La Cumbre--Los Cerralbos and Llanos de Cáceres--Observatorio La Pulgosa, Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain.

A morning out on the plain's and then a longish drive home.

Deb and Ian, Day Fifty Five.

Ebird List for La Cumbre--Los Cerralbos

Ebird List for Llanos de Cáceres--Observatorio La Pulgosa.

 

We started the day by having coffee before heading out toward Cáceres‎ on the old road, as we approached the turn we wanted we could smell the fire from yesterday but the road was still open so we continued on and then turned on to the track we wanted into the fields.

A distant Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti).

During the couple of hours we were at this site we enjoyed prolonged but distant views of 2 Iberian Imperial Eagles (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti) along with Black-bellied (Ganga Ortega / Pterocles orientalis) and Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (Ganga Ibérica / Pterocles alchata), White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Europeo / Merops apiaster), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real / Lanius meridionalis), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), Calandra (Calandria Común / Melanocorypha calandra) and Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis) and Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis).

European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola).

As we drove along the track and back again we also saw Large Psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus), Ocellated Lizard (Timon lepidus), Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus), Swallowtail (Papilio machaon), Small White (Pieris rapae), Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus), Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) and Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii).

Swallowtail (Papilio machaon).

Large Psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus).

We returned to the tarmac and headed back to the main road, we again stayed on the old road but a few Kms further on we started to see the results of the wildfire that we had seen yesterday with some areas of woodland still smoldering, as we reached the next junction the old road was closed so we had to use the motorway and I suspected that the road to the spot we were heading for would be closed.

As we drove towards Cáceres the fire damage was considerable, when we came off the motorway the road we wanted was still open, the one along side the motorway was closed but this didn't affect us.

Common Kestrels (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).

Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).

Along the road we scanned the many nest boxes to see who was using them and we saw Little Owl, Common Kestrel, Western Jackdaw (Grajilla occidental / Corvus monedula) and European Roller (Carraca / Coracias garrulus).

Some of the best gates I have seen in Spain, could do with a coat of paint but still nice.

We turned on to the track out to the Observatorio La Pulgosa, on the drive out we saw Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, White Stork, Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and from the Hide we watched at least 6 Cinereous and 4 Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) drop into the grass off to our left.

European Roller (Carraca / Coracias garrulus).

European Roller (Carraca / Coracias garrulus).

We had some lunch in the hide and then decided it was time to head for home, on the way out we saw more European Roller, before wee hit the motorways.

Cinereous Vulture (Buitre Negro / Aegypius monachus).

On the slower part of the drive across to Cordoba we saw another Cinereous Vulture sat in a roadside field, we got back to the house and then popped down town for a beer and some food.