Iberia: Campo Maior 26 April - 01 May

Day 17 26.04.2017

Today was our first day working in Spain, near the border town of Badajoz. The habitat here was minimal at best, with most of the land developed for agriculture. That being said, there were still a few nice birds, including a few Great Bustards, obviously the most important species for our research. Serins were very common although notably not photogenic, as were the Short-toed and Calandra Larks. In our evening session at the same site I had a bit more luck, with a few nice Iberian Grey Shrikes, a Black-winged Kite and a couple of brief Spectacled Warblers. The real highlight of the day was a small river with a few shrubs near it. Here I had a few Melodious Warblers and listened to a symphony of Great-reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler and Blackbird. We also called off at the river in Badajoz itself. Birding was a bit restricted here, but I had three trip ticks in the form of Penduline Tit, Great White Egret and Squacco Heron, although both were distant. I got a butterfly lifer in the form of Bath White.

-Bath White

Species List:

Badajoz: Calandra Lark, Sardinian Warbler, Spectacled Warbler, Collard Dove, Woodpigeon, Thekla Lark, Crested Lark, Iberian Grey Shrike, Common Magpie, White Stork, Common Buzzard, House Sparrow, Corn Bunting, Spotless Starling, Red-rumped Swallow, Sand Martin, House Martin, Barn Swallow, Common Swift, Grey Heron, Hoopoe, Black Kite, Booted Eagle, Jackdaw, Quail, Great Bustard, Short-toed Lark, Black-winged Kite, Great-reed Warbler, Blackbird, Reed Warbler, Moorhen, Coot, Mallard, Squacco Heron, Serin, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Great-white Egret, Penduline Tit, Greenfinch, Western Bath White, Green-striped White, Iberian Marbled White, Small Copper,

Day 18 27.04.2017

Today we returned to Spain to an area just south of where we worked yesterday, in the area surrounding San Rafael. Here I had possibly the rarest thing on my trip so far, a well-advertised footpath, and it made my day so much easier. Obviously the highlight of the day was the re-appearance of Common Waxbill, which were fairly abundant around the village. A small river valley produced Cetti’s Warbler, Melodious Warbler, Serin and Iberian Grey Shrike in decent numbers. A couple of Little Bustards added some steppe spice to the mix too. I also saw my first Golden Oriole of the trip, as opposed to hearing them, a stunning male flying away from me. Typical views I feel! In the afternoon we headed West from Villa Fernando to an area of more pasture. Great Bustards were here in small numbers, but there was nothing out of the ordinary despite being a pleasant evenings birding.

-Melodious Warbler

-Iberian Grey Shrike

-Serin

-Spotless Starling

-Hummingbird Hawkmoth

Species List:

San Rafael: Calandra Lark, Sardinian Warbler, Collard Dove, Woodpigeon, Thekla Lark, Crested Lark, Iberian Grey Shrike, Common Magpie, White Stork, Common Buzzard, House Sparrow, Corn Bunting, Spotless Starling, Red-rumped Swallow, Sand Martin, House Martin, Barn Swallow, Common Swift, Grey Heron, Hoopoe, Black Kite, Booted Eagle, Jackdaw, Short-toed Lark, Serin, Cattle Egret, Common Waxbill, Iberian Grey Shrike, Turtle Dove, Golden Oriole, Melodious Warbler, Cettis Warbler, Little Bustard, Zitting Cisticola, Chaffinch, Stonechat, Western Dappled White, Green-striped White, Iberian Marbled White, Small Copper, Clouded Yellow, Brown Argus,

Villa Fernando: Calandra Lark, Woodpigeon, Thekla Lark, Common Magpie, White Stork, Common Buzzard, House Sparrow, Corn Bunting, Spotless Starling, Red-rumped Swallow, Sand Martin, House Martin, Barn Swallow, Common Swift, Stonechat, Great Bustard, European Bee-eater, Hummingbird Hawkmoth,

Day 19 28.04.2017

Today we headed back past Vila Fernando to the village of Orada. I was set to work on an area of pasture just north of here with good access and decent habitat. Sadly the wind had picked up and the cloud cover was near total, plus rain was forecast to add to weather woes. Sadly we avoided the rain but the wind had put most of the birds down. The undoubted highlight of the day was a young Black-winged Kite plucking its prey on a telegraph pole only 20 meters from where I was positioned. Given how distant these raptors have been, seeing one like this was really something. The best of the rest also included a number of raptors, our first Golden Eagle of the trip which was soaring above our car as we drove home. I also had an extremely dark Booted Eagle on my transect. None raptors; a small group of Great Bustards was always nice, and there were a few Calandra Larks to enjoy throughout my walk.

-Black-winged Kite

Species List:

Orada: Calandra Lark, Woodpigeon, Thekla Lark, Common Magpie, White Stork, Common Buzzard, House Sparrow, Corn Bunting, Spotless Starling, Barn Swallow, Common Swift, Stonechat, Great Bustard, European Bee-eater, Booted Eagle, Golden Eagle, Short-toed Eagle, Black-winged Kite, Common Kestrel, Black Kite, Sardinian Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Collard Dove, Iberian Grey Shrike, Blackbird, Quail, Red-legged Partridge, Linnet, Goldfinch,

Day 20 29.04.2017

Today was our third day off since we arrived in Iberia. We chose to spend our day in Extremadura picking up some of the species we might not see whilst out on transect. Sadly the weather turned against us with a strong wind all day and heavy rain during the morning. It made the birding a lot less fun and at times it even became hard work.

Our first port of call was a wooded river valley near Montijo where we knew there would be Isabelline (Or Western olivaceous) Warbler. Despite the conditions it did not take us long to locate a few singing birds. They were not showy but we managed to find one bird which would occasionally reveal itself. We also had a trip tick of Wren here, plus a few nice birds such as Purple Heron, Night Heron, Great Reed Warbler and Common Sandpiper.

-Isabelline Warbler

Next we headed off to Alange, a small town on the shore of a large reservoir. This was our first taste of rocky Extremadura mountains. As soon as we pulled up we heard and then saw a Rock Bunting (Lifer), then followed quickly by Blue Rock Thrush and Black Wheatear (Lifer). Obviously the wheatear was a trip highlight immediately but it did not show particularly well at any point. We returned here in the evening and it showed much better, although still not brilliant. Also in the evening I finally nailed a Berger’s Clouded Yellow (although no pics) at the fourth time of asking, and had a few goodies like Montagu’s Harrier and Lesser Kestrel. All the while flocks of Alpine and Common Swift circled overhead, and higher up still were soaring groups of Griffon and Black Vulture.

-Alpine Swift

-Black Wheatear

Between our rainy morning and sunny afternoon  at Alange we headed deeper into Extremadura to a cork oak woodland at Sierra Grande de Hornachos where we hoped to find cirl bunting. Sadly only Yoav saw a cirl bunting but I didn’t mind, as I saw my most wanted bird for the trip; Western Orphean Warbler. Tragically I saw it for only a matter of seconds before I lost it, and attempts to relocate it were unsuccessful due to the birds reluctance to sing. Hawfinch, Mistle Thrush and Nuthatch were all nice trip ticks for me, and I also got to have more views of Short-toed Treecreeper and Subalpine Warbler. Within the woodlands the butterfly composition notably changes, and I had more False Ilex Hairstreak plus a butterfly lifer in the form of Lang’s Short-tailed Blue. It would have been much better if the wind had dropped I feel but I can’t complain.

-Short-toed Treecreeper

-Lang's Short-tailed Blue

-Large Psammodromus

Species List:

Montijo: Isabelline Warbler, Reed Warbler, Great Reed Warbler, Cettis Warbler, Nightingale, Wren, Greenfinch, Serin, House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Zitting Cisticola, Goldfinch, Linnet, Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Collard Dove, Long-tailed Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Common Sandpiper, Mallard, Black-crowned Night Heron, Purple Heron, Grey Heron, White Stork, Black Kite,

Alange: Common Swift, Alpine Swift, Crag Martin, House Martin, Red-rumped Swallow, Barn Swallow, Rock Bunting, Corn Bunting, Blue Rock Thrush, Black Wheatear, Cormorant, Jackdaw, Spotless Starling, House Sparrow, Sardinian Warbler, Serin, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Linnet, Chaffinch, Blackbird, Gull-billed Tern, Black-headed Gull, Griffon Vulture, European Black Vulture, Montagu’s Harrier, Lesser Kestrel, Black Kite, Booted Eagle, White Stork, Cattle Egret, Bergers Clouded Yellow,

Sierra Grande de Hornachos: Hawfinch, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Serin, Goldfinch, Linnet, Western Subalpine Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Western Orphean Warbler, Blackbird, Mistle Thrush, Short-toed Treecreeper, Nuthatch, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Collard Dove, Corn Bunting, House Sparrow, Spanish Sparrow, Short-toed Eagle, Griffon Vulture, European Black Vulture, Black-eared Wheatear, Grey Wagtail, Large Psammodromus, Mediterranean Terrapin, Iberian Hare, Small Skipper, Common Blue, Western Dappled White, Meadow Brown, False Ilex Hairstreak, Lang’s Short-tailed Blue, 

Day 21 30.04.2017

Today was a bit of a disappointment. Our morning out in the field was spent further south, at Evora. Access here was difficult but we made the best of it, but sadly the weather continued to be poor and this time we were badly caught out by the rain. The constant cloud cover produced light so poor I did not even take my camera out of my bag. It’s a shame the light was so bad, there were Melodious Warblers showing really well along one of the riverbanks, as well as Woodchat Shrikes. If the wind had dropped who knows what would have popped out of the bushes. Steppe birds were in short supply, only a couple of Little Bustards and a few Calandra Larks to show for the morning out. We called it a morning early as a result of the conditions, just as well, as we narrowly avoided a torrential downpour.

Species List:

Evora: Calandra Lark, Crested Lark, Corn Bunting, Spanish Sparrow, House Sparrow, Stonechat, Zitting Cisticola, Melodious Warbler, Cettis Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Nightingale, Woodchat Shrike, Serin, Woodpigeon, Collard Dove, Feral Pigeon, White Stork, Grey Heron, Cattle Egret, Little Bustard, Black Kite, Black-winged Kite, Common Kestrel, 

Day 22 01.05.2017

So today was our final day in Portugal, and we spent it at an area near to Villa Fernando, and area of open pasture but with many cows. The birding here was not bad, with both Bustard species present in low densities (5 Great, 7 Little). A few Calandra Larks and European Black Vultures were nice to see. There was an insane density of both Corn Buntings and Spanish Sparrows. With the latter a single eucalyptus must have contained over 1000 birds, but still not managed to get a decent photo.

-Spanish Sparrow

-Corn Bunting

In the afternoon we made our permanent move across the border to Spain. Travelling was spent, for me, mainly asleep. Once we arrived we unpacked before heading out to some of the nearby mountains for a spot of light birding. The birding here was excellent, with the unique collection of species we had seen at a similar site on our day off. A few Black Wheatear were present but we struggle to get good views. Blue Rock Thrush were also present and notably easier to approach but still no incredible frame filling photos, probably not helped by the wheatears apparent dislike of the species, chasing them away whenever they were close. A distant Rock Bunting was all we saw of them. The real highlight for the afternoon were the flocks of calling Alpine Swifts just feet above our heads, coming so close you could hear their wings whoosh by. A single butterfly lifer and trip tick; Southern Marbled Skipper! Very Nice!

-Blue Rock Thrush

-Black Wheatear

-Alpine Swifts

Species List:

Villa Fernando: Calandra Lark, Crested Lark, Corn Bunting, Spanish Sparrow, House Sparrow, Stonechat, Zitting Cisticola, Melodious Warbler, Cettis Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Nightingale, Woodchat Shrike, Serin, Woodpigeon, Collard Dove, Feral Pigeon, White Stork, Grey Heron, Cattle Egret, Little Bustard, Black Kite, Black-winged Kite, Common Kestrel, Great Bustard, 

Iberia: Campo Maior 21 - 25 April

Day 12 21.04.2017

Having moved north to Campo Maior yesterday afternoon we today started our work in the fields just outside the city. Not gonna lie, today was pretty rough. I was attacked by bees, which resulted in my right eyelid becoming rather swollen from the stings, thrown off the land by the farmer, drenched by a sprinkler and there were not even many birds to enjoy. A couple of Iberian Yellow Wagtails was about the best of it, although they are obviously lovely birds. In the evening I checked out a small site where the few remaining Great Bustards in the area were residing, which I counted 14 in total. Another distant Black-winged Kite was nice and I also had a few Gull-billed Terns go over. So not an awful days birding but compared to Castro Verde it was certainly a step down.

-European Bee-eater

Species List:

Campo Maior: Black-winged Kite, Gull-billed Tern, Woodpigeon, Zitting Cisticola, House Sparrow, Crested Lark, Red-legged Partridge, Corn Bunting, Great Bustard, Stone Curlew, Great Tit, Spotless Starling, Common Kestrel, Cattle Egret, Grey Heron, White Stork, Barn Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, Iberian Grey Shrike, Iberian Yellow Wagtail, House Sparrow, Mallard, Montagu’s Harrier, Bee-eater, Sardinian Warbler, Hoopoe, Little Owl, Magpie,

Day 13 22.04.2017

After the horror show that was yesterday I was pretty keen to have a much better day today. And I was rewarded with one. Today’s transect was further south, in an area called Elvas where great bustards no longer occur. On the dry fields here I counted 3 pairs of Stone Curlew, as well as a breeding ground of Collard Pratincoles, which we watched mob a Montagu’s Harrier, and a few Little Bustards. There was also some small wooded areas where we began to have, at last, some migrants. I heard a single Willow Warbler but saw at least four Whitethroats. Finding one of my most wanted birds for the trip along my transect was pretty exciting; Western Bonelli’s Warbler. The bird was singing from the bushes, and soon flew over to the tree which I was standing under. Sadly it did not sit still, making it difficult for me to get a decent record shot. It proved hard work and gave up when the bird stopped showing. And just when I thought the morning had peaked, I found another lifer along my transect. This time I was just checking under some rocks in a small wood when I looked up to flush a Nightjar from the floor. My initial thoughts were that it was a Red-necked Nightjar. It looked to go down again, so tried to contact Yoav (Who still needed it) before attempting to relocate. It took a while to contact him due to signal problems, so half an hour later we were ready. We refound the bird with ease but failed at any point to see it on the ground. However the views we obtained were conclusive the bird was a Red-necked Nightjar. A cracking lifer! It was just a shame not to see it on the ground. And finally in the bushes whilst looking for the nightjar we found a Melodious Warbler, my third lifer of the day. However, once we finished nightjar hunting Yoav took us back to a Melodious he had found earlier which showed much better. A fantastic morning!

-Western Bonelli's Warbler

-Melodious Warbler

In the afternoon we went out with one of Yoav’s supervisors to trap and satellite-tag Little Bustards. We had a nice evening, with one successful capture of a superb male. Really smart to see these birds up close! We also had three Alpine Swift fly past us whilst we waited, a nice trip tick for the evening.

-Little Bustard

Species List:

Elvas: Collard Pratincole, Montagu’s Harrier, Black-winged Kite, Marsh Harrier, Stone-curlew, Magpie, Quail, Red-necked Nightjar, Blue Tit, Common Whitethroat, Sardinian Warbler, Western Bonelli’s Warbler, Melodious Warbler, Willow Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Corn Bunting, Crested Lark, Stonechat, Black Kite, Common Buzzard, European Bee-eater, Hoopoe, Little Bustard, Common Swift, House Martin, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Mallard, House Sparrow, Spotless Starling, Gull-billed Tern, Iberian Grey Shrike, Woodchat Shrike, Alpine Swift, Griffon Vulture,

Day 14 23.04.2017

After another week of working transects we decided to have a day off today. We chose to head Alqueva Dam, the largest dam in Iberia. We had only a rough idea of where to bird, so first headed to an area on the south side of reservoir where we found the birding to be slow and steady. That said, we did still have some good birds; another Black-winged Kite was obviously really smart, Woodchat and Iberian Grey Shrikes were common, and overhead we had a pale phase Booted Eagle and a few Black Kite. The birding highlight was a pair of Rock Sparrows that we encountered whilst on our way back to the car. They were not as striking as I had imagined but our angle of viewing was not ideal. Still a nice bird to see! Pied Flycatcher was a nice Portugal trip and I also had a butterfly lifer in the form of Western Dappled White.

-Woodchat Shrike

-Black Kite

-Western Dappled White

-Rock Sparrow

We then moved round to the northern area of the dam. The scrubby habitat here provided us with a few more birds. A uncooperative Western Subalpine Warbler was obviously the highlight. Although views were acceptable, its movements made it impossible to photograph. Azure-winged Magpies were also common here, and we had our first Long-tailed Tits of the trip, of the Iberian race irbii. Another butterfly lifer here was False Ilex Hairstreak. Down by the reservoir itself there was not much happening. We had a few Black Terns, as well as trip ticks of Egyptian Goose and Greylag Goose. On the way back we had an incredible moment when an Egyptian Mongoose ran across the road in front of us.

-European Bee-eater

-False Ilex Hairstreak

-Western Subalpine Warbler

In the afternoon we headed out again to a smaller reservoir (Although still sizable) nearer to Campo Maior; Albufeira da Barragem do Caia. We spent most of our time birding the woodland adjacent to the reservoir and added my third lifer of the day; Short-toed Treecreeper. We had three birds flitting around but they were not showy (The theme of the day really) and I only managed record shots. Overhead were a number of Pratincoles flying towards the reservoir, they were really cool. After dark we tried to pin down a Red-necked nightjar but only succeeded in hearing one distantly. However we did get an amphibian lifer in the form of Spiny Toad. A pretty cool day off in the end.

-Short-toed Treecreeper 

-Collard Pratincole

-Spiny Toad

Species List:

Alqueva Dam: Common Kestrel, Common Buzzard, Black Kite, Short-toed Eagle, Booted Eagle, Black-winged Kite, European Cuckoo, Mallard, Gadwall, Greylag Goose, Egyptian Goose, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Black-headed Gull, Cormorant, Sardinian Warbler, Western Subalpine Warbler, House Sparrow, Rock Sparrow, Spotless Starling, Thekla Lark, Crested Lark, Corn Bunting, Common Sandpiper, Kentish Plover, Azure-winged Magpie, Common Magpie, Woodchat Shrike, Iberian Grey Shrike, Black Tern, White Stork, Grey Heron, House Martin, Sand Martin, Crag Martin, Barn Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, Common Swift, Pallid Swift, Cattle Egret, Great-crested Grebe, Coot, Collard Dove, Woodpigeon, Hoopoe, European Bee-eater, Blackbird, Pied Flycatcher, Jay, Goldfinch, Clouded Yellow, Western Dappled White, False Ilex Hairstreak, Brown Argus, Meadow Brown, Small Copper, Painted Lady, Red-veined Darter, Egyptian Mongoose, 
Albufeira da Barragem do Caia: Collard Pratincole, Black-winged Stilt, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Zitting Cisticola, Serin, Short-toed Treecreeper, Sardinian Warbler, Common Swift, Red-rumped Swallow, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Crested Lark, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Common Sandpiper, Mallard, Gadwall, Woodpigeon, Goldfinch, Corn Bunting, Spiny Toad,

Day 15 24.04.2017

Back to the transects and point counts today, working on the pastures outside Campo Maior. There was nothing different, but there was still a nice selection of species to keep us busy. I had a few Little Bustards and a pair of Black-winged Kite showing very nicely indeed, but still too far for photos. A Nightingale was singing all morning right in the middle of my transect loop, giving me a sweet backdrop for the morning. I also had a distant Bonelli’s Eagle and a few Griffon Vultures soaring overhead. In the evening we headed out to another location out west of Campo Maior near the town of Vila Fernando. The birding here was extremely slow, but that could be as a result of the weather, which was rather heavy and hot. I did get exceptional views of both Thekla and Short-toed Larks, although the latter was well into dusk and too dark for photos. Other birds worth mentioning; a pair of Egyptian Geese flew over me at one point, and I had a pair of Great Spotted Cuckoos knocking around. Another distant Black-winged Kite was always nice, but a fairly slow afternoon overall.

-Zitting Cisticola

-Thekla Lark

Species List:

Campo Maior: Chaffinch, Bonelli’s Eagle, Booted Eagle, Eurasian Griffon Vulture, Black-winged Kite, Common Kestrel, Little Bustards, Nightingale, Sardinian Warbler, Sedge Warbler, European Bee-eater, Common Magpie, Great-spotted Cuckoo, White Stork, Common Buzzard, House Sparrow, Crested Lark, Corn Bunting, Spotless Starling, Red-rumped Swallow, Common Whitethroat, Zitting Cisticola, Goldfinch, Linnet, Woodpigeon, Collard Dove, Feral Pigeon, Blue Tit, Iberian Marbled White, Green-striped White, Common Blue, Brown Argus, Small Copper, Painted Lady,

Vila Fernando: Chaffinch, Black-winged Kite, European Bee-eater, Common Magpie, Great-spotted Cuckoo, White Stork, Common Buzzard, House Sparrow, Corn Bunting, Spotless Starling, Red-rumped Swallow, Sand Martin, House Martin, Barn Swallow, Common Swift, Goldfinch, Short-toed Lark, Thekla Lark, Gadwall, Mallard, Egyptian Goose, Black-winged Stilt, Common Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover, Woodpigeon, Collard Dove, Blue Tit, Grey Heron, Cattle Egret, Spoonbill, Hoopoe, Black Kite, Green-striped White, Small Copper,

Day 16 25.04.2017

Today we finished off our transects in the pastures around Vila Fernando. Early morning was a challenge due to the onset of thick fog, but it cleared up fairly quickly and the birding was really good. Besides the regular species I had my first Calandra Lark for some time, as well as good numbers of Sardinian Warblers, some of which actually showed quite well. I found a fledged family of Iberian Grey Shrikes which were really nice. The undoubted highlight of the morning was a rather surprising lifer which I found sat right out in the open and singing away; Spectacled Warbler. I was able to watch it for about 5 minutes before it dropped into the crop and I failed to refind it. A cracking little bird and really nice to connect with! I was then moved to another transect where I had 5 Great Bustards and really good views of Griffon Vultures as they soared overhead.

-Sardinian Warbler

-Spectacled Warbler

-Griffon Vulture

Species List:

Vila Fernando: Calandra Lark, Sardinian Warbler, Spectacled Warbler, Collard Dove, Woodpigeon, Thekla Lark, Crested Lark, Iberian Grey Shrike, Woodchat Shrike, Griffon Vulture, Chaffinch, European Bee-eater, Common Magpie, Great-spotted Cuckoo, White Stork, Common Buzzard, House Sparrow, Corn Bunting, Spotless Starling, Red-rumped Swallow, Sand Martin, House Martin, Barn Swallow, Common Swift, Goldfinch, Gadwall, Mallard, Blue Tit, Grey Heron, Hoopoe, Black Kite, Booted Eagle, Jackdaw, Quail, Red-legged Partridge, Griffon Vulture, Green-striped White, Iberian Marbled White, Small Copper,