Birding Iberia
June 6, 2008
Tue Jun 3, 2008
Despite unusually unseasonal appalling weather conditions in Iberia (almost continuous rain for 10 weeks now), I have just returned from an exceptionally successful tour of both Spain and Portugal. In just over a week and 4,572 kilometres covered, a total of 189 species was recorded, including 44 for my Western Palearctic Year List taking my cumulative total to a new record 524 species.
Amongst the many highlights of the trip were a breeding coastal colony of LITTLE SWIFTS, a nesting pair of WHITE-RUMPED SWIFTS, a vagrant whinnying male PIED-BILLED GREBE, many LITTLE BITTERNS and PURPLE HERONS, 8 nesting pairs of BLACK STORK (all with young), WHITE-HEADED DUCKS, 4 LAMMERGEIERS including an adult pair, many EURASIAN BLACK VULTURES, a fabulous pair of SPANISH IMPERIAL EAGLES, excellent views of adult BONELLI’S EAGLES, many hundreds of Montagu’s Harriers, some large gatherings of LESSER KESTRELS, 25 WESTERN PURPLE GALLINULES, excellent numbers of GREAT BUSTARDS (including a feeding flock of 27 birds), many calling male LITTLE BUSTARDS, both PIN-TAILED and BLACK-BELLIED SANDGROUSE, a surprising number of European Turtle Doves, 3 fantastic GREAT SPOTTED CUCKOOS, 2 well-grown EURASIAN EAGLE OWLETS, 2 RED-NECKED NIGHTJARS in broad daylight roosting on the ground and flying around, the male even singing!, many EUROPEAN ROLLERS, IBERIAN GREEN WOODPECKERS, large numbers of CALANDRA LARKS, 10+ singing male DUPONT’S LARKS, IBERIAN YELLOW WAGTAILS, 7 displaying male WESTERN RUFOUS BUSHCHATS, BLACK WHEATEARS, WESTERN OLIVACEOUS WARBLERS, 10+ singing male WESTERN BONELLI’S WARBLERS, excellent views of IBERIAN PIED FLYCATCHERS, WALLCREEPER, very large numbers of AZURE-WINGED MAGPIES, 70+ ALPINE
CHOUGHS, ROCK SPARROWS, 5 WHITE-WINGED SNOWFINCH, IBERIAN COMMON CROSSBILLS and ROCK BUNTINGS. Also seen were the ship-assisted PIED CROW of unknown origin and an assortment of Category C estrelids including an extraodinary number of breeding BLACK-HEADED WEAVERS and YELLOW-CROWNED BISHOPS.
I am especially thankful to all of the Spanish birders that helped me during my visit, particularly Daniel Lopez Velasco, Jose Luis Copete and Jose Ardaiz, as well as to Chris Bell, Joan Thompson and Mike Collard, who provided some excellent additional information.
A similar tour will be prepared for 2008 - email for details
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