Friday 15th June
After a surprisingly comfortable, efficient and very cheap two-and-a-quarter hour flight from East Midlands Airport, our Ryanair Being 737 descends over the green Sierra de Guadarrama and then the sun-scorched yellow lowland plains to land at Madrid Barajas Airport. Cash is scooped from the ATM and a very nice new Ford Focus TDI collected from Hertz, before Victoria and I head out to do battle with Madrid’s notorious highway system. With a little skilled navigating and a good deal of luck we are soon heading north on the E5 and rapidly away from the urban sprawl.
We follow the two-lane trunk road through low arable land, via the first of countless Montagu’s Harriers, to a sandwich break at the attractive little town of Buitrago del Lozoya. Dining al fresco beside the town’s medieval walls and the Rio de la Angosura, we watch our first Queen of Spain Fritillary to a background of Common Nightingale and European Serin, whose distinctive songs will accompany us for much of the next ten days.
After rising in altitude to cross the eastern flanks of the Sierra de Guadarrama mountain range, at this point an area of low rolling hills with a cover of natural grassland and sparse scrub, we descend back into cultivated fields where we leave the main road to head west along a series of winding potholed roads and dirt tracks. This section of the journey is somewhat ill-planned, so a few wrong turns and requests for local advice are made before arriving at our destination of Sepulveda. Here we reorientate ourselves before heading a short distance north to the Parque Natural del Rio Duraton.
The sandy Parque entrance track passes across a plateau of superb limestone grassland and scrub, to deliver us at a car park set high above the Rio Duraton. The river has cut a deep scar through the limestone, in the form of a dramatically beautiful gorge that weaves it’s way through juniper and wild-flower cloaked hillsides. At a bend in the river, where a natural promontory dominates the landscape, sits the church of Ermita de San Frutos which dates back to the 7th Century. This is certainly one of the most inspiring settings we see on the whole of our Spanish travels and is worth the journey on grounds of the outstanding scenery alone.
While Vic settles down with her sketchbook and pastels I head off amongst the junipers, where the wild thyme and lavender make the site not only a feast for the visual senses but also the nasal ones! Griffon Vultures are nesting on the cliff face beyond Ermita de San Frutos and are constantly soaring across the valley, along with an occasional Egyptian Vulture. Red-billed Choughs fly overhead in small, noisy groups, while Black Redstart, Corn Bunting, Woodchat Shrike and Blue Rock Thrush all prove to be relatively numerous. A Cirl Bunting is the only record of the trip, though the Wood Larks seen are the first of many.
The target bird at this site is Western Orphean Warbler, but it takes a full two hours of active searching before a family party of two adults and a juvenile are located in a dry valley south of the car park. Once found these chunky Sylvias are very cooperative, however, even allowing some photographic evidence to be obtained. The drive out of the Parque produces Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush, Rock Sparrow, Tawny Pipit and Black-eared Wheatear during just a couple of brief stops.
We are so captivated by this magical area and the adjacent town of Sepulveda that we decide to spend our first night here, booking into the Vado del Duraton Hotel (url: www.vadodelduraton.com). Although it is not the cheapest establishment in which we will stay, it is excellently appointed and a very convenient base from which to explore the fascinating medieval town. The hotel also benefits from staff who speak very good English, a trait that proves to be a real rarity through the remainder of our travels. This enables us to make a reservation at the excellent El Pandero Restaurant for a meal of cordero, the local lamb speciality dish. Served simply with salad and bread, and washed down with a fine bottle of Crianza, it provides a fitting finale for a fantastic first day in Spain.
Saturday 16th June
The other species which draws birders to the Parque Natural del Rio Duraton is Dupont’s Lark. It is twelve years since my previous encounter with this enigmatic species and I therefore make an effort to reacquaint myself with one of Spain’s most elusive birds. Somewhat predictably I fail to find this master of concealment, though it is surprising that no song is heard; possibly my arrival shortly after first light at a rather late time in the season is to blame?
Regardless of this omission, the plateau section the Park, with its mixture of limestone grassland, numerous wild flowers and an occasional patch of juniper, is a superb birding area. Larks abound, with Crested, Thekla, Sky, Wood, Short-toed and Calandra all present in force. The sight of the giant Calandras singing from amongst the masses of red poppies that litter the blocks of cereal crops is particularly charismatic.
Numerous Common Quails are calling, as are many Red-legged Partridges from atop small limestone pinnacles that regularly dot the grassland. Close to the start of the Park is a dry gully lined with more dense juniper woodland, and a walk through this area produces another three Western Orphean Warblers, with one male bird in full song. Wood Lark, Woodchat Shrike and Black-eared Wheatear are all particularly numerous in the low gully. The drive back to Sepulveda provides three Iberian Hares, Eurasian Golden Oriole, Little Owl plus widespread Mediterranean beauties, Eurasian Hoopoe and European Bee-eater.
Vic has been drawing in the town and we meet up for a fine breakfast back at the Vado del Duraton Hotel before taking a wander amongst the medieval splendour of Sepulveda, with its narrow cobbled streets which wind between tall elaborate frontages of houses clinging to a high limestone ridge. Pale sandy stonework or rendered walls contrast with the terracotta tiles of this distinctive architecture. Various bell towers are topped by active White Stork nests, where well-grown young await the return of frog-laden parents.
It is starting to get rather overcast by the time we head west from Sepulveda and as we drive across the agricultural plains our first Spanish rain begins to set in. Our plan for the afternoon is to visit the historic city of Segovia, whose large cathedral, fairytale-like Alcazar Castle and famous Roman aqueduct all look quite magnificent as we approach. When we walk through the streets between rain showers we are disappointed to discover a commercialised tourist trap, however, and soon head for the mountains to escape the cacophony of brash American accents!
And then it really begins to rain. As we gain altitude on the road which weaves upwards through the pine forests in a series of tight hairpin bends, we are enveloped by low cloud and the downpour gets heavier still. When we decided to visit Spain in late June we thought that the intense heat would be the problem, not the bloody rain!
Attempting to make the best of the situation I head into the woodland and clearings close to Peurto de Navacerrado, at an altitude of around 1800m, armed with brolley and thick fleece. For my troubles I procure soggy examples of iberiae European Pied Flycatcher, Rock Bunting, Crested Tit and what is probably the rear end of a Citril Finch, but it is all very cold, damp and depressing.
With no sign of the downpour abating we book into the homely Pasadoiro Hotel, at Peurto de Navacerrado, to drown our sorrows with cervezas. To say that our evening meal at the Pasadoiro was unappetizing would certainly be the understatement of the trip, but thankfully this is the culinary low point of our travels and elsewhere we are treated to some magnificent cuisine.
Sunday 17th June
At first light the curtains are expectantly inched apart. Not only is it still raining heavily, with dense low cloud filling the air, but a strong wind is now also buffeting the mountaintop. An early start is postponed, but I have a Citril Finch to find and the lure of a tick soon gets the better of me. I set out into the appalling weather with Valdesqui the destination, a ski resort around ten kilometres north of Peurto de Navacerrado.
A minor bonus at Valdesqui is the lack of the foggy low cloud, but this simply adds to the frustration as one can clearly see the great potential of the fine alpine meadows that would be ideal for Citril Finch if it wasn’t lashing it down with rain! So the brolley goes up and I set out into the elements. As I wander through the wonderful pinewoods and meadows the rain varies from moderate to torrential and the high winds mean that the brolley has just limited effect. It takes a full two hours to realise the futility of my labours, with just a few Chaffinches to show for my efforts.
It has now been raining constantly for 18 hours! Enough is enough and after breakfast at our hotel we pack our things and head down hill, this time in a southerly direction to Navacerrado town and then the main AP 6 Motorway. Our route then takes us west, into the lowlands and finally out of the rain. As we speed past the arable fields that carpet the plain the sun appears and spirits are instantly lifted.
The backup site for Citril Finch, an important bird as it represents one of just three available ticks remaining in Spain, is a small pencil cross on our map in the Sierra de Gredos. After around two hours we reach the cross, but surely this can’t be correct as we are still in a lowland area where deciduous woodland predominates? A hasty phone call to the purveyor of the information, who shall remain anonymous, reveals that an error in transcribing the detail has clearly occurred. We know that our location ‘to the east of Bejar’ is in roughly the right area of the Sierra de Gredos, but narrowing things down further will be down to us!
For the next three hours we scour the Bejar area for the correct spot, with Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, a few Northern Wheatears and a very pleasant picnic lunch being the only compensation for our troubles. Reaching a viewpoint high in the Sierra de Candelario all seems lost, when a moment of revelation suddenly focuses on the Parador de Gredos on the map; that has to be the spot, but it’s sixty bloody kilometres away from the pencil cross!
It takes around an hour to cover the distance, with a climb taking us into the spectacular montane scenery of the Reserva Nacional de Gredos. Just beyond the Parador de Gredos Hotel we follow our noses and turn off south into some superb open pinewoods and meadows that possess a somewhat similar feel to Scotland’s Caledonian Forests. Less than a minute after vacating the car we are watching a superb male Citril Finch feeding in the litter below a block of pines; phew!
The subtle combination of bright yellow, green and grey make for a stunning image in the late evening sunlight and we savour the male Citril Finch plus it’s three juveniles for over an hour as they feed on the ground. Also recorded in this great block of woodland are Short-toed Treecreeper, the much-desired endemic sharpei race of Green Woodpecker (which is already split as a full species by some authorities) and several more iberiae European Pied Flycatcher. The latter birds are very interesting in that they show a pale rump, plus wing and head patterns, closer to those of Atlas Flycatcher than European Pied Flycatcher; this is surely another race in need of taxonomic review.
After pulling the second target bird out of the bag at the eleventh hour, the drive to Trujillo is made in a euphoric air. First we descend down the steep and beautifully craggy southern flanks of the Sierra de Gredos and then cover ground rapidly as we cross the plains to the south. Here the first of an abundance of Azure-winged Magpies dart across the road in small groups, in areas where Cork Oaks dominate.
We leave the E90 at the Trujillo junction and soon the spectacular sight of the fortified sandstone town can be seen, raised above the flat plain by the small hill on which the buildings stand. Skirting the town itself we head south west to the low olive tree clad hillsides in which stands the Finca Santa Marta (url: www.fincasantamarta.com), where we will reside for the next few days. A narrow lane takes us through vineyards and olive groves to the white buildings of the converted olive farm. The staff are all on their evening’s leave, so a clever trail of paper notes have been left to guide us to our room in the converted annex. The whole establishment is truly superb, absolutely brimming with character while being tastefully restored to cater for the every need of the 21st Century traveller; we cannot recommend it highly enough.
In Spain late evening meals are the norm, so our 23.00 arrival at the Mason 1914 Restaurant, just one kilometre back along the Trujillo road, is of no concern to the very accommodating staff. The meal is superb, while back at Finca Santa Marta we meet up with a very helpful group of Dorset birders with whom we exchange information before retiring to our magnificent quarters; interestingly we don’t encounter any other birders on the entire trip.
Monday 18th June
After working to British Summer Time it is a surprise to find that the sun doesn’t rise until 07.00, but then late wine-accompanied dinners and early mornings don’t really mix too well. Prior to our 08.30 breakfast I take a wander along the dry stone-walled lane that winds past the Finca and through the olive groves beyond. European Bee-Eaters and Red-rumped Swallows hawk overhead, Eurasian Hoopoes and Azure-winged Magpies move through the trees, while Wood Lark and Eurasian Golden Oriole sing in the background.
Breakfast is taken in the dining area which still possesses the stone olive press of the original farm, and provides a magnificent buffet of fresh fruit, cured meats and fine cheeses. After a chat to the extremely helpful Mattieu, the establishment’s Swiss trainee manager, we set off north for a long day out under a rapidly warming sun.
After passing through Trujillo, where picnic provisions are procured, we head north west on the EX 280, a long straight road which cuts a flat dry-grass plain, punctuated with a grid of regularly-placed Cork Oaks; our first Great Spotted Cuckoo of the trip is an early highlight here. Just beyond the small town of Torrejon el Rubio the high ridge of the Sierra de Piatones breaks the flat horizon, and soon we are within the bounds of the justifiably famous Parque Natural de Monfrague.
The now-winding road follows the Rio Tajo at the point where it cuts through the granite peaks in a spectacular gorge, flanked by a huge rock pinnacle known as Pena Falcon. Here large number of Griffon Vultures nest, and their huge shadows regularly drift across the road. Turning off the EX 280 we track the Rio Tietar, or at least what was the Rio Tietar before one of the all-too-numerous dams were constructed.
Our final destination is the Portilla de Tietar, another huge granite cliff which dominates the horizon on the far bank of the Rio Tietar. It’s upper section is dotted with both roosting and nesting Griffon Vultures, with a spiral of soaring birds constantly taking lift from the thermals above. Turtle Doves are particularly numerous in this area and a Dartford Warbler calls from his roadside perch.
A pair of Black Storks alight on the cliff below the vultures, but the highlight of our two-hour vigil comes when a magnificent Spanish Imperial Eagle drifts into view. A Common Buzzard flies up to mob the new arrival, which serves to show what an immense bird the eagle really is. The Spanish Imperial Eagle proceeds to descend and take up a perch on the highest peak of the Portilla de Tietar, where golden nape and white leading wing edges are savoured. Target bird number three is on the list!
The eagle eventually takes to the air and drifts back to the north, while we retrace our route along the Rio Tietar. A brief stop beside the water produces Lesser Emperor and Epaulet Skimmer dragonflies, though our visit to the Villareal de San Carlos Visitors’ Centre is somewhat disappointing due to the apparent lack of any worthwhile exhibits.
We stop at one of the many excellent waterside picnic areas to consume our lunch of fresh bread, cheese, olives and fruit, before moving back to the Rio Tajo where the silhouette of the Castillo de Monfrague dominates the skyline. Part of the climb to the Castillo is made in the car, via Spanish Sparrow and Hawfinch, with the final ascent relying on a long series of steep steps. The view from the top of the ridge is breathtaking, looking in one direction over the flat, oak-dotted dehesa plains and in the other on to the green hillsides of the Sierra de Piatones and Sierra de Serrejon. Griffon Vultures are constantly present, often at eye-level or below, and splendid Two-Tailed Pasha butterflies hold territories on the hilltop rocks. Other butterflies in this area include Common Swallowtail, Ilex Hairstreak and a very impressive Spanish Purple Hairstreak, which sips minerals from the damp limestone. Here we also see the first of many distinctively-striped Large Psammodromus lizards, which prove to be relatively common in Southern Spain.
Next destination in our whirlwind tour of Monfrague is the campsite just beyond the northern boundary of the park. Here, with a little patience, Azure-winged Magpies can be attracted to offerings of food, allowing great photographic opportunities. Our own exploits entertain the bemused campers at the same time!
The last few hours of the day are earmarked for a return visit to the Portilla de Tietar, where we are reunited with our new Dorset birding friends. For half an hour we all scan the rock face for any owl-like shapes, but it is a very helpful Spanish birder who walks up to the viewpoint and promptly finds two Eurasian Eagle Owls in a matter of seconds! The owls, an adult and fully-winged youngster, put on a magnificent performance for the next two hours, while a second adult Spanish Imperial Eagle flies above. A late walk produces Rock Bunting and Sardinian Warbler and also reveals an unexpected road-feeding trait of Common Nightingale, as we count nearly twenty of these normally elusive birds feeding on the tarmac.
We head south before it is fully dark and as the restaurants in Torrejon el Rubio are either closed or of a very dubious nature, we dine back in Trujillo. Our chosen venue is the Restaurante Leon in the Plaza de Campillo, which does us proud in spite of our very late arrival and we end the day with a wonderful outdoor fish meal.
Tuesday 19th June
There is a stiff breeze in the air and a grey, overcast sky when I set out from Finca Santa Marta for a pre-breakfast drive to the nearby Belen Plains. A little directional confusion leads to an approach from a northerly direction, via the village of Torrecillas de la Tiesa, but I soon find my bearings and the car is enveloped on a vast expanse of rolling brown grassland. Huge numbers of Corn Buntings, Crested and Calandra Larks sing and roam the prairie-like fields, though a lone Great Bustard takes a little more finding. Earlier in the year Little Bustards are also frequent at this site, but the tall grass of summer makes them effectively disappear! After soaking up this magnificent grey, white and ginger ostrich of the steppelands, and the first Short-toed Eagle of the trip, another fine Finca Santa Marta breakfast is well received.
We are so impressed by the Finca that we book an additional night’s accommodation for Thursday, before heading out to explore the steppes and defhesa in the vicinity of Caceres. We follow the N521 to the west, through vast arable fields which stretch along a flat valley bottom, before turning north along a series of rough farm roads. We are instantly amidst another huge expanse of steppeland, stretching off to distant horizons in all directions. Montagu’s Harriers are numerous here, and early on our tour we spot a pair of Black-bellied Sandgrouse plus the only pair of European Rollers of the trip. These dazzling turquoise stars hunt from low rocks close to the road, occasionally swooping to a new perch and revealing a vivid splash of royal blue against the faded yellow landscape.
The fields through which we pass vary from dry grassland, occasionally strewn with large boulders, to recently harvested crops and pale brown ploughed earth. Several large flocks of Spanish Sparrows feed at the roadside and another group of three Great Bustards are seen, sedately walking through the sea of wind-blown grass.
Raptors are an ever-present feature, with scores more Montagu’s Harriers and numerous Black Vultures accompanying us on our travels. Another characteristic of the region are the sheep bells which echo tunefully across the steppes from the herds of Merino Sheep which graze the dry vegetation. The songs of various lark species and Corn Buntings are ever-present, while locusts are visible in large numbers and flush in waves from beside the track. Also of note is a large cricket with jaws so powerful that it draws blood from my finger end!
We end the morning at a long-established Spanish Imperial Eagle nest close to Torrejon de Rubio. Locating the huge pile of sticks on top of an electricity pylon, we are lucky to time our arrival with the presence of both adult birds as well as the two large juveniles in the nest. While one adult looks on from the highest strut of the pylon the other dissects a recently captured rabbit at the edge of the nest, with large clumps of fur visibly falling to earth. The juveniles, seemingly almost ready to fly, are an attractive deep rufous-brown. Though distant, it really is quite a spectacle.
We return to Finca Santa Marta for a lunch of olives, pistachios and cerveza, taken on the vine-draped first floor veranda where we are serenaded by nearby Eurasian Hoopoes. Hummingbird Hawk-Moth feeds in the flowerbeds, while Cardinal and Long-tailed Blue butterflies are both seen around the garden. Victoria has exclusive use of the Finca’s swimming pool during the afternoon siesta period, after which we head to Trujillo for the evening.
The old sector of Trujillo town is a magnificent sight. Surrounding the cobbled Plaza Mayor are the imposing frontages of rows of ornate, well-maintained, civic and commercial premises. Two ancient churches sit on opposing corners, with the spires and minarets of others raised into the sky beyond. Lesser Kestrels are constantly wheeling overhead, while other birds perched on the rooftops are clearly making use of gaps in the ancient tiled roofs as nest sites. This is also a good area to get to grips with the subtleties of Pallid Swifts.
Beyond the Plaza Mayor, a labyrinth of narrow streets and alleyways weaves between terracotta-tiled houses and mansions, past numerous churches and convents, and hidden leafy courtyards. At the very crown of the hill on which Trujillo stands is a castle and walls which date back to Muslim times, though the city was captured by the Christians as long ago as 1232. From here the views over the dehesa and steppes which radiate out to distant horizons are stunning, and this remarkable setting of living history is certainly one of our favourite locations in the whole of Spain.
We end the day with another meal at the Mason 1914 Restaurant close to Finca Santa Marta, before savouring a few glasses of red wine on the veranda where the background music this time is Eurasian Scops Owl and Red-necked Nightjar.
Wednesday 20th June
Today’s pre-breakfast walk around the Finca finds a fine group of five Hawfinches, Rock Sparrow, Sardinian Warbler and a surprise fly-over Little Ringed Plover. Post-breakfast we head back to Trujillo, but this time I drop off Victoria to continue her drawing while I head off to the north.
I am welcomed to the Parque Natural de Monfrague by Booted and Short-toed Eagle, before a huge bright-green Ocellated Lizard causes an emergency stop. My chosen destination for the morning is the Castillo de Monfrague, and not long after 11.00 I am setting up telescope on the top of the fortress’s flat-topped tower.
Under a clear blue sky the views in all directions are outstanding, and the only sound other than the rush of the wind are the tinkling sheep bells which drift up from the dehesa far below. The vantage point offers raptor viewing second-to-none, with a constant stream of Griffon and an occasional Black Vulture passing close by. Three different Black Storks ride on the thermals, as do a pair of Egyptian Vultures and large number of Black Kites.
After checking through streams of House and Crag Martins, Red-rumped Swallows, Alpine and Common Swifts, at least one White-rumped Swift is picked out, a speciality of this site. Stars of the morning, however, are a superb pair of Bonelli’s Eagles which rise above the Pena Falcon to grapple with a pair of Short-toed Eagles in breathtaking aerial combat; I’ve not seen this sought-after raptor since an encounter in northern Israel in 1989!
En route back to Trujillo a brief stop at the Rio Almonte produces Common Darter and Violet Dropwing dragonflies. In spite of some concerted searching odonata are a really difficult group to study in Spain, both due to the lack of available site details and also owing to the general lack of obvious surface water! Common Frog and Spanish Terrapin are other uninspiring finds at this riverine site.
Vic is collected from Trujillo and we repeat yesterday’s picnic, siesta and swim combination at Finca Santa Marta before heading off to the village of Aldeacentenera for an evening in the saddle! Mathieu has kindly made a reservation for us at a local riding school, but we approach with more than a little apprehension as we know that the proprietor speaks very little English and our Spanish still extends little further than the basics and room booking and food ordering; it could be an interesting evening!
As it transpires Alejandro de Castro Velacso (or Alex to his friends), the proprietor of ‘Centro Ecuestre’, makes us tremendously welcome in spite of the lack of a thorough understanding of each other’s spoken word. A couple of fine horses are already saddled and within minutes we are heading into the beautiful dehesa-covered hills that surround his stables. Alex and his dogs lead us for two-and-a-half exhilarating hours through woodland, meadows and rivers.
Back at the stables we sit outside to share a cold beer and manage some broken conversation with the help of the phrase book. Alex is a superb host and this is a truly wonderful way to enjoy the Spanish countryside from a totally different perspective; we would recommend it to anyone visiting the area, though perhaps best to get the Finca Santa Marta to make the reservations if your Spanish is as good as ours!
We drive back over the Belen Plains where a low sun casts long shadows over the waving, golden grass. Our last evening meal in Trujillo is taken at our favourite Restaurante Leon. The ensalada mixta, cod fish cakes and crème caramel are perfect, under the starry Extremaduran sky, and a fitting way to end our time in this wonderful part of the world.
Thursday 21st June
We are in no rush to leave the idyllic surroundings of Finca Santa Marta, and spend a relaxing morning around the old farm. European Honey-Buzzard, Booted Eagle and another three Hawfinches make the notebook, before fond farewells with Mattieu and Henri, the proprietor of this wonderful establishment.
In the heat of the day we travel south on fast motorways, around Merida and on through an uninspiring flat, agricultural landscape. Approaching Sevilla the road starts to snake through low hills, where sections of incomplete motorway cause hold-ups, though these are nothing compared with those on the ring-road around the region’s capital!
Eventually we emerge on the south side of the city, into a somewhat grim landscape of intensive agriculture and residential developments. Just north of the town of Los Palacios y Villafranca we happen across an excellent motorway service station and food shop, where we procure some fine picnic fare and dine on the adjoining outdoor tables. It is still the hottest part of the day and the sun burns down with Andalucian ferocity from a clear blue sky. A siesta is clearly in order, as birding would be life-threatening in this heat, so we while away an hour in the shade.
The only scheduled birding stop of the day is at the Leguna de la Mejorada, also referred to in some reports as Los Palacios Lagoon. Taking the old road north out of Los Palacios y Villafranca, the lagoon is located in an unlikely setting amongst arable fields and canalised rivers. It proves to be a little oasis of birdlife, however, teeming with Squacco Herons and various egret species which are colonially nesting in dead trees at one end of the lagoon.
The lagoon is surrounded by a wide belt of tamarisk trees, and it is here that my particular interest lies. The site is reputed to be the best in Spain for Western Olivaceous Warbler, and birds can be heard singing upon arrival. A word of warning, however, is that Reed Warbler does respond to a Western Olivaceous Warbler tape and the two birds even look fairly similar when darting in and out of tamarisk bushes! Both species are present and the Reed Warblers sing from the bushes in the absence of reeds, but with a little patience some fantastic views of Western Olivaceous Warbler are procured, along with some quite respectable photographs. My fourth and final Spanish tick is secured with relative ease, and I spend a very enjoyable hour studying the subtleties of what are actually rather impressive birds.
A very close Red-necked Nightjar is flushed from the tamarisks and introduced Common Waxbills flock around the water’s edge. Zitting Cisticolas and Red-rumped Swallows are common, while the Ischnura damselflies seen here are identified as Iberian Bluetails on the basis of range.
To pass through the region and not visit the Cota Donana may seem sacrilegious, but this one site could warrant a trip in it’s own right. Our unscheduled time added at Finca Santa Marta has shaved available time off Andalucia, so we have decided to pull in some additional sites further east instead of devoting time to the famous wetlands.
After the briefest of circuits around the rice fields to the west of Los Palacios y Villafranca, where Collared Pratincoles, Black-winged Stilts and Yellow-legged Gulls are welcome additions to the trip list, we set off east. In the rolling arable landscape close to the town of Utrera we find some of the most breathtaking scenery of our tour, as we pass through vast fields of sunflowers in full bloom, illuminated by a sinking sun. Their bright yellow faces trail off across distant hillsides, where the dark shapes of ancient fortifications break the horizon; it really is a stunning sight.
We are hoping to get to the town of Antequera for the evening, and make rapid ground on the A92 which slices through a landscape of dry chalky soil supporting countless olive trees. The Laguna de la Fuente de Piedra is an irresistible distraction, however, and we leave the motorway for a quick look at the vast saline lagoon in the last light of day.
A polite warden allows us a brief visit to the hilltop viewpoint which overlooks the lagoon and two smaller lakes to the east. Here we find Eurasian Thick-Knee, Collared Pratincole, Mediterranean Gull and thirty Gull-billed Terns. On the main lagoon fifty Greater Flamingos are visible, but the light is fading fast and we head off to find accommodation. Deciding that Fuenta de Peidra town looks a lively little place we search for a hotel here, instead of travelling on to Antequera. Our first attempt, on the outskirts of the town, is clearly bordering on a brothel and we hastily retreat! The Hotel Fuente Piedra is a real gem, however, and we check in before walking into the town centre. The Caffeteria Bar Soto proves to be a great choice, where fine food and beer is served under the stars.
Friday 22nd June
We are out of the hotel before the sun is up in order to drive to the Parque Natural El Torcal de Antequera, or El Torcal for short. It takes just forty minutes to travel a couple of junctions along the motorway to Antequera, from where El Torcal is well signposted. Beyond the town we climb steeply into an extremely picturesque ridge of mountains and ultimately follow a side road which leads to the summit car park. Views over the surrounding countryside are outstanding, while the limestone formations of the El Torcal itself bear a striking resemblance to parts of the Derbyshire Peak district close to my home in the English Midlands!
We have only travelled a few hundred metres up the steep entrance road when scanning the rocky hillside above reveals the reason for our visit; a group of six Spanish Ibex. These rare Bovids have decreased in range to be confined to just a handful of Spanish mountain ranges and we are delighted to be able to watch three females, each with a very small kid in tow.
The short journey to the car park at the top of the hill produces one more female Ibex, and we are pleased to be the first car to take up a slot; reports suggest that the site can get very busy later in the day as it is apparently a major tourist attraction. A large new visitors’ centre is nearing completion next to the car park but we rapidly make our way along the circular walk which cuts off through the fantastic limestone formations.
The 1-½ km trail is one of great beauty and constantly changing views. The wind has hewn the limestone into incredible craggy formations, while the sheltered valley floor is home to low shrubs and a wealth of interesting flora. The early morning birding is also superb. We count over ten separate Melodious Warblers, the only ones of the trip, plus Subalpine Warblers, Rock Sparrows and Rock Buntings. Arriving before the crowds, this rates as one of the surprise locations of our tour and is certainly one of the most inspiring spots we visit.
Our descent of the access road takes in a detour along a side track to a hilltop antenna station, where we obtain better views of the six Spanish Ibex seen earlier. The find of the day comes shortly before we leave the site, when a female Black Wheatear appears, perched at the side of the road. This impressive species has a very local distribution in Spain and a search of literature suggests that this is the first record for El Torcal.
A fine breakfast is taken in a roadside café at Antequera, before we return to the Laguna de la Fuente de Piedra for a quick dash around prior to hotel checkout time. It is already too hot for serious birding at 10.30, but it is still apparent that this is a fine reserve and certainly worthy of an early-morning visit should time permit. Great Reed Warbler and Northern Lapwing are new birds to the trip, while Avocets and Black-winged Stilts are both numerous and many Gull-billed Terns are constantly patrolling overhead. Both Red-crested and Common Pochards are breeding on the smaller freshwater lagoons, where a couple of groups of large ducklings are seen. Several thousand Greater Flamingos are also present, though most are further around the huge saline depression and we don’t have time to do them justice during our brief visit.
Following a quick brush-up at the hotel it takes us just an hour to drive east to Granada. We have decided that it would be an insult to Spanish culture to pass so close to the Alhambra Palace and not pay homage to one of the ‘Wonders of the World’. On arrival we are delighted to find that we are able to secure a couple of tickets, which are limited in number to 6,000 per day in number. Our stroll takes us first around the immaculate ‘Generalife’ water gardens, set beside the splendid architecture of the Summer Palace and with magnificent views across the old town. Exploring different levels of the terraced hillside, every corner reveals a stunning new view of Renaissance architecture or manicured garden. We even find a new reptile in the Palace grounds, where several Iberian Wall Lizards scurry about the masonry.
The Lonely Planet describes the Palacio Nazaries as ‘Alhambra’s true gem, the most brilliant Islamic building in Europe’, and this 14th Century masterpiece is certainly worthy of such an introduction. Every room and courtyard brings surprise and wonder, with stucco walls, elaborate tiling and carved timber panels worked into mesmerising, symbolic, geometrical patterns.
Four hours in the intense heat and often-crowded environment is enough for any sightseer, however, and it’s something of a relief to sit in the air-conditioned car and head north to the site at which we will spend the last couple of days of our trip. It takes around two hours to drive to Andujar, where we stock up with picnic provisions and fill the diesel tank, before heading into the Parque National de la Sierra de Andujar, to the north of the town.
The Parque forms part of the Sierra Morena range, which separates Andalucia from the remainder of Spain. The region seems to have been neglected ornithologically, which is surprising when one considers that it contains one of the best preserved expanses of Mediterranean forest in the whole of Spain. The reasons for our visit are not entirely avian, however, as this area is reported to support 70% of the world population of Iberian Lynx. It should be noted that site-specific details regarding Iberian Lynx have been deliberately omitted from the following section of the report as they were passed on in strict confidence and divulging such information would betray the goodwill of the original author.
The winding road from Andujar towards Las Vinas delivers us into a magnificent landscape, which is surprisingly heavily wooded with Cork and Lusitanian Oaks and Stone Pines. We are clearly in the correct area, judging by the dozens of roadside signs which warn of the presence of Lynx and request reductions in speed to avoid road casualties!
Our vantage point for the evening affords great views over a wooded plain and surrounding hillsides, where we sit out the last two hours of daylight scanning diligently for any interesting movement. Red and Fallow Deer are remarkably common, and most importantly so are Rabbits. One of the main reasons for the decline of the Iberian Lynx has been the crash of rabbit populations, its main prey, due to Myxomatosis; we have seen scarcely any rabbits elsewhere on our travels, yet here they are common.
A Black Stork flies past and then several large bats emerge to feed high in the dusk-darkened sky, but no cats appear. It is apparent that a single observer scouring such a large area is something of a haystack and needle combination and we depart considering slightly different tactics for the remainder of our stay.
We find some excellent and very reasonably priced accommodation at the Los Pinos Cabins, 14 km north of Andujar on the A 6117, which has a fine restaurant right next door in which we end the day.
Saturday 23rd June
At first light we head down a narrow road, which leads deep into the forested hillsides and valleys. After first passing through stone pines with scattered habitation we are soon amongst Holm Oaks and a profusion of birdlife. A Great Spotted Cuckoo perches close to the road, while Turtle Doves and also sharpei Green Woodpeckers are more numerous than at any other site we have visited. We are also again in the realm of the superb Azure-winged Magpie.
Little Owl and a couple of Wood Larks follow, as we make our way along a winding dirt road, sometimes driving slowly and sometimes walking and scanning. It is 08.30 when a group of Eurasian Magpies, which are clearly very upset, rattle out loud alarm calls and attract my attention. I have my bins focussed on a group of bushes 150m away when an Iberian Lynx walks through a gap in the vegetation! It is all-too brief but the short-tailed feline is still breathtaking in the morning light, which casts a golden-brown hue to the ground colour of the heavily-spotted coat. The contrasting, shaggy, black-and-white ‘beard’ is incredibly prominent and a surprisingly distinctive feature.
I reach for my camera, hands still trembling with excitement, and wait for the Lynx to emerge from the bushes. It never does. Most of the next two hours are spent scanning the valley below the road, but it becomes clear that the Lynx has melted away as stealthily as it arrived. I know how amazingly lucky I have been to see what is reputedly the rarest cat in the world, and at relatively close range, but I’m left with a desire to see more of this gorgeous creature; in the end I have to make do with tracks and droppings on the road!
While searching for the elusive Lynx we get some great views of Wild Boar, along with Dartford Warbler, Crested Tit, a party of dusky irbii Long-tailed Tits and several miridionalis Southern Grey Shrikes. Travelling further along the track provides a panoramic view over the lightly wooded hillsides stretching to the horizon, with Hawfinch, Eurasian Golden Oriole, plus good numbers of Red-rumped Swallows and soaring Griffon Vultures all making for a superb morning.
At the end of the track is a dam, on the far side of which a narrow tunnel is hewn through solid rock. Within the tunnel small diameter blast holes are evident in the roof, and the deeper of these all support groups of roosting Myotis bats. Identification of this group is clearly tricky, but previous visitors have them logged as Greater Mouse-eared Bats.
The sky is cloudless and with no cooling breeze it is becoming extremely hot by the time we return to Los Pinos at 13.00. Anticipating a late evening in the field we take our main meal in the heat of the day, before retiring for the obligatory siesta.
Later in the afternoon we take a ride out to the Santuario Virgen de la Cabeza, a large church built on a hilltop which dominates a large section of the Parque. Upon closer inspection it is much less impressive and of a much more recent age than it would appear from a distance, so we retreat from the heat to continue our siesta beside the Rio Jandula. This is a popular spot with weekend day-trippers, but we still manage to find a quiet spot where we are rewarded with a very attractive Moroccan Orange-Tip butterfly and great views of a low-flying adult Spanish Imperial Eagle which is clearly undeterred by the crowds.
It is still 38 Degrees Celsius at 18.00, and when we return to the road traversed in the early morning it is not surprising that things are rather quieter. A group of twenty Mouflon are interesting to watch, especially the giant-horned males, but this species is native to eastern Mediterranean islands and is an introduced game species in Iberia. Red Fox and a charming group of two adults and piglet Wild Boar are most certainly of natural origin, however, and the latter party are watched for some time as they forage on the hillside.
A picnic tea is eaten as we scan the surrounding valleys from a high vantage point. As the light fades a bright moon appears and floodlights bathe the Santuario Virgen de la Cabeza in the distance, while a Red-necked Nightjar drifts over our lookout. No spotted cats materialise, but it is a wonderful setting in which to spend what is effectively the last real day of the trip.
The drive back in the darkness produces two more Red Foxes, plus great views of a pair of European Scops-Owls along with Little Owl and Red-necked Nightjar.
Sunday 24th June
A morning along the wooded roads notches up Great Spotted Cuckoo, Little Owls and Green Woodpeckers, along with Sardinian and Dartford Warblers and a male Eurasian Golden Oriole. Over thirty Griffon Vultures spiral up on the first thermals, as the distant bells of Santuario Virgen de la Cabeza echo charismatically through the valleys. A number of Oak Yellow-underwing moths are flushed from roadside rocks and are clearly quite prolific in numbers at this time of year.
Other than the ultra-abundant Rabbits, Red and Fallow Deer no exciting mammals are noted. In all we have spent 18 hours actively searching for Iberian Lynx over two days, with one brief sighting the result. I suspect that a visit earlier in the year would potentially offer better chances of seeing animals active by day, as the temperature in late June climbs rapidly and stays high until late. I would also guess that a group of determined observers using vantage points would have a much better chance than me and my lone telescope. A large element of luck is also clearly involved, but we feel we have earned our Iberian Lynx and depart delighted with our successes in this wonderful area.
The drive north to Madrid is a tedious one and we are pleased to reach Barajas Airport, where we drop off the hire car with 3,195 more kilometres on the clock than when we started. A taxi whisks us to the pre-booked Hotel Zenit Conde de Orgaz in Madrid’s suburbs, which turns out to be a very good choice as it is relatively inexpensive and has great access to the Metro system.
After our final Spanish siesta we hit the town via the superb Metro underground rail link, where all journeys seem to cost just one Euro! After our travels around Spain’s charming historic rural towns, the packed streets and frantic activity is quite a shock to the system and certainly not my idea of the ideal final evening in Spain. After dining outdoors at a very mediocre restaurant in the supposedly historic La Latina sector we check out a couple more bars before beating a retreat to the sanctuary of the hotel room. An extremely early departure awaits and we grab a few hours sleep before an 03.30 taxi, then a flight to a rain-drenched East Midlands Airport.
The trip has been an immense success, with rural areas of Andalucia and in particular Extremadura still holding some relatively unexplored treasures of natural beauty. Many villages and small towns still grasp their original character and seem untouched by 21st Century commercialisation, while agriculture has yet to reach levels of intensity that swallow up every last hectare to crop production, thereby still allowing nature to flourish. Combine these assets with a generally very agreeable climate, a simple yet often outstanding cuisine and a warm and friendly population and the outcome is one of the most enjoyable destinations within (or even far beyond) Europe.
Ian Merrill July 2007
i.merrill@btopenworld.com
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