ORNITHOLIDAYS TOUR TO SPAIN - COTO DOÑANA & EXTREMADURA Spring Tour APRIL Leader Steve West

Transcription

1 ORNITHOLIDAYS TOUR TO SPAIN - COTO DOÑANA & EXTREMADURA Spring Tour APRIL 2015 Leader Steve West

2 ORNITHOLIDAYS TOUR TO SPAIN - COTO DOÑANA & EXTREMADURA Spring Tour APRIL 2015 A Personal Diary This tour repeats a tried and tested formula which Ornitholidays has been following for many seasons. It s the kick-off to the glorious spring season in Spain with a superb mix of resident breeding birds, many of which are Iberian specialities, outrageous numbers of raptors and wetland birds, and the first contact with many summer migrants just arrived in Europe after spending the winter in Africa. Wednesday 08 April I met Libby at the appointed area at Madrid airport in good time. However, the flight coming from the UK was delayed for a couple of hours, so we sat and chatted, drank coffee and whiled away the time in good humour until the whole group was united and ready to head to Extremadura. The roads are good in these parts, so although we did not have time to do any birding en-route, as we had previously planned, we arrived at our hotel on the edge of the National Park of Monfragüe in good time to accommodate ourselves in our rooms and to have a tasty and complete evening meal, washed down by some very acceptable local wine. Thursday 09 April The forecast for the day was for some rain and rather cold weather, so I thought we d better head for the plains where, contrary to the saying, the rain does not fall mainly. Quite soon on our way we had already spotted our first Eurasian Hoopoe and Azure-winged Magpie as we drove through the extensive dehesa on either side of the road. Then the trees became scarce and we were into the open, rolling plains and with an interesting array of birds on our wish lists. Wintering Meadow Pipits were still around, and Common Stonechats and Corn Buntings were easy roadside finds. One of the first lessons was that White Storks were not to be confused with Great Bustards, despite their size, and soon we had seen our first Red-legged Partridges and a couple of Rock Sparrows, and before long we had also made acquaintance with the colonial and quarrelsome Spanish Sparrow. Now only the Tree Sparrow was left to complete the sparrow list. Woodchat Shrikes and then an Iberian Shrike on a wire were noteworthy finds. Then, a little further down the road we had a brief but exciting encounter with two Stone Curlews, of which Andrew had the best views, although they clearly had no intention of staying around for long enough to be watched by a whole van load of google-eyed birdwatchers. Travelling on through the rolling country and scanning left and right paid us good dividends, with the next stretch of road revealing our first single Great Bustard and four Little Bustards too. Another stop to watch the delightful Montagu s Harriers, with numbers of both males and females gracefully flying, diving, calling and generally interacting and entertaining us was probably the highlight of the day. That was also due to the Calandra Larks and the surprise visit by two loud and raucous Great Spotted Cuckoos, an increasingly difficult species to track down these days. Passing through Santa Marta de Magasca and pausing for coffee had us wondering about the many fallen oranges in the village square. Did nobody eat them? Whatever, we didn t let the question consume us as we still had some more good birding to do. And quality birding at that shortly after we were contemplating a largish flock of Great Bustards more or less clustered together, and we were enjoying every moment of it (although I can t speak for the bustards). Excellent! A short exploration down a dirt track took us to more bird encounters, including Short-toed Lark, Short-toed Eagle (Toes! Such an important feature for bird identification!), Eurasian Black Vulture, Red Kite, and another Little Bustard. We didn t see the hoped-for sandgrouse, but we were not going to let minor details like that spoil the fun. Ornitholidays Tour to Coto Donana and Extremadura April 2015 Page 1

3 Lunch was a picnic in the open while looking out for more birds, one of which was the splendid European Bee-eater. Then we drove to another prime area closer to Cáceres, where our efforts led us to admire a number of Lesser Kestrels jealously guarding their nest boxes, and then what must have surely been one of the first European Rollers of the year. The fact that it looked rather soggy and perhaps regretting its premature arrival seemed to add weight to the theory that the early bird may catch the worm but if it s a nice cricket it s after then it would do better to have a lie-in. We then looped back to Santa Marta along a different route, enjoying the spring scenery and further sightings of birds we had already seen. The last leg of our plains visit was to a place I think of as Stork city, a few low, abandoned buildings spectacularly packed with White Storks nests. Here, apart from the obvious bird (White Stork) we also had a flyby visit from a Common Kingfisher, as well as Eurasian Black and Eurasian Griffon Vultures overhead. The afternoon was drawing to its end so we headed back to our hotel, not getting there though before spotting a roadside Osprey. Then we did a last spot of birding on the edge of the National Park before retiring to our hotel for the evening, very content with the day s bird and nature experience. Friday 10 April The skies started out overcast and gloomy but as predicted the situation had improved greatly by the afternoon. Our first birding of the day was in the raptor paradise known as the Monfragüe National Park. Sure enough, from the first moment and throughout the day we had a plentiful supply of Eurasian Griffon and Eurasian Black Vultures and Black Kites. Here at Peñafalcón we also enjoyed other birds, including the nesting Black Storks, Blue Rock Thrush, Rock Bunting, Red-rumped Swallow and Egyptian Vulture. A very good place to start the day! Another stop down the road revealed the hoped for Alpine Swift, and additionally a pair of Short-toed Eagles. This took us to Vilarreal and a comfort stop, but also, and perhaps just as importantly, a couple of Black-eared Wheatears on the edge of the car park. We continued our quest for more birds and were not disappointed. We got to grips with our first Thekla Larks, had good views of European Bee-eaters and heard (again) another Western Orphean Warbler. This took us to the site where the Spanish Imperial Eagle is known to breed, and sure enough we could see movement on the nest, and an adult bird in attendance. We waited and our patience paid off with good views of both adult birds in flight, allowing us all to see the diagnostic features of this rare and endangered raptor. Now ready for a bite to eat we drove with our picnic lunches, via Red Kite observation, to a very interesting wetland complex and munched while we birded. We happily bit into our sandwiches while watching some very interesting birds, which included excellent views of Little Bittern and Savi s Warbler, but also Sedge Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Common Kingfisher, Purple Heron, Red-rumped Swallow, Purple Swamphen and more. Further exploration of the wetland pools and reedbeds revealed other birds, such as Glossy Ibis and about 20 Eurasian Spoonbills, Gull-billed Tern, Lesser Kestrel (breeding nearby), more Savi s Warblers and European Bee-eaters, and Bearded Tits pinging and flying over the reedbed. Well satisfied we then backtracked through the park, stopping at a site which has proved to be good for a rather special bird of prey: the Bonelli s Eagle. Sure enough, and after only a short wait, we were visited by a Bonelli s Eagle, flying high and at times offering challenging views, but such is their way at times, isn t it? An enticing small stream provided us with an excuse to make the last stop of the day before returning to the hotel, and here we had reasonable views of a very attractive bird, Grey Wagtail. Saturday 11 April Our first port of call today was to explore the banks of the River Almonte, heralded by an old and very attractive stone bridge with Rock Sparrow calls echoing around its masonry. After having dealt with some wet grass and rather large puddles in the middle of the path we managed to get to grips with a couple of Little Ringed Plovers on the river, Eurasian Hoopoes, European Bee-eaters, a singing male Cirl Bunting and the Rock Sparrows on the bridge. Ornitholidays Tour to Coto Donana and Extremadura April 2015 Page 2

4 Then we visited an open area of lavender scrub and saw Thekla Larks, as well as the rather more secretive Dartford Warbler. We also enjoyed our first views of a pale phase Booted Eagle. A little further on we pulled off the very quiet road and scoured the bushes to set eyes on some of the authors of the abundant bird song we could all hear around us. Libby persisted and spotted a Common Nightingale, and we all eventually spotted both Subalpine and Sardinian Warblers. Our picnic lunch was taken overlooking the river and watching aerial combats between Black and Red Kites. Then a visit to Trujillo was on the books, for those with a taste for ice-cream, Spanish history (this was the home town of Francisco Pizarro, conquistador of Peru), and birds: Pallid Swift was the main objective (and was seen from the town square darting among the buildings in company of the more numerous Common Swift), but there were also Lesser Kestrel, White Stork and Booted Eagle. From here it was back to the plains to get further views of Great Bustard, Calandra Lark, and Short-toed Lark, among others, and then on to a new site for the last target bird of the day, Black-winged Kite. Having missed this species at this particular site on more than one occasion I wasn t building up our hopes too high, but then eagle-eyed Barbara pointed out a pale thing perched but appearing to move its head at more than a kilometre away and in the haze! Duly targeted in the telescope it was indeed seen to be our target bird, which we admired while praising Barbara s visual acuity. Sunday 12 April The weather had improved considerably since our arrival, and so on our departure we were leaving a beautifully sun-bathed countryside. I had decided to head for the hills of Extremadura to look for a couple of species which were normally difficult to spot on our route, and we had some but not all the luck we needed. We heard Western Bonelli s Warbler and Crested Tit, but they were just a little too far away for us to see. We did however catch up with Eurasian Jay and Rock Bunting, as well as Short-toed Treecreeper. Arrival at our next site was timed perfectly for getting out the picnic lunch and seeking out a spot in the shade. This was a very interesting area from the birding point of view, as the list of observations shows: Egyptian Vulture, Short-toed Eagle, Booted Eagle and two Bonelli s Eagles, Alpine Swift, Gull-billed Tern, Blackeared Wheatear, Thekla Lark and Blue Rock Thrush. And, last but not least, the rather too shy and retiring Black Wheatear at the only site where we entertained any real hope of seeing it. We continued the drive southwards along The Silver Route and when the time came I made a detour to try to pin down the Western Orphean Warbler, at a site where we had seen it on past tours and where I hoped it would come off the heard list to the seen and enjoyed list. Fortunately we were in luck (at last!), and had excellent views of this attractive warbler. Then we continued to the top of the hill to enjoy the fabulous views while Gerald and John seized the opportunity to enjoy a quick beer! We arrived at our fine hotel with the name of a heron in good time to enjoy a relaxing drink and delicious meal and to soak up the surroundings and relax after the long drive. Monday 13 April Today was warm to hot, with only a slight breeze and virtually no clouds. After breakfast our first visit was to a nearby wetland which is usually packed with some interesting birds. The first looks revealed several attractive Red-crested Pochard and a good selection of the more usual ducks and waterfowl, in addition to several Black-necked Grebes and numerous although mostly distant Greater Flamingos. The star attraction of the first site however must be the key species we were hoping for, the Redknobbed (Crested) Coot, of which we saw no fewer than three. We also had good flight views of the beautiful and elegant Collared Pratincole, while looking for the songsters in the reeds gave us views of Great Reed Warbler, European Reed Warbler and even the elusive Cetti s Warbler. To our pleasant surprise we found a Western Bonelli s Warbler singing in the bushes at our backs, a good find, especially when bearing in mind that it had been one of our target species only the day before. Between this site and the other wetland areas we visited during the morning we saw all the herons, egrets and storks you Ornitholidays Tour to Coto Donana and Extremadura April 2015 Page 3

5 could hope to see in the region, except for the Little Bittern, which we had already seen in Extremadura. So species such as Black Stork, Squacco Heron, Great Egret, Black-crowned Night-Heron and Eurasian Spoonbill, all formed part of our birdwatching experience. The main marshes were too dry to hold the abundant birdlife we had enjoyed on previous tours, but nevertheless a couple of flooded areas had a lot to offer, especially in terms of waders: there were Curlew and Wood Sandpipers, Spotted Redshank and even Ruff. We spotted Green Sandpiper and Common Kingfisher along the irrigation channels, and Whiskered Terns over many of the open bodies of water. We had lunch at the visitor centre, looking through the windows at the busy comings and goings of the nesting egrets, herons and ibises. Then we explored the terrain to the end of the path, seeing Greater Short-toed and Calandra Lark, Whinchat and migratory flocks of Yellow Wagtails. Scrutiny of these flocks revealed races including flava, flavissima and one very likely looking lutea, a great rarity if ever confirmed from Libby s photos. From here we drove through the silent Umbrella pinewoods, past the sandy streets of El Rocío, and down to the coast at Matalascañas. Andrew was the only one to opt out of the possible ice-cream moment. A dash of seawatching enabled us to add Sandwich Tern, Northern Gannet and Lesser Black-backed Gull to the day s list of observations. On our backtrack to the hotel we had one more visit to incorporate, La Rocina visitor centre and the surrounding area, and it proved to be a productive one too here we had excellent views of singing Iberian Chiffchaff and a Penduline Tit attending nest. With that and the Iberian Magpie and Tree Sparrow both back at the hotel it was a great way to end the day. Tuesday 14 April The new day started very well with a pre-breakfast walk to look for the splendid Red-necked Nightjar outside the hotel grounds. It was a success: we were on our way back to the hotel after having walked and listened for about half an hour and then suddenly we saw a bird in flight, at a time when our minds were probably more on coffee and croissants than on any kind of bird! After breakfast came the longish drive to the other side of the River Guadalquivir to get to the Bonanza area. It was well worth the effort! Standing on the edge of a rather insalubrious looking pool we soon found one of our main desires, the White-headed Duck. And not just one, but more than 10, with chicks, adult males and females and interacting : some of the males were speeding head down at each other as if about to ram their opponent, and at close range so that everyone could enjoy the show. Our next move was to visit the nearby saltpans, where there was always a guarantee of waders, terns and an assortment of other birds. We were not to be disappointed, as we saw plenty of Pied Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Greater Flamingo, a few Collared Pratincole, some close-range Kentish Plover, Curlew Sandpiper and Little Stint, Whimbrel, Common and Little Tern and over a hundred Slender-billed Gull. A Caspian Tern was flying along the river, and after our tapas lunch the river was also where we spotted Mediterranean Gull and Black Tern. Another lagoon offered us views of more White-headed Ducks (bringing the day s total to 40+), as well as Red-crested Pochard, Black-necked Grebe and Purple Swamphen. Then not to forget the birds of prey, which included Booted Eagle, Red Kite, and Montagu s Harrier. We were nearing the end of the day s sport, and with it the end of the tour, but there was one more very interesting bird still in our thoughts. Then, when we saw two Marbled Duck after driving along and scanning all the remaining wetland areas along our route the general feeling among the group was that the day, and the tour, had been a resounding success! Wednesday 15 April All that was left was to make the morning transfer to Seville Airport and to bid our farewell to the group after another successful Ornitholidays Coto Doñana and Extremadura spring tour. Ornitholidays Tour to Coto Donana and Extremadura April 2015 Page 4

6 Acknowledgements Many thanks to the staff at both hotels, both in the restaurants and behind reception, for being so helpful, attentive and for adjusting to our needs when requested. This was a very pleasant and enthusiastic group, so I would like to thank all the participants for helping things go so well. Many thanks to Libby Lyons for allowing me to use her photos in this report. Steve West Ornitholidays 29 Straight Mile Romsey Hampshire SO51 9BB info@ornitholidays.co.uk June 2015 Itinerary and weather Over the week we had conditions ranging from the cold, wet and windy initial days, when daytime temperatures stayed within the range of 8 to 12ºC, to the hot, sunny and cloudless days at the end, with temperatures reaching 27ºC. We were able to bird and explore the countryside throughout, and the weather was not a major factor which influenced our itinerary or our birding activity. Wednesday 08 April Thursday 09 April Friday 10 April Saturday 11 April Sunday 12 April Monday 13 April Tuesday 14 April Wednesday 15 April Madrid Airport to Torrejón El Rubio. Santa Marta de Magasca plains. Monfragüe National Park, Arrocampo Reservoir. Almonte River, Trujillo, Santa Marta de Magasca. Guadelupe, Ruta de la Plata, Coto Doñana. Coto Doñana. Bonanza. Seville Airport. Ornitholidays Tour to Coto Donana and Extremadura April 2015 Page 5

7 CHECKLIST OF BIRDS SEEN DURING TOUR No of days recorded Abundance Scale (max for any one day) 1 2h means seen on 1 1 = 1-4 day and heard on 2 2 = 5-9 other days 3 = = > 100 SPECIES No of days recorded Abundance Scale SCIENTIFIC NAME Greylag Goose 1 1 Anser anser Common Shelduck 1 3 Tadorna tadorna Mallard 6 3 Anas platyrhynchos Gadwall 3 2 Anas strepera Northern Shoveler 1 1 Anas clypeata Marbled Duck 1 1 Marmaronetta angustirostris Common Pochard 2 4 Aythya ferina Red-crested Pochard 2 3 Netta rufina White-headed Duck 1 3 Oxyura leucocephala Red-legged Partridge 2 1 Alectoris rufa Common Quail - 1h 1 Coturnix coturnix Black-necked Grebe 2 2 Podiceps nigricollis Little Grebe 4 2 Tachybaptus ruficollis Great Crested Grebe 1 2 Podiceps cristatus Northern Gannet 1 1 Morus bassanus Great Cormorant 5 2 Phalacrocorax carbo Little Bittern 1 1 Ixobrychus minutus Black-crowned Night Heron 2 3 Nycticorax nycticorax Cattle Egret 6 4 Bubulcus ibis Squacco Heron 2 2 Ardeola ralloides Little Egret 5 3 Egretta garzetta Great Egret 4 2 Ardea alba Grey Heron 6 3 Ardea cinerea Purple Heron 2 2 Ardea purpurea White Stork 6 3 Ciconia ciconia Black Stork 2 1 Ciconia nigra Glossy Ibis 3 3 Plegadis falcinellus Eurasian Spoonbill 3 3 Platalea leucorodia Greater Flamingo 2 4 Phoenicopterus roseus Eurasian Griffon Vulture 6 4 Gyps fulvus Eurasian Black Vulture 4 3 Aegypius monachus Egyptian Vulture 2 1 Neophron percnopterus Osprey 1 1 Pandion haliaetus Spanish Imperial Eagle 1 1 Aquila adalberti Short-toed Eagle 4 1 Circaetus gallicus Booted Eagle 3 2 Hieraaetus pennatus Bonelli's Eagle 2 1 Hieraaetus fasciatus Red Kite 4 2 Milvus milvus Black Kite 6 3 Milvus migrans Western Marsh Harrier 4 1 Circus aeruginosus Montagu s Harrier 6 3 Circus pygargus Common Buzzard 5 1 Buteo buteo Black-winged Kite 1 1 Elanus caeruleus Common Kestrel 5 2 Falco tinnunculus Lesser Kestrel 6 3 Falco naumanni Water Rail - 1h 1 Rallus aquaticus Common Moorhen 3 3 Gallinula chloropus Eurasian Coot 3 3 Fulica atra Red-knobbed Coot 1 1 Fulica cristata Purple Swamphen 3 3 Porphyrio porphyrio Great Bustard 2 3 Otis tarda Little Bustard 1 3 Tetrax tetrax Ornitholidays Tour to Coto Donana and Extremadura April 2015 Page 6

8 Pied Avocet 2 3 Recurvirostra avosetta Black-winged Stilt 3 3 Himantopus himantopus Stone Curlew 1 1 Burhinus oedicnemus Collared Pratincole 2 2 Glareola pratincola Little Ringed Plover 2 1 Charadrius dubius Common Ringed Plover 1 3 Charadrius hiaticula Kentish Plover 1 2 Charadrius alexandrinus Grey Plover 1 2 Pluvialis squatarola Sanderling 1 2 Calidris alba Ruddy Turnstone 1 2 Arenaria interpres Dunlin 1 2 Calidris alpina Curlew Sandpiper 2 3 Calidris ferruginea Little Stint 1 3 Calidris minuta Wood Sandpiper 1 2 Tringa glareola Green Sandpiper 1 1 Tringa ochropus Common Sandpiper 2 1 Actitis hypoleucos Common Redshank 2 3 Tringa totanus Spotted Redshank 1 1 Tringa erythropus Common Greenshank 4 2 Tringa nebularia Whimbrel 1 1 Numenius phaeopus Ruff 1 1 Philomachus pugnax Black-headed Gull 3 3 Chroicocephalus ridibundus Slender-billed Gull 1 4 Chroicocephalus genei Mediterranean Gull 1 1 Larus melanocephalus Yellow-legged Gull 3 3 Larus michahellis Lesser Black-backed Gull 2 1 Larus fuscus Little Tern 1 2 Sternula albifrons Sandwich Tern 1 2 Sterna sandvicensis Gull-billed Tern 4 3 Gelochelidon nilotica Common Tern 1 3 Sterna hirundo Caspian Tern 1 1 Hydroprogne caspia Black Tern 1 2 Chlidonias niger Whiskered Tern 1 3 Chlidonias hybridus Feral Pigeon (Rock Dove) 6 3 Columba livia Common Wood Pigeon 4 2 Columba palumbus Eurasian Collared Dove 6 3 Streptopelia decaocto Great Spotted Cuckoo 1 1 Clamator glandarius Common Cuckoo 1 5h 2 Cuculus canorus Tawny Owl - 2h 1 Strix aluco Red-necked Nightjar 1 1 Caprimulgus ruficollis Common Swift 5 4 Apus apus Pallid Swift 2 2 Apus pallidus Alpine Swift 3 2 Apus melba Eurasian Hoopoe 5 2 Upupa epops Common Kingfisher 3 1 Alcedo atthis European Bee-eater 6 3 Merops apiaster European Roller 1 1 Coracias garrulus European Green Woodpecker - 1h 1 Picus viridis Crested Lark 6 2 Galerida cristata Thekla Lark 3 2 Galerida theklae Woodlark 2 2h 2 Lullula arborea Greater Short-toed Lark 3 2 Calandrella brachydactyla Calandra Lark 3 3 Melanocorypha calandra Common Sand Martin 3 2 Riparia riparia Eurasian Crag Martin 4 3 Ptyonoprogne rupestris Barn Swallow 6 3 Hirundo rustica Red-rumped Swallow 5 2 Cecropis daurica Common House Martin 6 3 Delichon urbica Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris Meadow Pipit 2 2 Anthus pratensis Yellow Wagtail 2 3 Motacilla flava Grey Wagtail 1 1 Motacilla cinerea White Wagtail 5 3 Motacilla alba Ornitholidays Tour to Coto Donana and Extremadura April 2015 Page 7

9 European Robin 3 2 Erithacus rubecula Common Nightingale 2 3h 3 Luscinia megarhynchos Black Redstart 1 1 Phoenicurus ochruros Northern Wheatear 3 2 Oenanthe oenanthe Black-eared Wheatear 2 1 Oenanthe hispanica Black Wheatear 1 1 Oenanthe leucura Common Stonechat 4 2 Saxicola rubicola Whinchat 2 1 Saxicola rubetra Blue Rock Thrush 2 1 Monticola solitarius Mistle Thrush 1 3h 2 Turdus viscivorus Common Blackbird 6 2 Turdus merula Blackcap 1 2h 2 Sylvia atricapilla Western Orphean Warbler 1 3h 1 Sylvia hortensis Sardinian Warbler 3 2h 2 Sylvia melanocephala Subalpine Warbler 3 2 Sylvia cantillans Dartford Warbler 1 1 Sylvia undata Zitting Cisticola 6 2 Cisticola juncidis Savi s Warbler 1 1 Locustella luscinioides Cetti's Warbler 2 3h 2 Cettia cetti European Reed Warbler 1 1h 2 Acrocephalus scirpaceus Great Reed Warbler 1 2h 2 Acrocephalus arundinaceus Sedge Warbler 2 1h 1 Acrocephalus schoenobaenus Isabelline Warbler - 1h 1 Hippolais opaca Western Bonelli's Warbler 1 1h 1 Phylloscopus bonelli Iberian Chiffchaff 1 1 Phylloscopus ibericus Eurasian Wren 2 3h 2 Troglodytes troglodytes Great Tit 6 2 Parus major European Blue Tit 6 2 Cyanistes caeruleus Crested Tit - 1h 1 Lophophanes cristatus Long-tailed Tit 3h 2h 2 Aegithalos caudatus Eurasian Penduline Tit 1 1 Remiz pendulinus Eurasian Nuthatch - 2h 1 Sitta europaea Short-toed Treecreeper 2 1 Certhia brachydactyla Iberian Grey Shrike 3 1 Lanius meridionalis Woodchat Shrike 5 2 Lanius senator Azure-winged Magpie 6 3 Cyanopica cyanus Common Magpie 6 2 Pica pica Eurasian Jay 2 2 Garrulus glandarius Western Jackdaw 5 3 Corvus monedula Common Raven 5 2 Corvus corax Spotless Starling 6 3 Sturnus unicolor House Sparrow 6 3 Passer domesticus Spanish Sparrow 3 4 Passer hispaniolensis Eurasian Tree Sparrow 2 2 Passer montanus Common Rock Sparrow 2 1 Petronia petronia Common Chaffinch 6 3 Fringilla coelebs Common Linnet 4 2 Carduelis cannabina European Goldfinch 6 3 Carduelis carduelis European Greenfinch 5 2 Carduelis chloris European Serin 6 3 Serinus serinus Cirl Bunting 3 1 Emberiza cirlus Corn Bunting 6 3 Miliaria calandra Rock Bunting 2 1 Emberiza cia Bearded Reedling 1 1 Panurus biarmicus Willow Warbler 2 1 Phylloscopus trochilus MAMMALS Iberian Hare 1 1 Lepus granatensis granatensis Fallow Deer 1 1 Dama dama This list represents those birds and other animals seen by party members of this tour. Ornitholidays Ornitholidays Tour to Coto Donana and Extremadura April 2015 Page 8

10 White-headed Duck Western Orphean Warbler Rock Bunting Montagu s Harrier Azure-winged Magpie Little Bittern Front cover: Purple Heron All photographs E Lyons Ornitholidays Tour to Coto Donana and Extremadura April 2015 Page 9