Playa del Inglés/Parque Romántico, Mirador Astronómico de la Degollada de las Yeguas, Fataga Pueblo, Mirador Degollada de la Cruz Grande, Llanos de la Pez, Bailico, Barranco de la Virgen, Playa del Inglés/Parque Romántico again in Gran Canaria, Spain.

Up high on Gran Canaria.

Deb and Ian, Day twenty one.

Ebird List for Playa del Inglés/Parque Romántico.

Ebird List for Llanos de la Pez.

Ebird List for Bailico.

Ebird List for Barranco de la Virgen, Valleseco.

 

Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula).

We first of all headed down to the coast about 15 minutes from the accommodation to a spot where there had been a male Sudan Golden Sparrow (Gorrión Dorado del Sudán / Passer luteus) but in the hour or so we were there we did not find it but we did see Eurasian Collared (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and African Collared Dove (Tórtola rosigris / Streptopelia roseogrisea), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), Canary Island Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Canario / Phylloscopus canariensis), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis), Atlantic Canary (Serin Canario / Serinus canaria) and Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis).

African Collared Dove (Tórtola rosigris / Streptopelia roseogrisea).

Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis).

We drove up into the hills stopping at Mirador Astronómico de la Degollada de las Yeguas where we did a short roadside walk seeing several plant species including Canary Island Spurge (Euphorbia canariensis), Fagonia cretica, Erysimum virescens, Canary Island Sage (Salvia canariensis), Canarian Bean Caper (Tetraena fontanesii) and Nanorrhinum scoparium.

Canary Island Spurge (Euphorbia canariensis).

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Canary Island Sage (Salvia canariensis).

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Mirador Astronómico de la Degollada de las Yeguas.

Mirador Astronómico de la Degollada de las Yeguas.

Further on we stopped for Coffee and cake in Fataga Pueblo where we added Plain Swift (Vencejo Unicolor / Apus unicolor) and a Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) before continuing on up to Mirador Degollada de la Cruz Grande where we parked and straight away I picked up a flying Gran Canaria Grayling (Hipparchia tamadabae) which was a lifer and when it landed for a while I was even happier.

Gran Canaria Grayling (Hipparchia tamadabae).

Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas).

Other species seen in this area included  Cistus symphytifolius, Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), Small White (Pieris rapae) and Bath White (Pontia daplidice).

Cistus symphytifolius.

We moved on and parked at Llanos de La Pez where our main target was the extremely rare Gran Canary Blue Chaffinch (Pinzón Azul Gran Canaria / Fringilla polatzeki) but we were a little late and there were already quite a few people setting up picnic and we dipped here.

African Blue Tit (Cyanistes Teneriffae / Herrerillo canario).

Canary Island Red Admiral (Vanessa vulcania).

We did however see several Canary Islands Chaffinches (Pinzón de Canarias / Fringilla canariensis), African Blue Tit (Cyanistes Teneriffae / Herrerillo canario), Atlantic Canary (Serin Canario / Serinus canaria), Canary Island Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major canariensis), European Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo insularum), Northern Raven (Cuervo grande / Corvus corax) and Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa).

Spotted Rock-Rose (Tuberaria guttata).

Canary Island Red Admiral (Vanessa vulcania).

Canary Island Red Admiral (Vanessa vulcania).

Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera).

Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera).

Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria).

Bath White (Pontia daplidice).

Were we also saw my first Canary Island Red Admiral (Vanessa vulcania) before we dropped back down the road we had come up on to Zona de Acampada de Bailico where we did a short walk seeing  Spotted Rock-Rose (Tuberaria guttata), more Bath Whites and Canary Island Red Admirals, Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera), Canary Speckled Wood (Pararge xiphioides) and Canary Blue (Cyclyrius webbianus). 

Canary Island Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major canariensis).

Canary Island Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major canariensis).

Canary Islands Chaffinch (Pinzón de Canarias / Fringilla canariensis).

Birds included African Blue Tit, Canary Islands Chaffinch, Canary Island Great Spotted Woodpecker and then as we were walking back to the car Deb shouted to Ian and Myself to come back as she had found a stunning male Gran Canary Blue Chaffinch which was showing quite well but kept on the move, the female was with him but she remained in the grass on the ground and difficult to see. 

Gran Canary Blue Chaffinch (Pinzón Azul Gran Canaria / Fringilla polatzeki) Male.

I was over the moon that Deb had picked this species up for two reason, firstly it had been a species I had long wanted to see (thanks to Yeray Seminario from Birding the Strait for the site) and secondly I was happy that I didn't have to drive the road up there again as it was a bit of a challenge.

Looking across to Tenerife.

Pericallis webbii.

The closer view.

Once we had returned to the car we dropped down to the Northern side of the island to a couple of spots along the Barranco de la Virgen, Valleseco, on the way we stopped at a viewpoint where we could see across to Mount Teidi on Tenerife, here we also saw Pericallis webbii and Adenocarpus foliolosus.

Canary Island Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Canario / Phylloscopus canariensis).

Canary Islands St. John's Wort (Hypericum canariense).

Once we were down in the Valley along the Barranco de la Virgen where we soon started to find good numbers of Laurel Pigeon (Paloma rabiche / Columba junoniae) and had up to 4 birds sat on a dead branch at the same time.

Laurel Pigeon (Paloma rabiche / Columba junoniae).

Laurel Pigeon (Paloma rabiche / Columba junoniae).

We also recorded Common Buzzard, Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus), African Blue Tit, Canary Island Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Canario / Phylloscopus canariensis), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula cabrerae) and Canary Islands Chaffinch.

Laurel Pigeon (Paloma rabiche / Columba junoniae).

Laurel Pigeon (Paloma rabiche / Columba junoniae).

We also added Tree Aeonium (Aeonium arboreum) and Canary Islands St. John's Wort (Hypericum canariense).

Tree Aeonium (Aeonium arboreum).

We dropped down the Valley to the North Coast and drove back South to the spot for the Sudan Golden Sparrow where we had started this morning but the results were the same and we added nothing new before heading back to the accommodation and then later went and had a few very enjoyable beers and some good food in Terraza La Central.