Birding Cadiz Province - February 2007
Sunday 11th February - Jerez -AlcalaArriving at Jerez in the dark meant there was no time for birding other than to tick off the Little Owls calling near the house.
Monday 12th February Lagunas de Puerto de Santa Maria - Bonanza - Laguna Tarelo - La Algaida pine wood - Trebujena marshes - Alcala - Molinos valleyAn early start meant we arrived at Lagunas de Puerto de Santa Maria just after dawn. The oft disparaged Laguna Juncosa got us our only Purple Gallinules of the trip and a distant view of Osprey. Laguna Salada was, thankfully, full of water unlike last October, but less happily some of this had spilled over onto the track making access difficult without a hovercraft. . Exploring the edges we found Red-crested Pochards, Black-necked Grebe, Little Ringed Plover, Black-tailed Godwit and Peregrine. A bunch of hirundines were mainly House Martins, but four swift shot over too high to be identified to species level. Search as we might, none of the coots here seemed to be Crested Coot. Next stop was Bonanza saltpans - a new site for me. Access was very straightforward and there is evidently no need to negotiate access at the gate (as per Garcia et al). In fact there didn't seem to be a gate at all! Here the highlights included a good cross-section of waders (including Kentish Plover), more Black-necked Grebes, Flamingos, four Black Storks, 20 Slender-billed Gulls and Booted Eagle. The eagle was a lifer for Norman who was so excited he almost forgot to look at a passing Cormorant! (A scurrilous rumour, I never miss the chance to look at God’s favourite bird- NMcC) The Slender-billed Gulls would have been a suitable adornment on any Gay Rights march since they sported amazingly bright day-glow pink bodies. There was clearly some interspecific competition going on here as they were in open competition with the flamingo’s to see who was the most pink. A short drive quickly took us to Laguna Tarelo. The target species here, White-headed Duck, proved easy to find with 96 birds present, but much less easy to watch as they were bunched on the far side of the Laguna. Heron species was bumped up further by the 70+ Night Heron roosting in the willows. Algaida pine wood is never an easy place to catch up with Azure-winged Magpie (although a lot easier than Grove Ferry!), but a hunch that they may be around the picnic site resulted in the discovery of a party of 21 very mobile birds. Raptors here included Buzzard, Peregrine and Booted Eagle. (which allowed much better views that earlier). We followed the road through the woods, stopping to check every porcine-like tree stump in the hope of seeing Wild Boar until we came out onto Trebujena marshes. The road along the Guadalquivir was better than I recalled, but surprisingly busy - keep a close eye on your rear view mirror before braking! Here we had our first Lesser Short-toed Lark, 400+ Golden Plover, more Flamingos, Hen Harrier, and more Coots to fruitlessly check! Driving through Trebujena we swung south towards Sanlucar to reach the southern access point for the marshes (as noted in 'Birds of the Coto'). Here, as elsewhere, the marismas looked far too wet for sandgrouse (actually they looked marginally too wet for water buffalo), but we did find a flock of 70 Kentish Plover on the wet fields. So it was back to Alcala for the evening. Here 30+ Lesser Kestrels, our first for the trip due to our early start, put on a fine display for us as our first Griffon drifted over the village. (Both new birds for Norman who was only slightly disappointed that there wasn't a cormorant about for comparison!). A quick foray down the Molinos valley failed to produce Blue Rock thrush as hoped, but came up trumps with 40+ Griffons and two Black Storks. Although the latter birds were circling against the light high above the mountains, subtle differences in shape rendered them surprisingly distinctive (although having seen so many White Stork that day probably helped!).
Tuesday 13th February La Janda - Alcala - Molinos valleyDespite an early start the Lesser Kestrels were already up making a good 'first for the day'. The drive over to Benalup was uneventful, but from the start La Janda promised great things with a Bluethroat (and a second one later), Hoopoe, a stunning Black-winged Kite at the farm (JC's first here), Buzzards and many harriers (Hen & Marsh). Unfortunately, just as things were warming up - figuratively and literally - a nail spoilt things by puncturing the tyre which probably cost us several birds. However, making the best of a bad job we did get to put out the nice red warning triangle before we grovelled in the dust. Sadly no other vehicle came along to admire the calm efficiency of ‘los gringos’ or to say ‘Ole’ when we finally got tyre changed. Pity we did not find the fetching fluorescent jackets until later in the trip. The excitement proved too much for us so we went back to the village where we got the tyre repaired for the princely sum of €4.50, but as the garage was closing had to wait until 5 PM to pick up the tyre. We retired to the terrace of the house where, in warm sunshine, the Lesser Kestrel did their best to entertain us. Despite missing out on 'birding time' this was one of the highlights of the trip. All that remained was for Norman and me to nip down to pick up the tyre and then the Molinos Valley again for some late afternoon birding. (John H stayed behind to keep the Lesser Kestrels company). This time the valley lived up to its billing and a couple of Blue Rock Thrush quickly surrendered without a fight! The Griffon roost was smaller than usual with only 30 odd birds present, but sneaking amongst them was a fine adult Bonelli's Eagle! This being my second definite sighting in three visits I suspect that my previous 'probables' (glimpsed or birds at extreme height/distance) were indeed this species. There were also some tiny dots that resolved themselves into rather beefy hirundines which were clearly Crag Martin - albeit very distant ones - a new bird for Norman who shamelessly ticked them! (Actually as they were confidently identified by an observer with years of prior experience and much local knowledge I felt fully justified and anyway it was my only tick of the day - NMcC)
Wednesday 14th February Trafalgar - Barbate - La JandaWe started with some 'unfinished business' from yesterday by driving straight to Trafalgar where we'd intended to go before getting nailed at La Janda. We obviously arrived too early as the sandy pools only had a single Audouin's Gull, but by the time we left numbers built up to 35 birds of various plumages. As an avid lighthouse twitcher, Norman had a double delight in the Trafalgar pharos which sportingly provided shelter for 70 Crag Martin which allowed the fellow to tick them properly! A brief seawatch produced a single a Balearic Shearwater (JC) which Norman promptly trumped by spotting two Cory's Shearwater - a new site tick for JC who'd first missed them here over 35 years ago! A quick bout of texting meant we managed to meet Phil Chantler at Barbate. As NMcC expressed concerns about finding Phil in such a large area, a distant figure was spotted taking a leak whom JC identified as the man himself. This provided us with a useful euphemism for the rest of the holiday! Here, by the bridge over the estuary, we had our only Caspian Terns (8+) and Mediterranean Gull of the trip. Other birds here included a selection of waders and more Audouin's Gull. Unfortunately, we were unable to locate a new 'scrape' here or, more disappointingly, any sign of the re-introduced Bald Ibis. Obviously the upper reaches of the estuary need more exploration, as we are sure there is some really good mud there hardly touched by birders feet.. We then made for the old Venta Retin to view La Janda from the west. One target bird, Crane, was quickly found by Norman, but we were disappointed that it was exactly that - one bird - rather than a flock! In fact, the one crane seemed to be doing the same as us, looking for a flock of cranes. Even with the advantage of altitude it soon gave up and went back to crane land at the far end of La Janda. There were at least four Black-winged Kites here and one put on a fine show for us. Less expected was a single Grey Wagtail. Having been disappointed not to have seen any yesterday, a small flock of Calandra Larks were good to see, but even more intriguing was hearing the abrupt trilling call of Lesser Short-toed Lark (a rare bird here). After last time we decided not to risk the track to venture further into La Janda, so we opted to drive across to Laguna de Medina (and found a Merlin en route). Once again this iconic site under impressed big time with few birds given its size. The latter part of the track was flooded and impassable which doubtless limited the birds we saw and, looking on the bright side, the relative lack of Coots meant we had fewer to check through not to find it's "crested" cousin! However, Medina did have some excellent quality mud and the entertaining site of several strings of Pine processionary moth caterpillars trudging along nose to whatever passes for a caterpillar’s tail. I expect they were grumbling about the mud as well. We detoured on our way back to the village to Laguna de Taraje which might not have the reputation of Laguna de Medina …. just the birds ( and by far the best mud so far. Thick and glutinous, soft and runny, . lumpy and gross and most of it smelling of bull farts! - NMcC). The first surprise was a flock of 30 Spanish Sparrow on the approach road and the second 30 more on the eastern side of the laguna. (JC's first record of this species here in half a dozen visits). Although the absence of ducks was disappointing (what an admission from JC - disappointed at the lack of DUCKS - NMcC) as only a few Mallard and a few of both Pochards were present, Stone Curlew and Snipe were added to the wader list here. But the palm has to go to the kite family as we had several Black, two Red and a single Black-shouldered Kite here. Unfortunately it was too late to do anything about another palm - Palm Dove - that Phil C texted us he'd just found at La Algaida! (Some people really know how to upset and offend! - NMcC)
Thursday 15th February Alcornocales - Grazalema - EsperaAs it had been (and still was according to JC!) a sunny bright night when we arose we decided to risk driving into the mountains - a notoriously wet part of Spain. It was still dark as we drove into the Alcornocales , but a couple of brief stops picked up Woodlark, a gang of manic turkeys and a psychotic dog, as well as birds such as Long-tailed Tit and Mistle Thrush seen or heard en route. A Lesser Kestrel over Benaocaz was surely a sign of spring ( but by now we had seen everything on lesser kestrels including the colour of their nasal hairs from the terrace at the house, so seeing one in the distance was a bit of an anti-climax). By now we were entering Grazalema Natural Park. At the viewpoint above a hairpin bend c5km south of Benaocaz we had two stunning Black Wheatear which showed well, if briefly. Here NMcC spotted the only Firecrests of the trip. This excellent little site also had Blue Rock Thrush, an adult Bonelli's Eagle and a Giant Orchid (Barlia robertiana) which JH found growing on the cliff. Passing along the nearby valley we stopped again to scan the slopes which resulted in another sighting of Blue Rock Thrush and Bonelli's Eagle (an immature) and a couple of Choughs were seen briefly by JH. Still further on (that is a few km beyond Villaluenga del Rosario) some rough grazing, rocky ground and a place to pull off invited us to stop. Here we finally caught up with Thekla Lark, Iberian Green Woodpecker and, in retrospect, heard, but did not see, a Rock Sparrow. We also had our second and third Southern Grey Shrikes of the trip (the first being a bird seen by Norman en route only minutes earlier). As we entered Grazalema village, a rocky almond grove caused us to entertain hopes of a visible petronia , but instead sheltered two more pairs of Black Wheatear. Checking out the northern car park that overlooks the village JH located a Cirl Bunting - the first we'd actually seen, though we'd heard many previously. However, none of us could locate our intended species, the notoriously wayward fossilised sprog. Our final stop here was a jaunt up to Puerto de las Palomas which failed to produce an Alpine Accentor. (We probably didn't climb high enough, partly because the discovery of a couple of Spanish shepherds up a tree scrumping pine cones alongside the path had a bit of a Royston Vaysey feel and I thought better of it - NMcC). However, the site did come up trumps with our first Rock Buntings (a surprisingly elusive species) and a couple more Choughs which gave very good views. We were all three feeling pretty intrepid when we noticed locals on push-bikes cycling up this massive hairpin mountain road, apparently for the fun of it. JC offered one some water, but he cheerfully declined before cycling back down to meet his mate and ride back up again! Some people do the weirdest things for fun - as I'm sure the cyclist told his mate when he realised we were birdwatching! As we travelled down the twisting towards Zahara, a Hoopoe appeared to be trying to thumb a lift as it bounced along beside the car. We stopped at a particularly impressive viewpoint along this road and had a fine view of a relict stand of Spanish Fir (Abies pinsapo) on an inaccessible slope. A scan for Ibex proved fruitless, although JC and JH saw a large Fritillary. ( Next time I'll show them a picture of an ibex before we start! - NMcC).
By now the overwhelming urge of a certain party to go and look at Coots dictated a retreat across country towards Arcos and then on to Espera. Fortunately the Lagunas here are again full of water and squelching with several more kinds of mud, but although there were plenty of Coots (and certainly more than we saw at Medina), once again of them were of the right sort! However, a selection of good birds made the jaunt worth while: Black-necked Grebe, Flamingo, White-headed Duck, Red-crested Pochard and another Bluethroat . An immature Bonelli's Eagle here was momentarily puzzling as it was silhouetted and its size wasn't immediately apparent. However, when a Marsh Harrier started mobbing the eagle, it was utterly dwarfed! On our way back to the main road a large flock of Calandra Lark and a second immature Bonelli's Eagle proved a pleasant distraction from the fact that that darn coot was still eluding us!
Friday 16th February La Algaida - Laguna Tarelo - TrebujenaNow that the bypass north of Jerez has greatly eased the route to Sanlucar, the journey here was quicker than anticipated so, despite a fairly leisurely start, we arrived at La Algaida in good time. The possible presence of Palm Dove (Streptopelia stringyensis) here never crossed JC's mind. (Only 75,000+ times in the past 24 hours! NMcM)! Despite phone calls to Phil to check we had the right spot and an hour or more searching we failed to find the bird - or indeed many birds at all in the howling gale. Indeed, the only pigeony type things were a scruffy ex-racing type job that would have given a peregrine dyspepsia, and an intriguing cage with a couple of Barbary dove type-things and a vacant perch big enough for a………? At least these strong winds pushed many of the wildfowl on Tarelo much closer to the hide: 129 White-headed Duck, 200 Pochard, plus a few Mallard and a single Grey-lag Goose that sent Norman into raptures. (Actually it was the Pochard with the green nasal saddle number 40 that put me into raptures - NMcC). Three Squacco Herons were also added to the list here. We then headed for the track that ran along the northern edge of Bonanaza salt pans. Here we had another Black Stork, a few Calandra Lark, 35 Lesser Short-toed Larks and a selection of waders enjoying the saline mud. We then had what was the bird of the trip - a big falcon belting low across the saltings. Norman and JH got better views than JC, but the following plumage details were noted and agreed upon - very pale head (esp. the crown), very 'skinny' moustachial stripes, pale grey upperparts (less bluish than Peregrine), barred tail with a white tip, the under parts were strikingly whitish (flanks and chest were only lightly streaked), the under wing was also very pale with the tip and secondaries showing some dark marks, but the coverts whitish with only had a little streaking to the rear). However, the "what-the-hell-is-that ?" factor was its build for, despite being a large falcon, it had distinctly long and narrow wings (esp. at the base) and a longish tail whilst its manner of flight recalled Hobby more than Peregrine. Despite the brevity of the views, it is hard to escape the conclusion that what we had was an adult Lanner of the North African race. (After returning to the UK we learnt an adult Lanner was seen by John Butler, who was then unaware of our record, on the other side of the Guadalquivir on the 18th ). Unfortunately, the woods were conspicuously free of exotic magpies, but a large mixed flock aerial feeders (including c50 Pallid Swifts) were hawking over adjacent farmland. The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring the Trebujena marshes in the hope of a "mudgrouse", but our best discovery was that the hostal rural at the turning to Trebujena serves excellent coffee and cakes!
NB Chozas Marismenas (
www.chozastrebujena.com) would be a good place to stay for a night or two if you wanted to explore this area more fully or simply get an early start!
All that remained was for us was to return to Jerez airport to fly home after a tremendous trip that, whilst it might produced a few more birds, couldn't possibly have squeezed in any more laughter, good humour and magic moments! For JC it was also a real privilege to enjoy a master class from John in drawing landscapes and from Norman in sketching birds. Brilliant! Before we went the weather forecast suggested heavy cloud cover and rain would be the order of the day, but it was mainly sunny with only a couple of brief showers. Happily, this made birding in the mountains a more viable, and productive, option than we could have hoped. Despite, inevitably, missing some species we "should" have seen, our final tally of 135 species over 5 days birding was a very pleasing particularly as the afternoon we lost due to a puncture probably cost us a number of species. It was interesting to realise that, with a more determined focus on tallying species or just a little more luck, a total in excess of 140 species could be attained here in February.
John Cantelo (With amendments and additional commentary, mainly concerning mud, by Norman McCanch)
Postscript: Prior to our departure a comment had been made likening our little expedition to “Last of the Summer Wine meets Victor Meldrew†. I couldn’t possibly comment…… NMcC
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