen at Tablas de Daimiel, heard in Doñana (3)
Eurasian Reed-Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus): a few at Doñana (2)
Great Reed-Warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus): common in all wetland areas (6)
?Western Olivaceous Warbler (Hippolais opaca): possibly one at El Acebuche, Doñana (1)
Melodious Warbler (Hippolais polyglotta): a few at Doñana and Villuercas (3)
Western Bonelli's Warbler (Phylloscopus bonelli): one at Parador de Gredos (1)
Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla): a few in Valle de Jerte and Sierra de Gredos (3)
Garden Warbler (Sylvia borin): 3 at El Acebuche, Doñana (1)
Western Orphean Warbler (Sylvia hortensis): several at Hoce del Rio Duraton (1)
Greater Whitethroat (Sylvia communis): 2 at Puerto de Tornavaca (1)
Dartford Warbler (Sylvia undata): individuals at Doñana and Hoce del Rio Duraton (2)
Subalpine Warbler (Sylvia cantillans): common at Monfragüe; also at Villuercas, Duraton (4)
Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala): common, a few seen most places (6)
Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata): one at Monfragüe (1)
European Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca): seen at Sierra de Gredos and Guadarrama (2)
European Robin (Erithacus rubecula): common in Valle de Jerte and Sierra de Gredos (3)
Common Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos): very common in most wooded areas (6)
Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica): a few in Sierra de Gredos (1)
Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros): fairly common in Sierra de Gredos, Hoce del Duraton (5)
Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra): a few individuals in Doñana
Stonechat (Saxicola torquatus): a few seen most places (8)
Black Wheatear (Oenanthe leucura): one seen in Villuercas (1)
Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe): common at high elevation in Sierra de Gredos (1)
Black-eared Wheatear (Oenanthe hispanica): common at Hoce del Duraton (2)
Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus): fairly common in wooded areas (5)
Coal Tit (Periparus ater): common in Sierra de Gredos and Guadarrama (3)
Crested Tit (Lophophanes cristatus): a few at Doñana, Villuercas and Sierra de Gredos (4)
Great Tit (Parus major): fairly common in scrub and wooded areas (5)
Eurasian Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus): fairly common in wooded areas (4)
Eurasian Nuthatch (Sitta europaea): a few at Valle de Jerte and Sierra de Gredos (2)
Short-toed Treecreeper (Certhia brachydactyla): a few seen in most wooded areas (5)
Eurasian Golden Oriole (Oriolus oriolus): one at Doñana; several pairs at Finca Santa Marta (3)
Southern Grey Shrike (Lanius meridionalis): fairly common most places (6)
Woodchat Shrike (Lanius senator): common, seen most days (8)
Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius): common at Monfragüe, Valle de Jerte, Sierra de Gredos (4)
Azure-winged Magpie (Cyanopica cyanus): very common in scrub and wooded areas (7)
Eurasian Magpie (Pica pica): common, seen most days (8)
Red-billed Chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax): very common at Hoce del Rio Duraton (3)
Eurasian Jackdaw (Corvus monedula): fairly common, seen most places (7)
Carrion Crow (Corvus corone): a few in Sierra de Gredos (2)
Common Raven (Corvus corax): small numbers in steppe areas (5)
Spotless Starling (Sturnus unicolor): very common, seen everywhere (12)
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus): very common, seen everywhere (12)
Spanish Sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis): colonies at Doñana and near Belén (2)
Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus): one at El Acebuche, Doñana (1)
Common Waxbill (Estrilda astrild): small numbers at Doñana and Finca Santa Marta (2)
Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs): very common in all wooded areas (6)
Red (Common) Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra): one at Parador de Gredos (1)
European Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris): fairly common in Doñana (4)
European Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis): common everywhere, seen most days (10)
Eurasian Linnet (Carduelis cannabina): fairly common, especially in mountains (6)
European Serin (Serinus serinus): common, seen most places (9)
Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes): one at Monfragüe (1)
Rock Bunting (Emberiza cia): fairly common in Monfragüe and Sierra de Gredos (3)
Ortolan Bunting (Emberiza hortulana): several in Sierra de Gredos (1)
Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus): two at Tablas de Daimiel (1)
Corn Bunting (Emberiza calandra): common in most wetlands and grasslands (9)