Interesting tour across the farmlands with many targets achieved a several “firsts” of the season!
A group of enthusiastic birders headed to the steppes at ten o’clock. The first Great Bustards showed up at the first stop and we could find several more, along with a flock of 25+ Little Bustards, before we got to the Laguna de los Ojuelos.
On the way there, the first Red Kites, Crested and Calandra Larks, Iberian Grey Shrikes and Red-legged Partridges came out as well. A lonely kestrel following the plough of a tractor turned out to be a Lesser one… the first of the season! Further away, many more flocked hovering over the farmlands.
We soon arrived to the laguna. There were many Ravens in the area and we could spot three Black Kites among them… some more firsts of the season! The pool was full of Lapwings and Golden Plovers with several Black-headed Gulls. It took quite a long time to spot some Ringed Plovers and Little Stints in the mud. The huge flocks of lapwings and plovers looked spectacular when taking off and flying above us. They once were flushed by a Peregrine Falcon that flew away without paying any attention to the birds. We spotted a Booted Eagle when leaving to Lantejuela.
The next step was a visit to the Laguna del Gobierno in Lantejuela. A nice flock of Glossy Ibis flew out of the reserve while we were having lunch. Once inside, we found Flamingos, White-headed Ducks and many elegant flights of a beautiful couple of Marsh Harriers.
We heard the calls of some Stone Curlews from the laguna so we looked for them in the olive groves around the reserve. We finally found them with the help of Pepe and Manuel, our kind hosts in the reserve, to put the end to a great birding day.