LLANOS DE BROZAS AND TAJO INTERNACIONAL - APRIL 2000
On 1 and 2 April 2000 the Sociedad Española de Ornitología (Spanish Ornithology Society) and Santiago Villa, Director of SPAINBIRDS, organised a trip to one of the wildest corners of Extremadura: Llanos de Brozas and Tajo Internacional. This is the summary of the trip.
Day 1, 1 April: Los Barruecos and Llanos de Brozas
Our intention on the first day of the trip was to stop off in Barruecos de Malpartida, a singular landscape dominated by the great granite boulders surrounding each of its component lakes. As soon as we got out of the coach the very first bird we saw was a male Spotted Crake feeding calmly on the banks of El Molinillo pond. After about 30 minutes watching it we decided to begin our route through Barrueco de Arriba where we saw, among other birds, Booted Eagle, Hoopoe, Thekla Lark, Red-rumped Swallow and Tree Pipit, the latter stopping over on its spring passage. We lunched beside the pond of Brozas, where we topped up our list with water birds such as Tufted Duck, Gadwall, Great Crested Grebe, Coot, Little Grebe... while also watching the Spanish Sparrows flitting to and from their sizeable colony in the bank-side eucalyptus trees and a group of Sand Martins swooping back and forth low over the ground.
After lunch we made our way to the Llanos de Brozas intending to look for some of the celebrated species of these plains, but a fierce wind practically prevented us from even getting out of the coach. We did at least manage to hear some Calandra Larks singing crouched on the ground and see some Montague's Harriers showing off their consummate flying technique.
To end the excursion we went to Membrío, headquarters of our operations centre, and from there to Portagem, a small town of Portugal where we relished some typical Portuguese dishes. From nightfall it rained almost without a break right through to the next morning.
Day 2, 2 April: Tajo Internacional
The morning dawned bleak and rainy, boding ill for our plans. We had hired a tractor with trailer and a small lorry to take us in safari style some of the way towards the Tagus river, called here Tajo Internacional because it borders Spain and Portugal, but the rain didn't exactly make conditions favourable. Finally, under a fine drizzle, we set off on the 20-kilometre trip to our destination. Crossing the age-old grazing woods we saw Egyptian Vultures, Black Kites and Red Kites, a solitary Buzzard, Azure-winged Magpies, Rock Sparrows, Wood Pigeons and hordes of Crested Larks. As soon as we got to the point where we were to continue on foot, the rain stopped and a brilliant sun came out, staying with us until well into the afternoon. We walked through a thick cistus heath, occasionally making use of the tracks made by wild boar and red deer, both abundant in these parts. When we got to the river bank we saw the typical scenery of the Tagus running through high gorges, recalling some sections of the river running through the Nature Park of Monfragüe. Opposite us, in Portuguese territory, a vulture colony of about 40 pairs overlooked a great platform of twigs and branches lower down, very close to the water. This was the nest that has been used for some years by a pair of Black Storks, but they didn't put in an appearance until nearly midday.
On the way back we stopped off to greet Vivianne and Roland, a Swiss couple that live in a beautiful house on the river bank. With their customary hospitality, they welcomed us and plied us with cold drinks. They told us about the problems of running a traditional hunting ground in a different way, their aim being to convert their property into an authentic nature reserve. Back in Membrío the rain and gales set in again. At least they had kept off during our expedition to the River Tagus.
Tours 2000
Tours 2001
