Balsa de La Calabaza, Costa Calma--Parque Estatal, Playa del Matorral, Diseminado Rosajames in Tuineje, La Oliva, the Embalse on Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, Spain.

A down in the South of the Island, a tad  depressing and rundown to say the least. 

Deb and Ian, Day Twenty Six.

Ebird List for Balsa de La Calabaza. 

Ebird List for Costa Calma--Parque Estatal.

Ebird List for Playa del Matorral.

Ebird List for Diseminado Rosajames, Tuineje. 

Ebird List for La Oliva, the Embalse.

 

The family of Ruddy Shelduck (Tarro Canelo / Tadorna ferruginea).

We decided to head south to catch up with some of the more Plastic species that are possible on Fuerteventura, we started to drive down but mad a short stop at a roadside pool we spotted on the way where we saw a family of Ruddy Shelduck (Tarro Canelo / Tadorna ferruginea), a single Muscovy Duck (Pato criollo / Cairina moschata), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus),  Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Thinornis dubius), African Blue Tit (Cyanistes Teneriffae / Herrerillo canario), Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis) and False Sow-Thistle (Reichardia tingitana).

False Sow-Thistle (Reichardia tingitana).

We continued on down to Costa Calma and went into Parque Estatal where our main target was the Red-vented Bulbul (Bulbul cafre / Pycnonotus cafer) and not long after we arrived we saw the first of several calling birds which we soon located and got some good views of.

Red-vented Bulbul (Bulbul cafre / Pycnonotus cafer).

Red-vented Bulbul (Bulbul cafre / Pycnonotus cafer).

Red-vented Bulbul (Bulbul cafre / Pycnonotus cafer).

Red-vented Bulbul (Bulbul cafre / Pycnonotus cafer).

Red-vented Bulbul (Bulbul cafre / Pycnonotus cafer).

Red-vented Bulbul (Bulbul cafre / Pycnonotus cafer).

The park was a lot more neglected than the last time I was there, a shame but whilst there we also saw and heard a couple of Hadada Ibis (Ibis Hadada / Bostrychia hagedash), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis) and Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui).

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui).

We continued on along the coast to Playa del Matorral where after parking we searched for more Hadada Ibis (Ibis Hadada / Bostrychia hagedash) which we still wanted better photo's of so we checked out the parks along the coast but I was even more surprised to see how run down the areas were, not many of the people on holiday looked very happy as the resort was quite a S**THOLE.

Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).

Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus).

Female Eurasian Golden Oriole (Oropéndola Europea / Oriolus oriolus).

Anyway we searched seeing Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus), Plain Swift (Vencejo Unicolor / Apus unicolor), 2x female Eurasian Golden Orioles (Oropéndola Europea / Oriolus oriolus) and several Barbary Ground Squirrel (Atlantoxerus getulus) which were unfortunately so used to being fed by the tourists they had become very tame and vulnerable.

Barbary Ground Squirrel (Atlantoxerus getulus).

Barbary Ground Squirrel (Atlantoxerus getulus).

Barbary Ground Squirrel (Atlantoxerus getulus).

Barbary Ground Squirrel (Atlantoxerus getulus).

Just as we were returning to the car we heard a calling Hadada Ibis so we searched again but couldn't find it so we drove around to the far side of the area and found a bird up in a tree in an abandoned urbanisation.

Hadada Ibis (Ibis Hadada / Bostrychia hagedash).

Hadada Ibis (Ibis Hadada / Bostrychia hagedash).

Hadada Ibis (Ibis Hadada / Bostrychia hagedash).

Hadada Ibis (Ibis Hadada / Bostrychia hagedash).

We returned to the main street and did a final drive along the road with the large grassed areas between the carriageways where I had seen them a few days earlier and this time we found four birds which showed very well. 

We carried on along the road to the Morro Jable Port but saw very little so we carried on a short way along the road to Punta de Jandia but turned around after a short distance, on our way back to the town we stopped and scanned the sea as we could see a group of feeding Shearwaters not too far off shore but they were all Cory's (Pardela Cenicienta Canaria / Calonectris diomedea borealis).

On our way back to the North we called in at some grey water pools above the Botanical gardens but only saw Ruddy Shelduck, Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus) and not far along the road where we stopped for lunch at Bar Torres where we saw a couple more Red-vented Bulbul from the Terrace.

Ruddy Shelduck (Tarro Canelo / Tadorna ferruginea).

Ruddy Shelduck (Tarro Canelo / Tadorna ferruginea).

Ruddy Shelduck (Tarro Canelo / Tadorna ferruginea).

We continued on but needed some supplies so we carried on to La Oliva but had a look at a small Embalse just on the edge of town where we saw lots of Ruddy Shelduck, Common Moorhen, Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis), a single Spectacled Warbler (Curruca Tomillera / Curruca conspicillata) and Canary Islands Candle-Plant (Kleinia neriifolia).

Canary Islands Candle-Plant (Kleinia neriifolia).

We popped into the nearby supermarket and then headed back to the accommodation.