Day 1, Madrid - Calera y Chozas Plains - Jaraicejo
The plane with the friends of the Celtic Bird Tours landed punctual at the Barajas airport. Due to the beginning of the Easter holidays the way out of the city was heavier than usual with an horrible traffic jam. Our first stop was about 120 km from Madrid in the place known as Calera y Chozas plains where we could see a group of 25 Great Bustards, several males Little Bustard displaying and eight Black-bellied Sandgrouses which landed after a short and quick flight. Before reaching our hotel in Jaraicejo we decided to drive towards Ventas de San Julian, a hotspot for Black-winged Kite. Just a few kilometres passed this village a white misterious silhouette flew overhead and perched on a post join the road. We were seeing this stunning raptor for a half an hour, when we decided that was the moment for dinner.
Day 2, Monroy - Talavan
That day we visited some "dehesas" to the west of Monfragüe Natural Park. Along the road we could see many interesting species such as Azure-winged Magpie, Hoopoe, Rock Sparrow, Short-toed and Booted Eagles, Short-toed Treecreeper... but the most amazing moment was when we surprised a flock of Griffon Vultures feeding on a carcase at no more than 200 m of our van. When we look through the binoculars we could see that there were a couple of Black Vultures and a solitary Egyptian Vulture as well... the three vultures of Extremadura together!
Before the lunch we made a brief stop in the crossing of the road to Talaván and while we were talking about that was the time for our picnic we discovered at the far distance the dark body of an adult Spanish Imperial Eagle... too far view for enjoying with this record. After the lunch and seeing again a Black-winged Kite, we arrived at the Talaván reservoir where in front of the blind the Great Crested Grebe were incubating eggs in their tipycal floating platforms made of vegetation. While we were scanning the banks with the scopes searching for some crakes or waders an unmistakable sound made watch behind us. A couple of Great Spotted Cuckoo were at no more than 20 metres from us, sealling its love with the male offering some caterpillars to the female.
The total number of species recorded that day was 63.
Day 3, Arrocampo reservoir
For our third day we wanted to see a completely different ecosystem and decided to go at one of the most wonderful wetlands inland Spain. During our trip to Arrocampo we saw Purple Swamp-Hen, four Little Bitterns, Purple Heron, Night Heron, two Spoonbills on flight, Savi's Warbler, two spatulas in flight, Great White Egret at the far distance and Squacco Heron. Before leaving we had the chance to see several Red Avadavat into the reedbed, an introduced bird from captivity in some spots of Spain and Portugal.
Due to the hard rain we had to back to the hotel but having before good views of two Magpies pursuing one Great Spotted Cuckoo. The most outstanding was probably to see eight different species of herons and egrets in a single day.
Day 4, Trujillo - Belen Plains
We woke up in a rainy and cold day... But in spite of the bad conditions we decided to continue with our plans and transfer to the Belen plains, join Trujillo town. Although we couldn't leave the car for a long time we were able to see a flock of more than 20 Great Bustards, several Little Bustards, three Stone Curlews, Lesser Kestrel and a melanic Montagu's Harrier.
As the rain was being very annoying we decided sightseeing Trujillo and take a tea at the popular "Parador". From the top of the old castle the view of the vast plain under the heavy rain was indescribable. The most interesting records in the town were the White Storks laying on the huge nests placed at the roofs of the buildings, Lesser Kestrels looking for refuge and the Serin, singing from the top of the trees in a brief sunny break. We came back to our hotel after a hard but, without doubt, wonderful day.
Day 5, Caceres Plains
Although we hadn't a so bad weather as the the previous day we suffered some showers and a frozen wind that forced us to back to the car several times along the morning... a very strange thing in Extremadura on April.
Our visit to the Cáceres plains can be summarized with the amazing views of a Roller perched on a telephone wire, a party of Pin-tailed Sandgrouse flying over the fallows, two Black-eared Wheatear (male and female), a juvenile of Golden Eagle, Short-toed Larks, Whinchat, and a superb male Ortolan Bunting at no more than three meters from our van. After a wonderful trip we decided to take a coffee in a bar placed join the Guadiloba reservoir, where we could enjoy three Spoonbills in a Cattle Egrets flock... two of them were juveniles.
Day 6, Parque Natural de Monfragüe I
This was probably the most amazing day of the whole trip. We had a wonderful weather and we were very lucky to see the most representative species within the Monfragüe Natural Park as well.
But of all the ones we saw I would say that the views of a pair of Spanish Imperial Eagles perched on a pine tree with a noisy flock of Azure-winged Magpies bothering them was the most exiting moment.
Two more superb records were a couple of Bonelli's Eagle displaying overhead and a nest with two chicks fledged of Eagle Owl at the place known as Portilla del Tiétar. But when we discovered the silhouette of one of the adults hidden into the shade of the rocks the moment was absolutlly brilliant!. Other outstanding records were Black Stork, Booted Eagle, Common Cuckoo, Alpine Swift, Blue-rock Thrush, Subalpine Warbler and Woodchat Shrike... but no signs of Black Wheatear.
Day 7, Parque Natural de Monfragüe II
The second day in Monfragüe was not so amazing as the first one but we saw again the pair of Bonelli's Eagle and the Eagle Owl's chicks, as well very good views of Egyptian Vultures flying over the cliffs, Peregrine Falcon (Ssp. Brookei), Pallid Swift, Black-eared Wheatear, Southern Grey Shrike, Dartford Warbler, Spanish Sparrow, Hawfinch and a Hen Harrier paler than usual crossing the road and losing into the vegetation. It could be possibly some type of albinism.
Day 8, Jaraicejo - Madrid
We didn't have more time to see birds in our last day because the airplane to London left at noon and we had to leave our hotel early in the morning. Travelling back to Madrid we were talking about the most interesting records of the trip and how of happy we were along the last 8 days. All agreed that we were lucky for seeing the most of the specialties of the region... except the Black Wheatear... maybe next time.
Tours 2000
Tours 2003
