June 26, 2019

Monday 15th April 2019

June 26, 2019/ Mark Lawlor

BUBO in ESPAÑA - part 8

Not wanting to waste our last full day in Spain we woke early before it was properly light and we were serenaded in our beds by a calling Scops Owl. We were to drive north-east today but thought we’d do some early morning birding locally first. A suitable target was to try to get better views of Iberian Green Woodpecker, rather than our brief fly over. On the way to the mountains yesterday we’d passed through a valley which looked ideal - large areas of woodland interspersed with short grassy fields - the kind of place you’d get Green Woodpecker in the UK anyway. This was the valley of the Rio Tormes.

We stopped by the side of the road near a campground and wandered around listening. The woods in the valley were mainly pines and we had a nice selection of woodland birds. A few Great Spotted Woodpeckers were present along with both Nuthatches and Short-toed Treecreepers. There were Goldcrest, Coal and Crested Tits calling from the trees and we had one or two Crossbills calling overhead. Eventually we could hear the laughing call of an Iberian Green Woodpecker but it was a little distant and so we got in the car and drove towards the sound.

We found a minor road which followed the river valley bottom and drove along there, looking for open areas to stop and search. The first time we stopped we again heard distant woodpeckers and we also had a small flock of Crossbills land in a pine across the field and a Woodlark was singing. A bit further down, the road did a little twist as it climbed a small ridge, and just as we rounded a blind corner we saw two decent-sized birds fly up from the roadside and away from us showing a yellowish rump. They were indeed Iberian Green Woodpeckers and, luckily, instead of carrying on over the rise one decided to pause briefly on a small trunk and let me get my bins on it just for a second (it was the left hand trunk in the photo below). Very pleased with a perched view, we got out and tried to see it again but the area was fenced off. Surprisingly we had a Rock Bunting on the boulders here and we had a loud Bonelli’s Warbler singing from the trees on the other side of the road which I managed to record on my phone. The woodpeckers were nowhere to be seen and we moved on.

A little further on we found another wide open area which looked good for a scan (below). Again we could hear the woodpeckers calling from somewhere, and we also had a few Jay flying around the trees. The calling woodpeckers didn’t seem very close but I could hear the general direction they were coming from. I looked through a gap in the closer pines and saw a few dead trees at the far side of the next field. I thought to myself “that’s the exact spot where I’d expect to see a woodpecker” and sure enough, through the bins I could see a little greenish dot clinging to the trunk - a static Iberian Green Woodpecker!. We grabbed the scope out of the car and got decent ‘scope views of the bird as it sat there. It’s not obvious on the (poor camera-through-scope) photo below but the bird had less black in the face than a normal Green Woodpecker which gave the bird a more gentle, less angry-bird expression. We reckon we had about 6 different Iberian Green Woodpeckers along this short stretch, so a pretty good site for them.

Iberian Green Woodpecker - Rio Tormes Valley, 15 Apr 19

The bird was on these distant dead trees - Rio Tormes Valley, 15 Apr 19

It was getting close to our allocated breakfast time and so we thought we should head back towards the hotel. We turned north from the valley road and as we drove past a few buildings (the entrance to a camping ground) we stopped to look at something. As we stopped we could hear something calling which was unfamiliar, a bit Siskin-like but a little squeaky. We couldn’t quite see where it was coming from until we noticed the bird on the roof of the building - it was another Rock Sparrow. We might have realised what it was sooner if we were in a more expected, dry, rocky area, but this bird was singing on the edge of a pine wood. Although we failed to get very close to it, I was pleased at last to see one perched and visible. After dipping on the previous two trips, I had now seen Rock Sparrow three times and, for each one, just bumped into it. We saw that there were two birds present before they flew off - perhaps they were breeding here.

Rock Sparrow - Rio Tormes Valley, 15 Apr 19

The breakfast at the hotel was pretty meagre - basically coffee, bread and jam - but we ate up and set off north with 2 to 3 hours of driving ahead of us. It was a really dull day compared to recently with lots of cloud and spots of rain. It was a pleasant drive through the rolling hills and upland valleys until we spilled out onto flatter more agricultural areas. Near the village of Solosancho we saw our only Great White Egret of the trip and we reached the town of Avila. Here we decided that we should visit a supermarket where I stocked up on cheese and bread for some much-needed sandwiches plus some crisps and biscuits - we would not go hungry today!

After our stop we continued north-east, skirting the old city of Segovia and with the next sierra to our right. Our route crossed through some lovely green arable land and we saw Calandra Larks here and two different male Montagu’s Harriers. The further we went away from the foothills, the drier the terrain got and we soon snaked down the edge of a gorge into the rather spectacular town of Sepulveda. This is a well visited town by birders, because it is the closest area to Madrid where the enigmatic Dupont’s Lark can be found, and of course, this was the reason we were here. The town itself clings onto the rocks which span between two deep gorges, the kind of place which was founded when defending from pillaging hordes was a priority. We checked into the hotel and had a little rest before heading out again.

It is well known that Dupont’s Lark is a bird of the early morning and so we didn’t really plan to go searching for it until the next day. However, we thought it might be a good idea to check out the stake out, which is along a road about 10km NW of Sepulveda. Andy had been here before and had Dupont’s on his list but he hadn’t seen one very well (as nobody hardly does) so was keen for another shot. By now the sun was out but the wind had picked up and would be classed as pretty strong and annoying. Approaching the site, the road dropped into a little gulley and we decided that we’d make the most of it and see what was here, out of the wind.

We found it was a nice little spot and we had plenty of birds here. The best looking was no doubt the male Black-eared Wheatear which flew across and perched up on the rocks. I was really pleased to see this - I thought we’d have had one before now. This was the first BEW I had seen for many years and even then I’d only ever seen the eastern race before, so this was a new subspecies - always useful in these days of heavy splitting! We also had a singing lark on the same rocks and only after a while we realised that it looked a bit different than the Crested Larks that we’d been seeing, and was no doubt a Thekla Lark. The id of this species is notoriously hard but this bird was a lot more “in focus” than the Crested Larks, which always seemed to have their features a bit fuzzy and blurred. You could see every sharp streak on the Thekla, especially on its breast. We also saw a showy Woodchat Shrike and a peculiar Field Cricket crossing the track (not sure of the species - I think they have a few types here).

Black-eared Wheatear - Sepulveda, 15 Apr 19

Field Cricket sp. - Sepulveda, 15 Apr 19

Driving back on top of the plateau the wind seemed to be still gusting strongly, making birding pretty unlikely. We decided that we’d head to the end car park where you could go look at the Hermitage of San Fructus - the patron saint of all things sugary. We were very impressed by this tourist site, perched on a narrow promontory above the flooded gorge below, steep cliffs 300 degrees all round. We spent a relaxing time here looking round the site. There were a few birds to see including a mixed flock of Jackdaw and c.30 Chough swirling round the cliff tops on the opposite sides. As well as the mighty Griffons which were quite common we had a single Egyptian Vulture go over. In one of the bushes along the promontory we were surprised to find a male Subalpine Warbler battling against the wind to sing its song. On the walls of the Hermitage itself we saw a nicely marked wall lizard sp sunning itself and clumps of an unusual flower we later learned was called Sarcocapnos enneaphylla or “Zapatitos de la Virgen” (Virgin’s Slippers). We only saw it here and in Sepulveda town centre.

Hermitage de San Fructus, Sepulveda, 15 Apr 19

“Tombs of the Saints” - Hermitage de San Fructus, Sepulveda, 15 Apr 19

Wall lizard sp. - Hermitage de San Fructus, Sepulveda, 15 Apr 19

Sarcocapnos enneaphylla - Hermitage de San Fructus, Sepulveda, 15 Apr 19

We returned to the car and it was now quite late in the afternoon. The wind was still whipping across the gorge and we didn’t really have any further plans or anywhere else to go. Not wanting to waste the little time we had left we thought we’d just keep stopping along the “Dupont’s Track” and see what we could see. The first thing was another excellent male Black-eared Wheatear at very close quarters this time that we were able to watch from the car - what a cracker of a specimen!

For the next hour or so we took it in turns to sit in the car whilst the other person went for a wander through the rocky terrain. Just looking at the habitat here you could see how a Dupont’s could spend all of its time hidden away - lots of rocks and lots of tussocks to hide behind. Nevertheless, I still had enough enthusiasm to search and did see plenty of larks including a nice Woodlark and a Short-toed. There were also both Crested and Thekla here, or so it appeared and I think I managed a photo of both together. I got startled about five times by flushing hares from right in front of me. Reading up on these, it seems that these hares are a different species to British ones, being Iberian or Granada Hare (Lepus granatensis). The variety of species in these rocky fields here wasn’t huge but we did get a couple of Tawny Pipits and a Cirl Bunting as it was starting to get dark. But despite my laughably unrealistic hopes, no surprise Dupont’s.

Dupont’s Lark habitat - Sepulveda, 15 Apr 19

Crested Lark (left) & Thekla Lark (right) - Sepulveda, 15 Apr 19

Back at the hotel, it was now dark and the photo by the reception desk of a laughing Dupont’s Lark mocked our foolish attempts at looking in the day time. Of course, we didn’t really think we’d see one, tomorrow at first light was our plan to tick it off. We freshened up in the room and watched Notre Dame burn on the television before heading out into the town for something to eat. We found a backstreet restaurant which, quite surprisingly from its outward appearance, was bedecked in neon strip lights and plastic palm trees. The food was a let down from the previous evening and I was back to Spanish omelette yet again. After a beer or two we wandered back to our lodgings ready to get up before first light for a proper try for the elusive denizen of the Spanish steppes, the Dupont’s Lark.

June 21, 2019

Sunday 14th April 2019 (b)

June 21, 2019/ Mark Lawlor

BUBO in ESPAÑA - part 7

It was already the middle of the afternoon when we reached our destination on the northern slopes of the Sierra de Gredos. We pulled into the car park at the side of the road by the Parador de Gredos, which seemed to be a large accommodation complex in the woods, and was our target site for Citril Finch. Immediately, with the change in habitat, we were seeing new birds in the pine trees with Wrens, Dunnocks, Robins, Coal Tits and a superb Crested Tit right by the car, the first I’d seen well for ages. It was a bit unclear whether we could enter the complex so we decided that we’d initially just walk back along the roadside. The woods alongside the road were really good for birds. We had both Short-toed Treecreeper and Nuthatch showing well on the pine trunks, and we saw a couple of Great Spotted Woodpeckers. There were both Firecrest and Goldcrest singing and calling from the branches. Another bird was singing from the roadside pines and we realised that it was Western Bonelli’s Warbler. We had about 3 of these in this short stretch and managed to get a decent look at one of them. We’d walked a little while and decided to turn back before we went too far. We then kept noticing movements on the rocks to the left of the road (see pic below) and realised that these were lizards darting into their holes. By the time we saw any of them, they were immediately hidden, they were that quick. Then, almost on the last bit of rock, a right bobby dazzler decided that it liked the sunshine so much it didn’t want to move, and we had cracking views of a blue-headed Schreiber’s Green Lizard, an Iberian endemic.

Schreiber’s Green Lizard - Parador de Gredos, 14 Apr 19

As we walked back along the road we had a small greenish finch fly over us and behind the line of pines. We were very sure that this was a Citril Finch but I was very unsure that it would be classed as a tickable view for me. I really needed to see one properly - even more so now! When we got back to the car, we looked through the trees, down the slope and saw two or three small birds fly up off a lawn and round the corner, and these birds also looked good for Citril. We scanned from the roadside but we couldn’t see them, only a fine Black Redstart hopping around the grass. There was no other option but to walk down into the Parador grounds to check them out - we were sure they wouldn’t mind. We skirted some buildings towards a tennis court and, after a short while of searching, the birds flew in and landed on the short grass surrounding the courts. They were awkward to get a good look at but they were definitely a couple of fabulous CITRIL FINCHES another new bird for me. They were spooked very easily and we never got close, but easiest to see when they perched up in a small tree for a few minutes. They were much duller than the Corsican Citrils we’d seen two years previously - not so many people I guess have ticked Corsican before normal Citril Finch.

Citril Finch - Parador de Gredos, 14 Apr 19

Chuffed about finding our quarry, we rested on sheltered grassy slopes of this glade taking photos of butterflies and waited to see if the Citrils gave better views. We kept seeing them every now and again and we thought we had up to 4 birds. We also picked up 2 Crossbills in a court-side conifer and spent some time photographing butterflies. Then suddenly I looked up and an IBERIAN GREEN WOODPECKER shot out of the pines opposite, flew over the tennis court, then above our heads and carried on over the buildings behind us! This was a surprise and happened so quickly we didn’t really get our bins on the bird. Iberian Green Woodpecker (race sharpei) has been recently split from normal Green Woodpecker and does have one or two different plumage features. Now we certainly didn’t get a chance to pick out any distinguishing features on this bird, but since this is the only green ‘pecker round here it was a well-earnt tick. That was tick 8 and 9 for the trip for me whilst in the same spot!

Citril Finch & Iberian Green Woodpecker location, Parador de Gredos, 14 Apr 19

Queen of Spain Fritillary - Parador de Gredos, 14 Apr 19

We were umming and arring what to do in the late afternoon, whether to stay down in the foothills or to head to the high tops. We decided that, even though we might not have as much time as we’d have liked, that we would hit the mountains. The weather forecast wasn’t quite as good for the next day and we didn’t want to be slogging it up there in potentially poor visibility, so we thought it would be prudent to make the most of the decent weather. We drove up the road to the high car park at “La Plataforma de Gredos” and saw that, as it was the weekend, we would definitely not be having this to ourselves - muchos coches y muchas personas! The only real new bird target up here was Alpine Accentor and, from previous experience, I wasn’t genuinely expecting a positive result. Nevertheless, I was keen to ascend. When you live in a place with no mountains or hills, these upland locations are suddenly even more exciting!

Looking up from the car park at Plataforma de Gredos, 14 Apr 19

Showing their fondness for car parks, a few Rock Buntings fed in between the vehicles. They seemed pretty common up here and we had double-figures of them in the area. Also from the car park, we saw a few Spanish Ibex which is a species endemic to Spain. These animals in the Gredos Mountains are quite isolated and are a separate subspecies victoriae. A new mammal species for me, as I have never seen ibex in the Alps. We did often see ibex in Israel but those were Nubian Ibex.

Spanish Ibex - Plataforma de Gredos, 14 Apr 19

Hoop-petticoat Daffodil (Narcissus bulbocodium) - Plataforma de Gredos, 14 Apr 19 — Hoop-petticoat Daffodil *(Narcissus bulbocodium)* - Plataforma de Gredos, 14 Apr 19

We followed a well-built path of large stones as it wound up the head of the valley. We soon reached a plateau of short, grassy tussocks where Skylarks could be heard singing all around and we also had an Iberian Wagtail briefly. This was also the habitat of some breeding ‘Northern’ Wheatears. These birds of central Spain are of the southern subspecies libanotica and they were very interesting and distinctive, almost looking like a different species. They seemed quite small with pale powdery grey upperparts. The underparts were very pale, almost whitish with only a pale yellowish central throat. There wasn’t a very contrasting supercilium and the forehead was quite whitish too. The dark parts were very black and the black cheeks were more extensive than our birds, extending further towards the throat, making the ear patch larger. I didn’t know about these beforehand and they were a pleasant surprise. Apparently, libanotica breeds in Iberia and the Balearics, and then a separate population from the Balkans eastwards. However, looking at photos of the eastern libanotica, they don’t quite look the same as the birds we saw. I wouldn’t be surprised if these central Spanish birds were some kind of intermediary form between Northern and Seebhom’s Wheatears, and could be a different subspecies altogether. (Although clearly I have not done any extensive studies on this, it is just a feeling…..)

Wheatear - Plataforma de Gredos, 14 Apr 19

We climbed as high as a small lake and wondered whether to go further, but there was still plenty of people on the path and we needed to find a quieter area. So we took a right angle from the main path and walked up the valley as shown on the photo below. As we were getting quite close to the snow line we thought there might be a chance of Alpine Accentors around. However, we had to contend with the almost constant songs of Dunnocks all around this area which added to the confusion. We’d hardly had any Dunnocks all week but here they were the commonest bird, definitely an alpine accentor (small a).

We made our way across the large slabs of rocks and clambered alongside waterfalls. It was a fun route but we searched in vain for the Alpacs. There were plenty of Water Pipits flying around up here, although we didn’t see any really pink ones. I rounded one boulder and was startled by a snake basking on the rocks right in front of me. I was so excited I shouted out to Andy but the slithering beastie was equally startled by me and immediately dived into a crack before I could take a picture. It didn’t seem the same as the Viperine Snake we saw in Extremadura and I think it was probably a Smooth Snake sp. Other birds seen up here around these high peaks included a few Black Redstarts and Crag Martins on the cliffs, and I had a single Chough appear from high up.

Water Pipit - Plataforma de Gredos, 14 Apr 19

The sun started to drop below the mountain peaks to our west and we thought it was probably best that we turned round. The photo below is the highest spot we reached, almost to 2000m. Just a short drive and a casual walk and I’m easily higher than Ben Nevis here. Spain is a pretty “tall” country.

The highest point we walked to at Plataforma de Gredos, 14 Apr 19

Andy starting the descent Plataforma de Gredos, 14 Apr 19

By the time we had descended close to the car park the sun had dropped down and most of the walkers had left the mountains. We came across a closer group of Spanish Ibex and these gave us a treat jumping between rocks in front of us. The Tarmac Bunting in the car park gave exceptional views nibbling on crumbs left by the daytrippers. A Blue Rock Thrush was noted on the craggy rocks and a Red-legged Partridge was momentarily confusing on the ridge skyline. We drove back down the road after a superb walk in the sierra.

Rock Bunting - Plataforma de Gredos, 14 Apr 19

Back down in the foothills our next task was to locate the hotel which should have been easy since it was on the main road. We drove back and forth however and could not see it anywhere in the village that was on the address displayed on the website. Eventually we realised that we should be searching in Barajas, the next village along and not in the village advertised. But that was only our first obstacle. When we tried the front door it was locked! There was a hand written note stuck to the door which had a phone number to phone but we couldn’t get through as it didn’t have the correct code for us. What a pickle! Luckily a Spanish geezer came out of the front door and we accosted him thinking he was there to let us in, but it transpired he was only a guest. He was nice enough to phone the number for us though and finally, the owners drove round to sort us out a room.

We were now rather peckish and wandered into the village to find something to eat. We stopped at a bar and I finally managed to order something that was actually delicious - it was a potato, egg and courgette dish with some very tasty oily, saucy stuff drizzled on top. I could have eaten it twice. Back outside we could hear Scops Owls calling from across the road, probably as many as three birds - it was surprising that these were our first of the trip. Even though we were in the uplands a bit and wasn’t as warm as on the plains, we thought it was rather excessive for the hotel to leave the radiators on full blast. Even so, after such a busy day, we fell fast asleep very quickly.

Just A Bird

Just A Bird

Mark Lawlor's Nature Blog

Just A Bird

Monday 15th April 2019

BUBO in ESPAÑA - part 8

Sunday 14th April 2019 (b)

BUBO in ESPAÑA - part 7

Just A Bird