Las Raíces, Restaurante El Portillo and Parque Nacional del Teide, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.

Another crack at the Blue Chaffinches and then the rest of the day on Mount Teide.

Deb and Ian, Day Eighteen.

Ebird List for Las Raíces.

Tenerife Blue Chaffinch (Pinzón Azul de Tenerife / Fringilla teydea).

We started the day by heading back to the Picnic area at Las Raices but this time we parked at the lower car park and spent some time around the Picnic areas near there  where after a bit of a search we had good views of several Tenerife Blue Chaffinches (Pinzón Azul de Tenerife / Fringilla teydea) which came in closest when we sat down and got some breakfast out.

Tenerife Blue Chaffinches (Pinzón Azul de Tenerife / Fringilla teydea).

Tenerife Blue Chaffinches (Pinzón Azul de Tenerife / Fringilla teydea).

Tenerife Blue Chaffinches (Pinzón Azul de Tenerife / Fringilla teydea).

Tenerife Blue Chaffinches (Pinzón Azul de Tenerife / Fringilla teydea).

Tenerife Blue Chaffinches (Pinzón Azul de Tenerife / Fringilla teydea).

In the same area we also found Canary Island Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major canariensis), Canary Islands Chaffinch (Pinzón de Canarias / Fringilla canariensis), African Blue Tit (Cyanistes Teneriffae / Herrerillo canario), Atlantic Canary (Serin Canario / Serinus canaria), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) and Small White (Pieris rapae).

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

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

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

We returned to the car and made our way up towards Mount Teide making several stops on the way, at the first we found Dense-flowered Orchid (Neotinea maculata), Tree Lucerne (Cytisus proliferus), Sonchus acaulis, Canary Aeonium (Aeonium canariense) and Ageratina adenophora. 

Dense-flowered Orchid (Neotinea maculata).

Canary Aeonium (Aeonium canariense).

Canary Aeonium (Aeonium canariense).

California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica).

At another View point we stopped again and photographed Eryismum scoparium and California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica). 

The Canary Island Pine (Pinus canariensis) regenerating after the August 2023 fire.

We continued on climbing and at one of the view points we got some nice views out to Teide through the clouds, it looked just stunning.

Teide, a couple of minutes later it was covered in cloud.

Deb, Ian and Teide.

Some of the geology on the way up,,,

and some more.

Further on we stopped for a coffee and some lunch at the Restaurante El Portillo were we saw more of the Tenerife Blue Chaffinches and I probably got my best views and Photographs at this spot along with several Atlantic Canary.

Tenerife Blue Chaffinches (Pinzón Azul de Tenerife / Fringilla teydea) male.

Tenerife Blue Chaffinches (Pinzón Azul de Tenerife / Fringilla teydea) female.

Atlantic Canary (Serin Canario / Serinus canaria) male.

Atlantic Canary (Serin Canario / Serinus canaria) female.

After we had finished lunch we continued on but stopped again at Minas de San Jose were we walked out across the pale gravel area to the edge of the drop down to the old lava flows, here we found Descurainia bourgaeana, Summit Rosebush (Pterocephalus lasiospermus), Argyrathemum teneriffae, lots  of Tenerife Lizards (Gallotia galloti) and at least two Tenerife Green Striped Whites (Euchloe eversi) which some how or other Deb managed to get a photo that was good enough for an ID.

Argyrathemum teneriffae.

Summit Rosebush (Pterocephalus lasiospermus).

Some plants growing in the inhospitable habitat around Minas de San Jose.

Deb and Ian crossing the gravel at Minas de San Jose.

The view from Minas de San Jose.

The view from Minas de San Jose.

Tenerife Lizards (Gallotia galloti).

Tenerife Green Striped Whites (Euchloe eversi).

Tenerife Green Striped Whites (Euchloe eversi).

We walked back to the car and continued on to Mirador El Tabonal Negro where we stopped to get some photographs of the stunning Echium wildpretii which we had seen back along the road but this was the best plants we had seen along with a good parking spot as well as Scrophularia arguga.

The view from Mirador El Tabonal Negro.

Echium wildpretii.

Echium wildpretii.

Echium wildpretii.

Echium wildpretii.

Echium wildpretii.

Scrophularia arguga.

Further on we pulled in at the bottom of the road up to the Teleférico del Teide where we turned around and started to make our way back down the Mountain making just a quick roadside stop to check out some flowers which were Pericallis cruenta and we also found a couple of Canary Blues (Cyclyrius webbianus).

Pericallis cruenta.

Canary Blue (Cyclyrius webbianus).

Paseo Oramas in La Laguna, Charco del Viento, Pico del Inglés, Cruz del Carmen and Mirador de Jardina, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.

We started the day with a sea watch and then returned to the Laural Forests.

Deb and Ian, Day Seventeen.

Ebird List for Paseo Oramas, La Laguna.

Ebird List for Charco del Viento.

Ebird List for Pico del Inglés.

Ebird List for Cruz del Carmen.

Ebird List for Mirador de Jardina.

 

Rose-ringed Parakeet (Cotorra de Kramer / Psittacula krameri).

Rose-ringed Parakeets (Cotorra de Kramer / Psittacula krameri).

We started the day with a drive over to Charco del Viento to do a Sea Watch, on the way we made an unexpected stop when we heard some Rose-ringed Parakeets (Cotorra de Kramer / Psittacula krameri) as we drove through Urbanization San Diego, so we parked and we walked back and found 4 birds in Garden Palm tree.

We continued on towards Charco del Viento but I over shot the very narrow track down to the coast so we had to go up to the next junction and come back again, on the way we spotted a small local fruit and veg market so we called in and had a walk around it buying a few bits including some very nice cakes which didn't last very long.

European Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur).

Looking along the coast.

Ian on a track up to a nearby high point.

Perez’s Sea Lavender (Limonium perezii).

We arrived at the sea watch point adding Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), European Turtle (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur) and Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and Atlantic Canary (Serin Canario / Serinus canaria) on the way through the fields and green houses, once we were set up on the watch point we saw lots of Cory's Shearwater (Pardela Cenicienta Canaria / Calonectris diomedea borealis) and a few Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis).

Cory's Shearwater (Pardela Cenicienta Canaria / Calonectris diomedea borealis).

Cory's Shearwater (Pardela Cenicienta Canaria / Calonectris diomedea borealis).

We also had loads of the endemic Tenerife Lizard (Gallotia galloti) which were coming out of the many holes in the walls and Perez’s Sea Lavender (Limonium perezii). 

Tenerife Lizard (Gallotia galloti) male.

Tenerife Lizard (Gallotia galloti) male.

Tenerife Lizard (Gallotia galloti) female.

Tenerife Lizard (Gallotia galloti) female.

We drove back pretty much the way we had come but continued on passed the accommodation and back up to Pico del Inglés where we were hoping to get better views of the Laurel Pigeon (Paloma rabiche / Columba junoniae) but they again remained distant but Deb did get a few flight shots.

Laurel Pigeon (Paloma rabiche / Columba junoniae).

Laurel Pigeon (Paloma rabiche / Columba junoniae).

We also saw Plain (Vencejo Unicolor / Apus unicolor) and Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus), African Blue Tit (Cyanistes Teneriffae / Herrerillo canario), Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Canary Islands Chaffinch (Pinzón de Canarias / Fringilla canariensis), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula cabrerae), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Canary Island Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Canario / Phylloscopus canariensis), Canary Speckled Wood (Pararge xiphioides), Canary Blue (Cyclyrius webbianus), Small White (Pieris rapae) and Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta).

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

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

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

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

Looking into the Laural Forest at Cruz del Carmen.

After a while we dropped down to Cruz del Carmen but the only new species for the day was Northern Raven (Cuervo grande / Corvus corax) so we again moved on and made our last stop at the Mirador de Jardina where we bought some very nice dried figs and some crumbly almond biscuits, both of which were very nice.

Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo insularum).

We also had good views Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo insularum), Canary Island Chiffchaff, Common Blackbird and Canary Islands Chaffinch.

The view from Mirador de Jardina.

Looking back towards our accommodation from Mirador de Jardina.

We returned to the accommodation for a while and then went out to Hamburguesería Isaac for a few beers and some Crazy Potato's.