Loja Wildlife, Granada Province, Spain.: Torrejon, Río Almonte, Rio Tozo, Llanos de Cáceres, Valdeflores Woodlands, Embalse de Valdesalor, Charca de la Atalaya and Los Barruecos in Extremadura.

Sunday 28 April 2019

Torrejon, Río Almonte, Rio Tozo, Llanos de Cáceres, Valdeflores Woodlands, Embalse de Valdesalor, Charca de la Atalaya and Los Barruecos in Extremadura.

Leicester Ladies tour of Extremadura.

Full days Birding, Day Two.

A day of Rivers, Woods and Lakes.

Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).

We left the accommodation seeing Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus)in the town and Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris) and Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) on the way to Río Almonte.

Río Almonte.

We parked by the bridge and checked the area down by the river scanning both banks adding Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), a calling Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), a noisy Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), a pair of Little Ringed Plovers (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), feeding Crag Martins (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), singing Nightingales (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirundo daurica), Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) and passing European Black (Buitre Negro / Aegypius monachus) and Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Short-toed Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus) and best of all an immature Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti).

Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus).

In the river there were huge numbers of Perez's Frogs (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi), most hiding very well in amongst the carpets of Common Water crowfoot (Ranunculus aquatilis).

Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis).

We also had Rabbits bread (Andryala integrifolia), Spotted Rock Rose (Tuberaria guttata), Hop Trefoil (Trifolium campestre), Hollow Stemmed Asphodel (Asphodelus fistulosus), Mallow-leaved Bindweed (Convolvulus althaeoides) and Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa).

Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi).

We continued on down the road towards Trujillo and made our second stop along side the Río Tozo where again the loudest sound was the call of the Perez's Frogs in amongst the Common Water Crowfoot but we could also hear Great Reed Warbler (Carricero Tordal / Acrocephalus arundinaceus), more Nightingles and we also saw Spanish (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis) and Rock Sparrows (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia).

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

As we returned to the Van we also at least 3 Large Psammodromus (Lagartija colilarga / Psammodromus algirus) on the blocks of the wall and a Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus) on the grass ner the Van.

Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans).

We drove around Trujillo and then took the motorway towards Caceres calling in at Llanos de Cáceres finding the first Rollers (Carraca / Coracias garrulus) and Jackdaws (Grajilla / Corvus monedula) of the trip. Later we eventually found our way to Valdeflores Woodlands via a couple of road blocks for works and some very narrow tracks and parked in a nice piece of Oak woodlands amongst some old mine workings.

European Black Vulture (Buitre Negro / Aegypius monachus).

We had a walk and soon located male and female Black Redstarts (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), a singing but elusive Melodious Warbler (Zarcero Común / Hippolais polyglotta) which we only got glimpes in flight.

Looking for Perez's Frogs (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi).

We walked back towards the van adding a fine adult male Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius) and a pale morph Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator) along with Gum Cistus (Cistus ladanifer), Small Pink Cistus (Cistus crispus), Western Dappled Whites (Euchloe crameri), Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina ssp hispulla), Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) and a nice Queen of Spain (Issoria lathonia).

We left the site and drove down to the Embalse de Valdesalor where amongst all the day trippers we found a nice group of Eurasian Spoonbills (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), several Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), a good number of Common Sandpipers (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), a flock of Egyptian Geese (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca) and in the trees behind us a calling Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla).

On the far shore there were several more Common Sandpipers as well as a few Black-winged Stilts (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus) as well as another smaller wader which I suspected was a Temmincks Stint (Correlimos de Temminck / Calidris temminckii) but at the distance we were not sure so we drove around to the opposite bank where we were able to confirm the ID.

Roller (Carraca / Coracias garrulus).

We also had a good number of Little Ringed Plovers and a Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia) which was chased around for a while by the Black-winged Stilts but eventually settled.

Gum Cistus (Cistus ladanifer).

We moved on and stopped on a roadside to scan a pool opposite and we found good numbers of Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra) and a single Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus).

Gum Cistus (Cistus ladanifer).

Our final stop of the day was back north near Cáceres at Los Barruecos where we saw some White Storks (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia) nesting on the top of some large rocks. On the pool as we entered the site we had a pair of Great Crested Grebes (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus) and a Great Egret (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba) which few around for a couple of loops.

Western Dappled Whites (Euchloe crameri).

On the same pool we had a couple of Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) and a Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum). Further on to the reserve we had European Bee-eaters, Common Waxbills, Clouded Yellow (Colias Común / Colias corcea), Bath White (Blanqiverdosa / Pontia daplidice), a Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina), Large Venus's Looking-glass (Legousia speculum-veneris), Navelwort (Umbilicus rupestris), Tassel Hyacinth (Muscari comosum) and a very smart Spiny-footed Lizard (Acanthodactylus erythrurus).

Western Dappled Whites (Euchloe crameri).

We headed back to the accommodation via the Northern road stopping at some White Storks nests in trees on the way and back at the accommodation we added a couple of Moorish Gecko's (Tarentola mauritanica) in the hallway.