Day 7 We were greeted by yet another glorious morning. Whilst heading to breakfast a Red-vented Bulbul could be heard singing from the trees above us as we went and also the local flock of Spanish Sparrows had come down for a drink at the water sprinklers, which were watering the freshly mown grass. After breakfast I headed out on to the beach and had a walk along the rocky edge with my dad. A Cattle Egret was hunting in the dunes behind and along the foreshore the seemingly always full of energy Sanderlings were running up and down the rocks looking for any tiny morsel that they could pick off. There was a total of 14 of them running up and down the rocks making it almost as though the rocks had tiny little white lice running about. (Picture Below) Offshore a couple of Sandwich Tern were fishing alongside some Yellow-legged Gulls and a Kestrel sat on a lamppost over looking the whole scene and scanning for its next prey item. Above: Sandwich Tern Below: Kestrel A Little Egret flew along the shore and landed up ahead in a little sheltered cove which also contained at least 20 roosting Sandwich Tern. 4 Ravens flew through in land and 2 nice adult plumage Yellow legged Gulls sat there and watched as I went past in one direction and then back in the other. A small wader was also flushed, but I didn't manage to see what it was, although I had my suspicions. Above: Yellow-legged Gull Above: Sandwich Tern Below: Yellow-legged Gulls As I headed back towards the hotel I realised that the Sanderling flock hadn't moved very far and gave us great views of these tiny waders. (Pictured Below) Just as we were moving on I noticed two waders coming in from further up the coast. The first didn't stop however it was easily identifiable as a Ringed Plover. The second decided that the best place to stop for a rest would be right at my feet. It was a Common Sandpiper (Pictured Below). Above: Common Sandpiper Below: Sanderling Just as we were coming to the end of the rocks a Whimbrel appeared from nowhere and paraded around in front of us poking its long beak down into the rocks to get at the grub that most others can't. (Pictured Below) After this a round of Volley Ball was enjoyed in the now searing heat. The afternoon saw a trip to Playa De Sotevento to play some footie. When we arrived there were 7 Whimbrel roosting on the beach, before they were flushed by some joggers. They then flew up into the sand dunes and were lost to sight. A Little Egret was in one of the channels fishing and the Spoonbills could just about be made out further down the beach. A flock of 21 Sandwich Tern were also feeding in the shallow pools that form on the beach, but due to how successful they were at catching fish they had attracted a large amount of Yellow-legged Gulls which were mobbing them and attempting to steal every catch. Above: Whimbrel We then went off into the dune system to have a look at what we could find. In the end we came up with 2 Berthelot's Pipit, 2 Spectacled Warbler, and 2 Cattle Egret all giving some amazing views in the now slowly fading light. Above: Spectacled Warbler Below: Berthelot's Pipit After this we headed back to the hotel to take in an amazing sunset from the hotel balcony. As the sun went down the cloudless sky filled up with colour and i don't think the photo's do it justice. Day 8 Another stunning morning and due to this long period of decent weather Butterflies had emerged. There were some white ones which i am yet to identify, but also a massive Monarch Butterfly which swamped the others by a mile and is by far the largest butterfly i have ever seen. (Pictured Badly Below) Unfortunately as it was the last day today i didn't have my camera handy, but i did have my trusty phone to hand, which is why the photo's aren't as good quality. Today was also the last day to soak up the sun before heading back to London. The morning consisted of sitting on the beach and playing Volley Ball. 5 Sandwich Tern feed off shore and a Grey Heron flew from the sheltered cove and along towards the main bustling touristy area of the coast the first i have personally ever seen in this area. Yellow-legged Gulls were loafing around on the still sea and 2 Cattle Egret entertained all those on the beach by searching for Lizards in the dunes. Berthelot's Pipits were also around the beach and a Sanderling was feeding down at the shoreline. Above: Cattle Egret After lunch my brother and i played a quick game of football before heading to the airport. Whilst playing football Berthelot's Pipits were feeding just outside the football pitch and Chiffchaffs were calling from the palm trees surrounding the outside as well. Several Ravens also flew over calling and marked the last ones that we would see on the trip. When driving out of Costa Calma the usual Cattle Egret roundabout this time had 3 individuals on it busily poking through the long lush grass. This was the last bird life that i saw on the trip bar the odd Collared Dove flying to and from the telephone wires. The landscape however was still worth taking in with the extinct peaks of Fuerteventura sticking out among the largely flat barren landscape. When we reached the golf course at Caleta De Fuste a large eruption of at least 40 Yellow-legged Gulls filled the sky. Also somewhat surprisingly a flock of 6 Spoonbills also were flushed from the golf course and headed South in the now fading light. As we got closer to the airport there is a plantation just South of the runway and to my surprise there were some white Chickens running around inside of it. A bit odd! We then went to the car rental to give back the hire car and in doing so saw our last flock of Spanish Sparrows. And as the sun went down we boarded our flight back to London Gatwick which somehow was the only flight to the UK to leave on time. And so i leave you with the final trip list below and some highlights of an amazing trip. I also would like to take this opportunity to again thank David for taking me on the day trip and also for the other local outings. I have to admit that i can't wait to come back to this island again in the future! Trip List: 67 Species (15 Lifers)
Above: Common Chiffchaff Below: Southern Grey Shrike Above: All 5 Little Bunting Below: Red-vented Bulbul Above: African Blue Tit Below: Canary Islands Stonechat Above: The Dwarf Bittern Below: Raven Above: Yellow-browed Warbler Below: Canary Islands Stonechat Above: Sacred Ibis Below: Little Egret Above: Turnstone Below: Kestrel Above: Sandwich Tern Below: Spoonbill Above: Berthelot's Pipit Below: Barbary Ground Squirrel Above: Berthelot's Pipit
Below: Whimbrel
0 Comments
Day 5 After the previous day I decided to have a more civilised lie in before embarking on a family trip to Morro Jable just after breakfast. When we arrived at the port town what was very obvious was the fact that there were many Yellow Legged Gulls (Pictured Below) of both the common subspecies. Most of them were loafing around in the area near where we parked the car preening themselves and just generally standing around. It looked as though they had taken the same approach to the day that I had. We decided to have a look in the local Turtle sanctuary to see how they are embarking on a reintroduction programme of Turtles onto the Canary Islands due to the fact that there is much untouched coastline. These Turtles are Loggerheads (Pictured Below) and most of the ones on show are ones that have been rescued and are recovering from injuries. Whilst we were at the Turtle Sanctuary there was very little bird life around. This was however until I spotted out of the corner of my eye 2 White Birds flying around the main harbour area. When I got my camera onto them I was surprised to see 2 Sacred Ibis flying through (Pictured Below). This is an interesting species on Fuerteventura, because they went through the process of eradicating them. However they seem to have missed at least 10 on the island and if they aren't careful this invasive species could recolonise both quickly and easily due to the vast amount of food that is available to them and also the perfect nesting habitat. After we left the Turtle Sanctuary we decided to go for a walk around the main harbour to see what was about. Yellow-legged Gulls were by far the most common species in this area with both adults and first winter birds present. Venturing further still I came across a flock of 6 Greylags. This I thought was odd and if these birds hadn't been of captive origin then they would have been only the 4th record of this species for the archipelago. To my amazement the majority of the birds in this harbour were quite tame and so whilst I was taking as many record shots of the Geese as possible a Little Egret had crept up to me on the rocks and was now fishing from no more than a few feet away from me. A Grey Heron also sat out on one of the boats preening itself before eventually flying off to fish elsewhere in the harbour. Above: 1st Winter Yellow-legged Gulls Below: Greylags Above: Little Egret Below: Grey Heron Above: Greylags Below: Grey Heron I decided to have another look at the new group of Yellow-legged Gulls that had gathered and I noticed something interesting about these two birds pictured below. The one on the left appears to have a more menacing look to his head structure and is more ragged and not quite as pristine and well kept as the one on the right. My guess is that it is either a difference in age or probably more likely a difference in gender, as I am always told the males often look more menacing and angry than the females and in this case there is an obvious difference between the birds. I now headed back to join my family who were staring in awe at the water and after a while I was too. Although there were 100s of fish both little and large swimming very close to the walls there were also 3-4 of these massive Sting Rays that would occasionally glide past, or at least I think they are sting rays. Elsewhere in the Harbour there were at least 3 Turnstone, a couple of Sandwich Tern fishing, 2 Black Headed Gull, and a Raven. Above: Sandwich Tern Below: Turnstone Above: Sting Ray? Below: Assorted Fish and unidentified Insect Above: Turnstone Below: Greylags Above: Turnstone Below: Assorted Fish Above: Black Headed Gull Below: More unidentified Fish Below: Greylags We then drove back to the hotel. Along the way near the 'wetlands' in Morro Jable I spotted 3 Swifts that flew reasonably low whilst searching for insects. Although I cannot be sure precisely what they were judging on the flight pattern I recon they could have been Pallid Swifts however having never seen Plain Swifts before I can't rule them out as well. The only thing that does possibly help me is that Plain Swifts have only recently been found to migrate during winter to Morocco proving that they are not endemic to the Canary Islands (and Madeira?). This means that it is more possible that these Swifts are Pallid given the fact that they both migrate through the island and also occasionally over winter in the Canaries. Once back at the hotel some balcony birding was on offer. One of the two local Kestrels (Pictured Below) decided that it was going to be bold and flew into the tree that provided shade for the balcony and sit there staring at us. This was probably the highlight of a pretty bleak session and so after a bit of time I went to enjoy a session of quite intense football with my brother. During the football I actually managed to clock up quite a few species including 2 Berthelot's Pipit, and a pair of Canary Islands Stonechat. The male Canary Islands stonechat was quite obliging and even gave us a few notes of his song on occasion. After the football I met David in front of the hotel to show him what I had found whilst playing football however after an intensive search we couldn't find the Canary Islands Stonechats even though the male was singing his heart out. We did however manage to find a Cattle Egret, a Southern Grey Shrike, 5 Chiffchaff, and a Spectacled Warbler. We decided that it would probably be best if we went back into the Costa Calma Forest for a bit and we re found one of the Chaffinches that David had found. I believe it may only mark the 6th or 7th record for the island and he had found 3 today. Whilst we were searching for some of the other inhabitants we found 6 Song Thrush, 5 Chiffchaff, 2 Blackcap and also I found a new species for David on the island a calling Barbary/ African Collared Dove and my first for this trip too! Above: Cattle Egret Below: Record shots of the Chaffinch Day 6 Another day and yet again the sun was shining as we headed out for the day just after breakfast. We decided to visit a beach that we hadn't visited for almost 5 years and to be honest it hasn't changed much. The name we gave it is the Lakey Beach, however to the locals and almost everyone else it is Playa De Sotavento. When we pulled off the main road we sent a Barbary Partridge running up the side of the hill as we must have been the first car along the track for a while. This is a significant moment as it meant that I could enjoy the rest of the trip knowing that I had somehow managed to successfully see the main target species on the island! Once we had arrived we went out onto the beach and had a scan around. Several Little Egrets were fishing in the shallows alongside a Whimbrel that was also feeding. A flock of at least 25 Sandwich Tern had also gathered roosting on one of the spits, however as the tide came in they slowly shuffled back to stay out of the water. Rather annoyingly many of the people on the beach were oblivious to the birds and occasionally someone would walk through the flock sending them in all directions trying to get away, however they would soon return to the same spot to finish their preening and sleeping. Above: Little Egret Below: Sandwich Terns Above: Interestingly, although unknown to me at the time, the Sandwich Tern in front is ringed and bearing the numbers 41 and possibly a 7. It would be interesting to know if there is any way of getting a recovery for this ringed individual! From our position we decided to peer into the distance and immediately I picked up some white dots off in the distance. Now for a long flat beach it looked as though we weren't too far away from them so my brother and I set out to investigate. As we got closer and closer our suspicions were greeted with rewards and eventually 3km later we came up close to a flock of 12 Spoonbills! Above: Little Egret Below: The first sights of the Spoonbills and some Yellow-legged Gulls Above: Little Egret Below: Spoonies and Yellow-legs My Brother and I in the end stopped a distance a way from them and slowly crept closer until I decided that we had gone close enough. We watched these birds for around 30 minutes whilst they preened and ate. We also noticed that there were 2 ringed birds including one with coloured flags on each legs and also one with the name V068 which turns out is an old mate of David's. Since the trip I have received some details about the life of these birds and so I thought I would share them with you. V068 was ringed as a juvenile in Denmark on 15th May 2014. It spent its first winter on Fuerteventura, from October 2014 onwards, and actually stayed through the summer of 2015 into its second winter and was recorded up until 19th April 2016. It then returned to Fuerteventura on 24th September 2016 having not been seen during the summer and stayed until 30th May 2017. Again it wasn't seen during the summer but reappeared in Fuerteventura on 16th August 2017 and has been on the island since. The Spoonbill with the flags on each legs was ringed as a chick in the nest in Holland on 5th June 2015 and that is where it remained until at least 5 October having only ventured no more than 31km from the nest. It was then seen on 20th November 2015 until the 4th March 2016 on Fuerteventura. It then reappeared in Fuerteventura on 24th September 2016 until 23rd April 2017. It was then seen on the 8th of July 2017 in mainland Spain before reappearing in Fuerteventura on 9th November 2017 and is still present on the island. What is even more interesting is the fact that yesterday the flock of Spoonbills had only included 4 birds. This means that overnight 8 birds had appeared on the beach and also leaves us with the question of where do these Spoonbills go in the summer? Are they returning to where they were born to breed or are they perhaps some of the birds that are slowly starting to colonise the UK? After a while of watching the Spoonbills some people decided that it would be a great idea to walk towards the flock and once the group of Yellow-legged Gulls on the other side of the Spoonbills had been flushed, so were the Spoonbills. The Spoonbills did however resettle on the beach just a little further along. A Ringed Plover and a Sanderling flew past flew past as well, however I never did find out where they had come from. We then decided to head back to the car and regroup since it was nearing lunch time. Above: Spoonbills Below: Little Egret When we arrived at Morro Jable we were greeted by some of the locals! A Berthelot's Pipit and a Cattle Egret. We then set off to find our favourite restaurant and thankfully it was still there. Above: Berthelot's Pipit Below: Cattle Egret After lunch we decided to head for a walk in the afternoon sun. Berthelot's Pipits (Pictured Below) were a common sight as well as Cattle Egret, Rock Doves and Collared Doves as well. When I got half way along the board walk I spotted a small bird hop up onto the top of a nearby bush. A Spectacled Warbler and it sat there for a moment or two before eventually flicking down into the bushes below to carry on feeding. (Pictured Below) At the end of the Boardwalk we stopped and had a look around the base of the light house. Four Barbary Ground Squirrels fed alongside some Rock Doves and Berthelot's Pipits and allowed with patience some great views. A small bird was flicking around underneath the board walk and when it finally emerged it was yet another male Spectacled Warbler. Above: Barbary Ground Squirrel Below: Spectacled Warbler Above: Rock Dove Below: Berthelot's Pipit When we got back from the lighthouse we decided to go to the German ice cream shop across the road and it was as good as I remembered it. Whilst I was waiting for the slow coaches to finish their ice creams, I went to have a look at what was around. A Cattle Egret was wandering in and out of the vegetation and so too were some Collared Doves and Berthelot's Pipits. A bit further down was a tree that had fallen over and upon closer inspection up popped not one but four male Spectacled Warblers. Above: Cattle Egret Below: Spectacled Warblers Above: Collared Dove Below: Berthelot's Pipit We then moved on and headed to where we could hear some squawking. We had hit the jackpot with someone feeding the local population of Monk Parakeets and the odd Ring-necked Parakeet also mixed in. Again Berthelot's Pipits were found and so to were Barbary Ground Squirrels and a Raven looking to clear up any spillages. A Southern Grey Shrike was also sitting on an information board nearby. Just as we were leaving I noticed something hawking over the palm trees. A Barn Swallow and an interesting record as they aren't know for over wintering in the canaries. Perhaps it was just a late migrant. Above: Great Grey Shrike Below: Monk Parakeets and Ring-necked Parakeet Above: Ring-necked Parakeet Below: Monk Parakeet Below: Barbary Ground Squirrel After this we headed back. Two more Cattle Egret were on the roundabout in Costa Calma and the pair of White Wagtail were still present in the gardens of the hotel.
We then settled down for the night and set about planning our last day in 'paradise'. The day started in a chilled out fashion and breakfast was had in good time. A text from David to tell me that I needed to get to the Costa Calma forest urgently broke this relaxed manner and sent me to the front where he was waiting for me. We went to the forest, however what he had found before had gone and in its place were a few Kestrels, 2 Hoopoe, 4 Song Thrush, 30 Spanish Sparrow, 4 Blackcap, 14 Chiffchaff, 6 Goldfinch and 10 Collared Dove. However there were bigger fish to fry so we moved on briskly and headed out to Tesejerague Pools. The journey went by quickly with the only birds of mention a couple of Southern Grey Shrike. Upon arrival at the pools I was surprised at just how much life there was at such a tiny little pool of water next to quite a busy road. We could have stayed in the car to see what was there, however we walked a small way up a track. The pools contained my first ever Ruddy Shelducks with a pair feeding out in the middle, 3 Coots, a Green Sandpiper 8 Moorhen, 2 White Wagtail, a Berthelot's Pipit, 2 Red Vented Bulbuls and a pair of Spectacled Warblers which were also a first for me and the male gave us some great views on the fence around where we were standing! There were also 3 Black Winged Stilts as well as Chiffchaffs fly catching from the bushes around us. Above: Spectacled Warbler Below: Green Sandpiper Above: Black Winged Stilt Below: Ruddy Shelduck Above: Spectacled Warbler Below: Red Vented Bulbul Above: Ruddy Shelduck and coot Below: Ruddy Shelduck Below: Black Winged Stilt We then headed to Rose Del Taro and another roadside pool. This one was much larger and was surrounded by towering reed beds. A steady stream of Yellow Legged Gulls was coming in all the time and must have numbered between 40-60 birds in the end heading Northeast. A Cormorant and 6 Ruddy Shelduck were the birds that stood out as we walked up to the edge of the pools. We went round to a ridge overlooking the pool to have a look at what we could see. 15 Teal were lurking in the pool alongside a lone Tufted Duck, a Moorhen and 4 Coot. A little more in depth searching brought out a Common Snipe resting at the edge of the reed bed. A pair of Berthelot's Pipit were running around our feet and a pair of Common Buzzard circled over head. We then headed back to the car to flush a pair of Lesser Short Toed Lark and a Spectacled Warbler as 3 Raven flew over head. Above: Cormorant Below: Ruddy Shelduck Above: Cormorant Below: Berthelot's Pipit Above and Below: Teal in flight Next up we headed to the Barranco De Rio Cabras upstream from our final destination. We had a quick scout around. 4 Little Ringed Plovers were feeding on the muddy banks of the stream. All of a sudden a call came from the bushes beside us and out came a pair of African Blue Tits. This is a lifer for me and boy are they beasts compared to the native ones in the UK. They must be double the size and their call is also a strange one. We headed down the Barranco a bit further and dug out another pair of Spectacled Warbler, 4 Raven, 20 Feral/ Rock Pigeon and rather strangely a Muscovy Duck was lurking in the trees a little further down the stream. Above: Little Ringed Plover Below: African Blue Tit Next up we drove a mile or two further down the Barranco as a massive twitch was on our hands. When we arrived at the site I was surprised to find that the Barranco was very well hidden and not actually viewable from the main road. It was about a mile to the Barranco and all the time we had the calls of Lesser Short Toed Larks, Berthelot's Pipits and Ravens to keep us company. When we arrived at the edge of the Barranco David was just explaining to me that it might take us a long time to find the bird as others had spent hours searching for it in recent days and in the end given up. I moved a little closer to the edge of the Barranco and there it was - the Dwarf Bittern sitting on a rock in the middle of the stream. What a stunning bird. We hatched a plan on how to get to the other side of the Barranco for better viewing as a pair of Ruddy Shelduck flew past. Above: Dwarf Bittern Above: Dwarf Bittern Below: Ruddy Shelduck Above: Dwarf Bittern When I got to our chosen spot 4 Grey Heron flew along the Barranco flushing 2 Little Ringed plovers and 6 Black Winged Stilts. A large group of raptors also rolled in off a nearby hill containing at least 10 Egyptian Vultures and 20 Common Buzzards. It was truly something. 3 Trumpeter Finch also flew along the Barranco, but in the opposite direction to the previously mentioned and another pair of African Blue Tit were in the few trees that surrounded the Dwarf Bittern. The Bittern eventually after some amazing views of it decided that it would continue looking for food under the shelter of a nearby tree and so we decided to head further down the Barranco to see what was about. Above: Egyptian Vulture Below: Dwarf Bittern The Barranco contained a small stream that in places had some larger pools of water. Black winged stilts fed in one such pool and a Black Headed Gull sat out in the middle of it. An adult Goat and its youngster were around the edge of the Barranco and they flushed a pair of Canary Islands Stonechats, a first for us on the trip and also a lifer for me. Bertherlot's Pipits were also around the edge of the pool as we moved on. Above: Black Winged Stilts Below: Canary Islands Stonechat Above: Black Headed Gull Below: Black winged Stilt As we moved along the Barranco we were reunited with the Little Ringed Plovers that we saw upon our first arrival and they were busy feeding alongside a Greenshank and a Green Sandpiper. As we moved further still a Common Snipe was flushed from under one of the dams and flew calling loudly as it went down stream. A Grey Wagtail could also be heard, however neither of us could pick it up. A small group of trees produced 7 Chiffchaff and another African Blue Tit and a Kestrel flew over head, flushing a White Wagtail from the side of the Barranco. We then headed back to find a Moorhen now bathing in the large pool of water and a Hoopoe flew along the other side of the Barranco to where we were standing. Above: Fuerteventura Goat Below: Black Winged Stilts in flight We then headed back towards where we first saw the Bittern and unfortunately it wasn't on show. We were however greeted by another pair of Canary Island's Stonechats and the male was showing really well. We decided that we would sit on a rock opposite the Stonechat and see what would happen. Sure enough David's theory was correct and it slowly came closer and closer until it was picking insects up around our feet. Whilst we were sitting there gathering our energy and taking on water, something had caught David's eye. It was the head of the Dwarf Bittern peeping round a large rock. By now David had pointed it out to me and we watched as it slowly gave itself the all clear signal and started to stalk around in the pools. It was amazing to see such an amazing bird up close and we must have watched it for nearly an hour. It successfully caught many fish whilst we were watching and to be honest it didn't have to try hard as the pools were almost full to the brim of them. Above: Canary Islands Stonechat Below: Dwarf Bittern We decided that we would leave the Bittern in peace and just as we were leaving the female Canary Islands Stonechat (Pictured Below) gave us some great close up views and a small group of Trumpeter Finch flew through the Barranco calling as they went. Once we were back on the side where the car was parked a Southern Grey Shrike was perched at the top of the bush (Pictured Below). Lesser Short Toed Larks and Berthelot's Pipits were still calling from the desert like landscape around. Once we arrived at the car we met out first birders of the day and we gave them directions as to how to get to the Bittern. They were from central Europe and had just come back from a trip to Cape Verde and they told us that they just had to come and see this bird and who would blame them as it is only the 5th record for the Western Paleartic and 4th for the Canary Islands. We now had a decent car journey to our next location. 2 Cattle Egret in the town of Casillas Del Angel were the best birds. We made a quick pit stop in Betencuria and saw 2 Southern Grey Shrikes, a Kestrel, and a Common Buzzard. Next we went to Vega De Rio Palmas in search of a newly colonising Dove, however it just brought us close to triple digit figures for the amount of Collared Doves in the area. We headed down another stream which was full of towering Reeds and trees, finding mainly Sardinian and Spectacled Warblers along the way. This was until we reached a small pool of water and this contained our first and only Dragonfly of the trip a Velvet Darter. Above: My shots of the Velvet Darter Below: David's Digiscoped shots of the Velvet Darter We then continued down the stream till it opened out and any chance of life seemed unlikely for the stream showed the signs of one that had newly emerged and the water did not reach the bone dry reservoir. Chiffchaffs called from the dense vegetation, however after a quick search nothing else was picked up. A call from David up stream sent me running in the direction of him. When I got there it turns out he had heard a Laughing Dove call and so we waited in silence. It called again and eventually we picked it up in the top of a tree. By now I had climbed up a rock to get a better look at it and just as I got to the top it flew, or so we thought. It had actually just hopped off the tree and onto a nearby rock and gave us some good but distant comparison views between the Laughing Dove and a Eurasian Collared Dove. Above: My shots of the Laughing Dove Below: David's Digiscoped shot of the Laughing Dove We then made a quick journey into the mountains and at our stops we were treated to some extremely close views of the Raven and also the Barbary Ground Squirrels. It was amazing to see the Ravens up close and when you see the photos you will realise just how strange their beaks are, with feathers covering half of it! Above: Raven Below: Barbary Ground Squirrels Everywhere we stopped in the mountains at least one pair of Ravens joined us sitting at the road's edge. They are quite bold things and I even saw one eyeing up the open boot of the car. The reason why we had stopped here is because it is well known that Barbary Partridges use the area. However on this occasion we didn't see them, however we did see a pair of Barbary Falcons sitting on top of the rocks overlooking the valley below. It is sad to think that there may not be any pure Barbary Falcons left in the wild and that they might be clumped with the Peregrine due to interbreeding. They are however still amazing birds. Above: My shots of the Barbary Falcon Below: David's Digiscoped Shots of the Barbary Falcon Below: Our Raven visitors at this stop We decided to make one more stop in the mountains to have one last look for Barbary Partridge, however yet again we couldn't find them. We did however find a pair of Canary Islands Stonechat and also the usual Ravens and Barbary Ground Squirrels. Above: Canary Islands Stonechat Below: Barbary Ground Squirrel Above: Canary Islands Stonechat Next we made one last stop in the town of Pajara. We immediately set about scanning the trees at the back of the car park bringing up at least 10 Chiffchaff, and then out flew a calling Yellow Browed Warbler and it fed in a bush at the opposite side of the car park giving superb views. That wasn't the only thing though that this row of trees had to offer with a Male Siskin appearing at the top of one of the trees alongside a flock of Goldfinches before it flew over to some taller trees in the middle of the town near the church. This was literally vagrancy at its best. An African Blue Tit was the next bird to join the party as it flew into the trees alongside a large amount of Spanish Sparrows. It was now heading towards 17:15 and so we head back to the car for the final leg of the journey. Above: Yellow Browed Warbler Along the way back we were on a rather quiet street and up popped a Male Canary Islands Stonechat, the first of 2. David slammed on the brakes and rolled down the windows and we watched as the chat fed from the barriers at the edge of the road and also from one of the spikiest branches I have ever seen. (Pictured Below) We then continued our journey seeing yet more Southern Grey Shrikes and a flock of Linnet out of the car window.
And so I got back to the hotel and stumbled across this insect which I am yet to identify (Pictured Below) and I settled down for a good rest before yet another action packed day in the morning. A Massive thank you must go out to David for taking me around the island on a day I am truly never going to forget. With the Dwarf Bittern and superb views of the Island's Birdlife clocking up all bar one of the must see species. An early start saw us heading to the plains out side Costa Calma and the other side of the new highway. At first the desert seemed quiet, but then it started to bounce into life, once the sun had appeared on the horizon. A group of Goats were feeding off in the distance at this stage and this is where they stayed throughout. As it got lighter and lighter we soon stumbled across our first birds of the day. There was a group of 5 Black-bellied Sandgrouse chilling in the desert. Eventually they were flushed by some joggers and they gave us some nice flight views as did a small group of Lesser Short Toed Larks that had gone undetected by us. Above: David's shot of the Black-bellied Sandgrouse Below: My shot of the Black-bellied Sandgrouse Whilst we were scanning the plains an Egyptian vulture flew along the West Coast and proceeded to land next to a second bird and a group of Ravens. This to me would suggest that there must have been some form of food there, perhaps a Goat carcass or something like that, but it was quite a way off in the distance! Very shortly after this David picked up the head of a Houbara Bustard off at some distance and we watched as it crept out of the bush and showed itself in all its glory! We watched for quite a while before eventually it headed into a bushier part of the planes and completely disappeared. It was a complete masterpiece of disguise! Whilst we were watching the Bustard I picked up a Berthelot's Pipit in the same scope view before it was flushed by the Bustard. Above: Egyptian Vulture Below: Houbara Bustard (1st photo by David, the rest by me) After we had finished watching this stunning bird, we realised that the Cream Coloured Coursers had crept up on us and were now feeding and running about next to us, giving us some amazing views. Above: Cream Coloured Coursers Below: Ravens After this we decided that it was time to head back to the hotel for some breakfast, however we hadn't gone very far before we stopped the car to have a look at a Southern Grey Shrike (Pictured Below). To my surprise when we stopped we were surrounded by them with 5 sitting on top of various bushes on either side of the car. It was a scary surprise and I was starting to think that they might just pick us off one by one as they called to each other from their perches! After breakfast I had a bit of time to do some more balcony birding. This gave me a total of 15 Eurasian Collared Doves, 2 Goldfinch, 30 Spanish Sparrow, and a flock of 10 rather noisy Red-vented Bulbul. Above: Goldfinch Below: Collared Dove Above: Male Spanish Sparrow Below: Red-vented Bulbul I had a quick look below the balcony as I could hear the call of a Chiffchaff and to my surprise not only did I find 2 Chiffchaff, I also found a Hoopoe poking around in the flower beds. Above: Hoopoe Below: Chiffchaff Just before we headed out to Costa Calma Forest we had a quick look in the gardens to see what was about. Apart from masses of Collared Doves and the usual White Wagtails (Pictured Below) there wasn't anything unusual. Upon entering into the forest a Kestrel sat on a lamppost and watched us as we went past. The usual Blackcaps and Chiffchaff were still around towards the Southern edge of the forest. A flock of mixed finches were also around in this end and contained 9 Goldfinch, 2 Linnet, and the female Siskin. On the way back a large flock of Spanish Sparrows fed on the floor alongside 14 Hoopoe and 2 Song Thrush feeding on the seeds and berries that had fallen from the trees above and the White Wagtails were still feeding on the newly mown grass in the garden of the hotel! Above: Kestrel Below: Blackcap Above: Hoopoe Below: White Wagtail After lunch my brother and I decided to head to the rock pools just North of our hotel to see what we could find. Upon arrival a Whimbrel walked sheepishly along the beach towards the rocks and gave us some amazing close up views. We then got onto the rocks to have a look at what the tide had left behind. Most of the rock pools held shrimps in them, however some of the larger ones also contained a large number of fish of different shapes and sizes. Above: Whimbrel Below: Shrimps Unusually I wasn't the person to spot the next bird that appeared on the rocks next to us. My dad shouted at me to tell me that there was an Egret. Too my surprise there was a Cattle Egret (Pictured Below) calmly walking over towards the sand dunes and then it disappeared behind some bushes. This Egret spurred me on the have a little wander along the rocks whilst my brother stayed with another kid, who I thought might have been French at the time, but later on found out he was Polish, however that is another story. I hadn't gone too far when I noticed a Ringed Plover feeding on the edge of the rocks heading slowly in my direction. I decided that since it hadn't noticed me I would sit down and wait for it to come past me. Sure enough either it didn't see me or it ignored me and it gave me some amazing views of such a dashing bird. In the distance there was also a large group of Sanderling however I decided not to take a closer look at them since I though I might flush them. Above: Ringed Plover Below: Sanderling Once I had got back to my brother, I realised that they were just about to release what they had caught. So I got a few photos to try and identify what they had got, and then helped them put the fish back in the rock pools that they had come from. I am unfortunately still yet to identify the fish! And so this marked the end of another day in Fuerteventura and as I headed back to my room to get a good night's sleep before the big day out tomorrow, I watched a group of Red-vented Bulbuls chasing each other in and out of the trees as the sun slowly fell below the horizon! Day 1 Our flight from Gatwick was moved in some ways usefully from 10 am in the morning to 2pm in the afternoon. So at 9 am we made a rather more sociable drive up to Gatwick with very little of note. It also allowed me to have a quick final look through the still snow covered garden, bringing up my last Greenfinches, Redwings, and Fieldfare for the next 7-8 days. Our flight was stupendously quick and we arrived at Fuerteventura airport 45minutes earlier than previously expected. Although it was light when we landed by the time we had made it through passport control and out to get our hire car at the other end it was dark and therefore the first bird of the trip would have to wait till the morning! Day 2 A warm sunny Sunday was what I awoke to in Costa Calma. An interesting call was coming from outside and when I opened the curtains and scanned the trees that stood tall in front of our apartment I found that there was a Yellow-browed Warbler the first self found tick of the trip and a bird that has become increasingly common in the Canaries in recent years! The 2nd species of the trip was an expected one and is easily one of the most common birds on the island. A large flock of at least 20 Collared Doves descended on the trees. Next up to join the list was a party of 2 Ravens of the endemic race and their call could be heard echoing off the buildings and mountains surrounding the apartment. A flock of 25 Rock Dove/ Feral Pigeon flew through along the coast and was followed by a noisy group of Goldfinch descending on the Palm Trees in front of me. It makes a different to see these birds in a more tropical climate and in some ways it is rather strange seeing them in the tops of Palm Trees rather than Oaks. I had another quick scan towards the small patch of sea that I could see from my balcony and here Lesser Black Backed and Yellow Legged Gulls had gathered alongside 3 Black Headed Gulls and a Sandwich Tern. Next up was a rather familiar bird with a Chiffchaff appearing in the overhanging tree mixed in with a flock of Spanish Sparrows. Above: Goldfinch Above: Goldfinch Below: Collared Dove Above: Yellow Legged Gull Below: female Spanish Sparrow Above: Goldfinch Below: Collared Dove Next up was a quick trip down to the beach after breakfast to check out what the tide was like. It had clouded over quite a lot by now and the wind had picked up quite a lot too. Sanderling were literally running around people's feet by the water's edge and further along the rocky shoreline fed a Common Sandpiper, Ringed Plover, Whimbrel, 3 Curlew, and 2 Little Egret. The Rock Pools themselves had several species of Fish, some Shrimps, and also Sea Anemones! Above: Sea Anemones Below: Ropy phone Pics of Sanderling Back to the room we went to get ready for the day ahead. I sat on the balcony for a bit watching the world go by when a Kestrel came and sat on the building opposite. I presumed that this endemic race of Kestrel (pictured below) wouldn't be as tame as some of the ones at home, however I was wrong and instead of flying away from me, it flew straight towards me at some pace too and only veered up at the last minute to sit watching me from a Palm tree. Above: Collared Dove Below: Goldfinch The plan for this morning quickly turned into a walk along the beach and so learning from my previous mistakes I decided to take my camera with me. Unlike before there wasn't too much about - a Turnstone and a decent amount of fishing Sandwich Tern (pictured below) were the best birds seen, before we turned back to the hotel! On the way back to our room in the garden the first lifer of my trip awaited me and was found by my Dad. He helpfully pointed out that there were some Wagtails, oblivious to the fact that they were White Wagtails, a first for me! It is actually quite interesting to see how pale they are compared to the race of Alba Wagtail in the UK (the Pied Wagtail)! A spare hour before lunch saw me take the opportunity to head into Costa Calma forest! Upon entering the forest 2 Ravens flew over calling loudly. We hadn't gone far when I found a group of 5 Hoopoe feeding underneath the canopy. These are some of my most favourite birds and one that I always look forward to seeing on my trips to this island! Some island firsts for me where next up, with 2 Robins and a flock of Song Thrushes, both of which are recent arrivals to the island's wintering list. We continued our trek through the forest and arrived at warbler paradise. Blackcaps were singing from almost every tree and bush in this section alongside Chiffchaffs hurriedly running up the branches looking for some small tasty insect prey! Above: Hoopoe Below: Robin Above: Hoopoe Below: Song Thrush Above: Chiffchaff with insect prey With lunch beckoning we made a speedy journey back to the hotel. Whilst we were heading through the hotel gardens, we flushed something out of a nearby bush. This bird proceeded to sit on top of a nearby lamppost! To my surprise it was a Southern Grey Shrike and what a beast it was too! (Pictured Below) After lunch, the plan was to head back out into Costa Calma Forest, but this time with David rather than my Dad! A quick trip to the shops to get some large water containers saw a Cattle Egret on the main roundabout in town and some Yellow Legged Gulls hawking over the market place! At 4pm David and I went back into the forest after the heat of the day had died down a bit! We hadn't gone far when we found a group of 6 Linnets of the endemic race feeding amongst a now much larger group of Hoopoe. Above: Linnet Below: Hoopoe Next was a bit of magic. David saw something fluttering about on the floor, but when we got closer we couldn't see anything. Eventually after a lot of scanning I picked up the first Little Bunting followed quickly by a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and even 5th. What a treat this was. I don't think there is anywhere else in the Western Palearctic that you would be able to see a flock of 5 Little Buntings all in the same place. (Pictured Below) We watched them feeding in front of us for the best part of 20 minutes before all of a sudden they were off and up into the tree tops to roost as it was getting dark! We continued our journey through the forest to see what else we could find. At the Southern end of the forest a flock of Goldfinch was in the canopy and a Siskin called out from somewhere near them. 3 Red Vented Bulbul were found feeding on berries in a bush next to us which also contained Spanish Sparrows and Blackcaps. The Hoopoe flock had also now managed to catch us up and were eating the fallen berries and seeds! Above: Hoopoe Below: Red Vented Bulbul Above: Red Vented Bulbul Below: Hoopoe The sun was starting to disappear below the horizon so we decided to head over the main road and check the known spot for Yellow Browed Warblers in the forest. A Kestrel flying past was the only thing of note at this stage. When we reached the spot everywhere we looked there were Chiffchaffs and the flock must have numbered nearly 30. Unfortunately after looking and listening out for Yellow Browed Warblers we found none!
After this we decided to call it a day and we headed back to the hotel and made plans for the next morning of birding on the local plains! |
AuthorI have been a birder since i was 8 however only really started to be able to go out to places by myself in Summer 2016 (Blame the parents) My blogs will be from all over the place, but mainly from RSPB Rainham Marshes and Totteridge Valley! Photography done by Samuel Levy aged 17. ArchivesCategories |