A short trip-report from my visit to Northern – Spain 13. th- 18 th. May 2000

Itinerary

 14/5: Charter-trip Oslo-Alicante. Left my wife and kids by my parents. Took the night-train from Alicante to Zaragoza. 15/5: Hired a car in Zaragoza. Drove down to the steppe-reserve of Planeron. In the afternoon drove up to Riglos (de Mallos). Further up to San Juan de la Pena and to Jaca. Stayed in a hotel in Jaca. 16/5: Visit to the Citadell in Jaca. Then up through the Hecho-Valley and up to Gabardito. In the evening I drove to Ordesa and stayed overnight in Torla. 17/5: Walk in Parque Nacional de Ordesa. Then started the long journey towards Madrid.  Stayed overnight at a motel not far from Guadalajara. 18/5: Visit to a agricultural area near Alcala de Henares. Left the car at Barajas Airport, and took the train down to Alicante.

15/5 Planeron, Riglos de Mallos, San Juan de la Pena, Jaca

El Planeron in the Ebro Valley of Aragaon

At Planeron, I found the place overlooking the area, mentioned in Croziers book. Here, there were signs and information on the wildife. However, I did not find the reservoirs where the sandgrouses should come in to drink. Later, though, I drove back towards Belchite and took a farm-track which passed by some overgrown pools where I saw some Black-winged stilts. Perhaps this was the place?

Mallos de Riglos

I had around 10 Black-bellied Sandgrouses but no Pin-tailed. I saw all the larks in the area, including Dupont’s. (lots of Calandra’s , Lesser short-toed- and Short-toed) I could see 2-3 of the Dupont’s larks, and a few also sung in the middle of the day! In Norway this species is called ”Nightlark”, but this cannot be the whole truth! I also had a Stone Curlew, some Quails and some Spectacled Warblers.

Planeron was a very interesting area, and I would like to revisit. Perhaps a bit earlier in the morning!

I drove north through Huesca, on the way to Jaca. I stopped near Riglos and watched the huge cliffs. One Short-toed Eagle flew over and a couple of Booted Eagles also. Lots of Griffons were soaring, together with app. 10 Black Kites and 5 Red Kites. It was here I had the only Orphean Warblers on the trip.

Rock Sparrow

I drove up to San Juan de la Pena to the Monastery. I walked through the wood and got a stunning view over the Pyrenees. From here I saw my first Lammergeier- but at a great distance. Here, I also had the only Honey Buzzard. Smaller birds included Firecrest.

16/5 Jaca, Hecho Valley, Ordesa

Before leaving Jaca, I visited the Citadell. This place is supposed to be a good site for Rock Sparrow- and it is. Perhaps the most common species around the stone walls!

Ordesa National Park, seen from Torla

I drove up through the lovely Hecho Valley. Lots of kites in these areas! First stop the famous Boca del Infierno- the tunnel. My aim was to get the Wallcreepers here. Just after 15 minutes, a pair suddenly arrived. I great experience! (here I also found a Wild Boar in the middle of the road). I then turned back and headed for the Gabardito cross-country resort. Here again, lots of Griffons. One or two Lammergeiers also, and a pair of Egyptian Vultures. Gabardito is mentioned in some trip-reports to be a reliable site for Citril Finch. However, they were not here. I walked up from Gabardito, and reached the alpine meadows. Water pipits, and a Black Wheatear were the best on the ”small front”. However, I found the Choughs and Alpine Choughs most interesting. Not easy to separate in distance, but they have very different sounds. On one of the slopes I also saw some Spanish Ibex.

I then returned through Jaca and headed for Ordesa. Just before Jaca, I had app. 150 Griffons soaring together. The Griffon Vulture seems to be really numerous in this area. Perhaps the highest density in Spain?

I found a hotel in Torla, and took a quick evening trip into Ordesa. I had a Sparrowhawk, a Peregrine and a Golden Eagle from the Information Centre. In this area, I also saw lots of species which are more common further north in Europe, but have their stronghold in Spain here. (tits, finches, dunnocks, thrushes, pigeons..)

17/5  Ordesa, (and drive southwards)

A bit rainy this day. I climbed the steep Senda de las Cazadores on the right side of the river. On the way up, I found a dead Izard/Chamois. I also had two Wallcreepers on the way up. However, I did not make it all the way up. Because of the rain, I turned back to Torla. It then cleared again, and from my hotel I got the best views of Lammergeier on the trip. Two soaring together not far from the hotel, with dense flocks of Choughs/Alpine Choughs just below. I also heard a Black Woodpecker somewhere.

Alpine Chough

I then drove back, and drove up through the Tena Valley and reached the high ground around the French border. A Lammergeier here too and Alpine Choughs pretty close. I also had Blue Rock Thrush and Black Redstarts are common here. Just around the border area I also had Marmots and a flock of Izards.

I drove back and visited the lovely Panticosa ”village”. A Lammergeier , a Black Wheatear, and very healthy waters... Then, the main trip was over, and I headed back. The car was to be delivered at Barrajas, Madrid, so I had lots of miles in front of me.

18/5 In the morning, I visited the area near Alcala de Henares, mentioned in de Juanas book. This area is supposed to hold bustards and sandgrouses. I first visited the church in the village of Meco, where there still are some Lesser Kestrels. Then I drove along a farm track north of the village. I had a lovely male Montague’s Harrier and a pair of Hen Harriers. The latter I have never seen in Spain before. But, do these areas have bustards? If I was on the right track, I cannot see how for instance Great Bustard can survive in such an agricultural area.

I left the car on the airport, and took the Talgo train down to Alicante.

Southern Andalucia 26/4-3/5 1997

I took a week of and jumped on a charter-flight to Malaga. Due to late departure, we arrived at Malaga Airport at midnight. I got my hired car though, and drove off towards Gibraltar. I managed to get one- or two hours of sleep before day-break, and then I drove out to the Punta Europa first, and later when raports started I went up to the GOHNS-house.

Most interesting observations this day were: 3 Egyptian Vulture, 2 Osprey, 20 Booted Eagle, 4 Short-toed Eagles, 6 Marsh Harrier, 100 Black Kite, 60 Honey Buzzard, 10 Sparrowhawk, 2-3 Kestrel/Lesser Kestrel, 2 Peregrine. Out on the sea I also had small numbers of Cory’s and Mediterreanean Shearwaters. I aimed of course at the Barbary Partridge, but couldn’t find it, although several helpful birdwatchers tried to guide me. This was of course a disappointment.

Next day I drove west to the Cadiz-province and chose to drive through the Ojen Valley. This was a beautiful valley. Almost no traffic (which is understandable, considering the standard of the road..). I should have spent the whole day here, but drove through at small speed instead. In the air there were of course raptors. Short-toed and several Booted Eagles. The first Griffon Vultures started to appear and I even had a Common Buzzard. In the wooded areas there were Bonneli’s and Melodious Warblers together with several Firecrests. Along the road I had species like Stonechats, Tawny Pipits , Thekla Larks and Cirl Buntings.

When the valley was finished, I headed for the La Janda area. I knew this area more or less was destroyed, but I had hoped for something else then what I experienced: A highly developed area with intensive farming and in addition thousands of tracks which meant that I did not find the remaining natural areas. The only interesting I noticed was the first White Storks, Little Egrets and Calandra Larks.

White-headed Duck at Laguna Medina

I then drove towards Laguna Salada. This is a small lake/pond were it can be possible to find the Crested Coot. However, it was not there but it was a real nice place anyway. A type of Garden of Eden among fields and roads. This part of Spain is really beginning to be “developed…”. In the laguna I had some 20-30 pairs of Black-necked Grebes, a little less of Little Grebes and a pair of Great Crested. Further, there were Pochards, Red-crested Pochards, some Gadwalls and at least one pair of the amazing White-headed Duck.

Then on the move again, towards Laguna Medina. This lake is/was a real hotspot, and was former known to host Crested Coots, Marbled- and White-headed Ducks. However, perhaps due to the drought in the mid-nineties, it had not recovered at the time. There were more or less the same species as in Laguna Salada, however I added Black Terns and Shoveler to the list.

On the 29/4 I went up to Brazo del Este. I had heared about Brazo del Este in advance, but did not expect to find such a good site. Although highly developed by farmers, it still hold lots of good stuff. The main problem is to find it, and I will assume that many have had problems with that. There were lots of White Stork, one or two Squacco Herons, about 10 Black-crowned- and some 8-10 Purple Herons. Further, 20 Little Egrets and about 10 Cattle Egrets. Among waders I had about 20 Kentish Plovers and some Black-winged Stilts. However, what amazed me was the number of Collared Pratincoles. I estimated app. 500. It might have been more or less, but they were really common here. I also found 2 Purple Gallinules and several Little Terns in the canals, and out on the fields I had several Gull-billed Terns. In these fields, Short-toed Larks was the most numerous.

I then drove north, through Sevilla, and turned south again for Matalascanas- and of course Coto Donana (Las Marismas). I found a nice hotel with a fantastic view over the floaded areas made by La Rocina. From my hotel-window I could easily see species like Flamingo, several species of marsh-terns, Spoonbill, Avocets, Black-tailed Godwits, Curlew sandpiper to mention a few.

Hotel Toruno in El Rocio

Azure-winged Magpie

In the evening, we walked the sandy road east of the town. Our aim was to find the Red-necked Nightjar. And we were rewarded; after some time we suddenly heard the unmistakable “katook-katook”, and one bird flew across the path. Later that evening, a nice Barn Owl flew over the table while we had dinner.

At the 30/4  I started around the La Rocina Information Centre. Azure-winged Magpies were common here. New trip-list species here were Kingfisher and Golden Oriole.

Later on the day, we tried to drive north, in order to be able to approach the eastern areas of the park from this direction. This was due to the fact that taking the sandy road east-wards from La Rocio was out of the question. However, we ended up almost stuck in the sand here also, so we more or less drove around in the northern parts without a final objective at all. In these areas we expanded the trip-list with Olivaceous Warbler, Spanish Sparrow (which is not common here at all) and Stone Curlew. Some sort of Glossy Starling was sitting on a bush just beside our car, but I flew away again soon. Since there are several species possible of this African family, we just had to tick

a whole family. I must also mention the number of 

Black Kites in these areas. They are just very, incredible numerous. Several thousands must breed in/near Donana.

At the 1/5 I decided to take the guided trip around the Park. Starting from El Acebuche. I had been warned, so I managed it without getting sick or angry. However, this is not a birdwatching trip! The coach drove as hell along the beaches of the Atlantic coast. Sanderlings and Slender-billed Gulls really had to fly for their life. Well, into the Park interior again, there were several very nice areas, and I also got the impression of the Marismas, the wetlands. There were huge, open wetlands, created by the Guadalquivir. However, as mentioned, we drove through at high speed with just short stops. Well, as mentioned this was not a trip for twitchers, but if you have the possibility, you should take it. I had several new species at the trip-list, in addtion to for instance Slender-billed Gull. Whimbrel, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Oystercatcher, Black-eared Wheatear, Great-spotted Cuckoo and several Red Kites were added.

In the evening, I left the Park and drove to get some mountain-species. I chose the Grazalema-area which seemed rather accessible. Here, I had much “common-stuff” like tits, woodpeckers, warblers etc. just before sunset.

Grazalema

On 2/5 I used the day in La Grazalema and Las Nieves. My main aim was to find the Rock Thrush, which in fact would be new to me. And I was rewarded already early that morning, with a stunning male singing from his outpost. During the day I got species like Black Wheatear, Rock Bunting, Crag Martin and Red-billed Chough. The first Dartford Warbler was also seen here. Near Zahara I had about 100 Griffons soaring.

Well, my time was beginning to be short, and I drove south-east towards the coast and found a reasonable hotel in one of the tourist-machines.

3/5 was departure-day. However,  I managed a small trip down to the mouth of the “Rio” Guadalhorce in Malaga. I got some new species on the trip-list here like Common and Sandwich Tern. Further, I had 2 Audouin’s Gulls and actually 2 Great Skuas! In fact, I also found Greylag Goose and Common Teal here, and hence understood that I was on my way home…