Leicester Ladies tour of Extremadura.
Full Days Birding, Day Three.
Embalses again in the morning and then some hills and valleys in the afternoon. |
| Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis). |
We headed out from Torrejon and headed for the large Reservoir called Embalse de Arrocampo, on the way we made a fast stop as we passed a roadside pool when we spotted a very smart Black Stork (Ciguena Negra / Ciconia nigra), the bird flew as we stopped but we checked the pool anyway.
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| Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans). |
On the pool we only found a single Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), but we could hear a Woodlark (Totovia / Lullula arborea) singing from a wire nearby, a couple of hooping Hoopoes (Abubilla / Upupa epops), a noisy flock of Iberian Magpies (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) and a passing Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans) which was looking for road kill for breakfast.
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| Greylag Geese (Ansar Común / Anser anser). |
We continued on to the Embalse and parked on the roadside where we checked the reed beds. straight away we could hear a Savi's Warbler (Buscarla Unicolor / Locustella luscinoides) but it was on the far side of the bay so we looked 20mins later and had really nice views.
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| Savi's Warbler (Buscarla Unicolor / Locustella luscinoides). |
Before we moved on along the road on foot we also had Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Western Cattle (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) and Little Egrets (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), a fly over Night Heron (Marinete Común / Nycticorax nycticorax), 2x Greylag Geese (Ansar Común / Anser anser), White Storks (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia) on Pylons, Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), a squarking but hidden Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), Gull-billed Tern (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica), a calling but unseen Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) and several noisy Perez's Frogs (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi).
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| Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis). |
On the far side of the bay by Obs 4 we had the great views of the Savi's along with Reed (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus) and Great Reed Warbler (Carricero Tordal / Acrocephalus arundinaceus), a couple of Great Egrets (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba) way off in the distance, Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus).
We crossed the road and checked out the other side of the lake and reed beds where the ladies checked the area whilst I walked back and got the van, on the way I picked up a teneral Long Skimmer (Orthetrum trinacria) and several Iberian Bluetails (Ischnura graellsii).
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| Long Skimmer (Orthetrum trinacria). |
I got back with the van and Sue had already found a nice female Little Bittern (Avetorillo Común / Ixobrychus minutus) and when I got there we added Purple Heron (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea), a quick moving Western Swamp-hen, a small group of flying Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia) and in the distance both Griffon (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) and European Black Vultures (Buitre Negro / Aegypius monachus) could be seen soaring.
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| Purple Heron (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea). |
We next stopped at the visitor centre where we used the facilities and got a key to the hides, near Obs 1 we had another Little Bittern but a smarter male this time, an singing Savi's, Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra) and European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster).
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| Great Egret (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba). |
We got back into the Van and went down to Obs 2 and stood on the ramp up to the hide as it was full so we watched from there and chatted with local guide William Haworth.
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| Great Egret (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba). |
In this time we had 7 Ferruginous Ducks (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca), lots of Purple Herons, Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), a nice flight view of a Western Swamp-hen, another Great Egret, House Sparrows (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) which were visiting a nest in the hide roof and best of all a brief view of a flying Eurasian / Great Bittern (Avetoro Común / Botaurus stellaris) which flew low along the edge of the reeds off to our left.
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| Ferruginous Ducks (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca) x3. |
We went to Obs 3 but saw nothing new except for Egyptian Grasshopper (Anacridium aegyptium), Small White (Pieris rapae), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) and Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus).
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| Ferruginous Ducks (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca) x3. |
We dropped the keys back to the Centre and went to a nearby spot where we were told there was a pair of Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) but in the hour or so we were there we did not see it, we did however pickup Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Iberian Grey (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis) and Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator) and the first Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus) of the trip.
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| Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea). |
In the same area we had Wild Clary (Salvia verbenaca), Purple Bugloss (Echium plantagineum), Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum), Mallow-leaved Bindweed (Convolvulus althaeoides), Hoary Mullein (Verbascum pulverulentum), Corn Cockle (Agrostemma githago) and Blue lupin (Lupinus angustifolius).
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| Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos). |
We left the Embalse behind and headed into the Monfragúe park but stopped for Lunch at Hotel Puerta de Monfrague and whilst we eating we had a calling Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris) and Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs).
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| Corn Cockle (Agrostemma githago). |
Our next stop was along the road at Mirador de la Portilla del Tietar, as we walked to the view point from where we parked we heard a calling Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus), Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), saw a female Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla) and our first Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula).
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| Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus). |
There were several hawking Crag Martins (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) down over the river and higher up good numbers of Red-rumped Swallows (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirundo daurica). After a short while an adult Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti) came in and landed on a rock on to of the ridge giving us really nice views through the scope.
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| Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus). |
We drove just a short way along the river to the Mirador La Tajadilla where we had views of an Egyptian Vulture (Alimoche Común / Neophron percnopterus) sat on its nest and heard a calling Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus).
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| Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus). |
We made a short stop on the Fuente Del Francés where we checked the bridge for Alpine Swift (Vencejo Real / Apus melba) mixed in with the hundreds of House Martins (Avión Común / Delichon urbica).
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| Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans). |
Time was moving on so we made a quick visit to the Salto Del Gitano, it was still busy but we found a parking slot and the watched the large numbers of Vultures around the rock, these were being hassled by a pair of Peregrine Falcons (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus). The only other new species before we headed back to the accommodation was a female Common Redstart (Colirroja Real / Phoenicurus phoenicurus).
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| Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans). |
Once we were back at the accommodation a large storm cloud started to build up over the mountains to the North but it did not affect us.
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| Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans). |
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| Thunder clouds |
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