Another Spanish trip for a group of Bishop's Stortford Bird Club friends. The targets were to find Spanish Imperial Eagle and Great Bustard and to enjoy a few days in Spain while adding new species to our various lists. We were based at the Hotel Carvajal in Torrejon el Rubio. We flew from Stansted to Seville with Ryanair and drove a Ford Focus hired from Crown Car Hire through brokers Carjet. We had four travellers and three drivers so that main responsibility was shared.
Twenty-two birds were seen while we were travelling north and we added two more when returning south. Red Kite, Barn Swallow, House Sparrow, Spotless Starling, Blackbird, White Stork, Little Egret, Kestrel, Crested Lark, Common Buzzard, Black-billed Magpie, Great-Grey Shrike, Goldfinch, Bee-eater, House Martin, Mallard, Lesser Kestrel, Feral Pigeon, Black Kite, Griffon Vulture, Grey Heron and Hoopoe. Nightingale and Melodious Warbler.
Views of most of these drive-by roadside spots were upgraded when we saw them again at more leisure on our trips out. Our full Extremadura list (83) included our two target birds but did not include White-rumped swift, Little Bustard, Eagle Owl or Sandgrouse but grouse is not what we are about with a four day trip and so much achieved. Not many warblers at all but by fortune Nightingale and Melodious Warbler were the two located at the last gasp from the boundary bridge (km 403) with Andalusia when we had nearly got back to Seville for the flight home.
Birdwatching on our trip turned out to focus on four areas.
Monfrague and the areas around Pena Falcon and the Castillo and Tajadilla;
the triangle of roads linking Torrejon el Rubio in the north, Trujillo and Cacares
the road southeast towards Santa Marta from the EX390 north of the Embalse de Cacares (not in sight but it's a feature on the map) which is really a delightful walking pace by pass for Cacares on the eastern corner of our triangle. At the south end this road is also worth driving after the left turn to Santa Marta just north of the junction with the N521 road connecting Trujillo and Cacares and then to Monroy and back to the EX390. The day we drove it the birds did not compare to those on the stretch we repeated …. but on another day?
the Belen Road leading from Belen northeast of Trujillo and then further northeast in the general direction of a little place called Aldeacentenera (that we never saw).
The two small roads iii) and iv) were unimproved and were hardly used by any traffic. So, we were able to stop much more easily to see birds spotted from the moving car or to scan the plains. On upgraded and metalled roads stopping just is not wise. Not because of heavy traffic but because of contravening traffic laws. The only relief though was that whenever these roads came to a river crossing we knew that the bridge would give us a parking opportunity and a birdwatching opportunity. Some of the bridges and the birds there almost became understood. But the writer and the reader might both do well to understand a little more about the routes we took and here try to describe. These four days gave us the essence of Extremadura. Look now for a suitable map. We were using Michelen 576 Regional. As usual these roads were deep in the middle somewhere and on a crease. And the map covered many many more areas than we could get to in a year. These explanations should cross check back to the likes of Gosney and Gooders. If it appears to contradict them this is only because our report is more up to date.
"Ah ha! The bird books focus on Monfrague north of Torrejon el Rubio and the famous viewpoints in the area like Pena Falcon, Castillo and Tajadilla. So we know that much. But to understand this report and see the other places these guys went to we may need to find an up to date tourist map for this triangle of roads:
The N591 east west road between Cacares and Trujillo.The EX208 south north road between Trujillo and Torrejon and then Plasencia The EX390 northeast southwest road from Torrejon to Cacares.
"If we want to use their routes one day, as well as reading about it, we shall need a map large enough to show first a small road inside the triangle that seems to be a cut off/ bypass for Cacares but would take six times as long as the main roads even if we never stopped. How
would we get across/under the motorway from Trujillo to the small road leading from Belen? And lets hope that these roads have not been metalled and straightened before we get there.
"Right. Testing. How much use is our map going to be. Lets look for the three different bridges they stopped at when they crossed the Rio Almonte. From the west the first bridge is on the EX390 north of Cacares. This bridge gave Sardinian Warbler, Alpine Swift and Crag Martin and Black Kite and Little Ringed Plover but they failed to see Black Wheatear. The second bridge is south of Monroy on the road to Santa Marta. Or is it north of Santa Marta on the road to Monroy. The most easterly of the three bridges is on the main north south non-motorway road the National N630 from Trujillo and through Torrejon el Rubio to Plasencia. These guys stopped there three times so it must have given a flavour of the area. Remember this trip was 7th to 10th June 2006. They had Woodchat Shrike feeding young, Hoopoe, Azure-winged (Iberian) Magpie, Crag Martin and Red-rumped Swallow."
i)Monfrague.
We travelled north of our triangle on the afternoon/evening of Wednesday as soon as we had checked in; before breakfast on Thursday, the second day, on the evening of Thursday, before breakfast on the Friday and at dawn on the Saturday. So. Five visits. These few words understate how good the place is for birds and scenery and geology and other wildlife. We did not stop for the reconstruction of the buildings of the old Monfrague but you could do that too. These new metalled road make all the hairpin bends in front of us much easier than they must once have been. One bridge parapet was in the river so we took care. All the new Armco barriers looked untouched. Fortunately there was little other traffic but presumably the huge car park at the foot of Castillo has cars in it sometimes.
The postage stamp car park just below the summit was just the right size for us but apparently sometimes you just cannot turn round. We were able to risk stopping just after the postage stamp on the way down at a wicked hairpin for the Crag Martins nests and another view of the Vultures. On another day we would have been hooted at and booted off. I know we were there at dawn and dusk but a max of three or four cars - must have been out of season, just drove all the way up to the postage stamp. Quite a haul up and down the final steps though so to walk all the way from the bottom car park! Now that would reduce birding time and increase perspiration levels.
Pena Falcon has a small luxury lay-by. The birds watchable from there would warrant a video record. Turn on when you get out and turn off when you get back in. And turn the machine on again for the drive! Remember this. A bonus for climbing to the top of Castillo is that you can look down on the eagle owl nest (site, as it was in June).
North of Pena Falcon the road still has much to offer. But take the right turn and do not drive on to Plasencia. We made just one trip to the lay by from which you can stroll to the waterside to watch the cliffs at Tietar. Fortunately a Spanish Imperial Eagle chick had not left the nest. At Tadjadilla, there was plenty of Griffon activity and as we thought by now was normal, only a couple of other people.
ii) Bird watching on the triangle of roads.
We have nothing to report about birds on the N591 fast road from Trujillo to Cacares except to say that the Embalse de Cacares might be worth a visit one day.
The road from Trujillo to Torrejon.You "might like" to consider when going north to stop first at the bridge over the Rio Tozo and then at the bridge over the Rio Almonte.
Three things about the road from Torrejon to Cacares.It has new kilometre posts and has been straightened and has white lines on the gutters so do not stop. Near Torrejon we spent a lot of time on one day searching pylons for Spanish Imperial Eagle. We had seen these birds flying over Torrejon and had also been told about nests on pylons. But the off road tracks never seemed to tally up and we had to give up and assume that the nests had been cleared. North of the turn to Monroy is a rather fine White Stork colony in groups of Stone Pines. The track to the south here leads to the Black-shouldered Kite site listed as north east of Monroy. Nothing doing.25 kms north of Cacares is the western Rio Almonte bridge. South of the bridge is a parking place and viewpoint with a map of the Llanos de Cacares. At the bridge is a fishermen's pull off. As in terrapin fishing as well as fish fishing. And the jackdaws were going along the Martin's nests taking young from each. Very red in tooth and claw.
iii) the cut off road from the EX390 almost to the N951
We drove this road twice from the north. The first time on Thursday after we had driven across the Rio Almonte bridge on the EX390. That trip we turned east close to the N951 and drove on through Santa Marta and Monroy north and back to the EX390. The second time was on Saturday when we then turned west to Cacares on the N951 for the MacDonald's and then the motorways home via Seville.
On Thursday we had two groups of female Great Bustard: three and then two. Where? Well, fairly close to the mid point "river" and to the house that was protecting young trees by growing them through old washing machines?! We had Great Grey Shrike and three Great
Spotted Cuckoo by the road. We checked every tamarisk bush after that. Calandra Lark and Crested Lark were fairly common. Large birds included Griffon Vulture, Montagu's Harrier, Common Buzzard and Sparrowhawk. At the east west turn at the end of this road is a second White Stork colony. And both days when we were there about 150 Black Kites were in the same immediate area.
On Saturday it was again hot and the locusts and crickets and grasshoppers were flying and jumping everywhere. But then the Black Vultures appeared. Magnificent. And all the other Vultures were there and in the thermals and some on the ground and this was the plains. Booted Eagle and Short-toed Eagle. A Dutch car stopped to say they had had 18 Great Bustards at 0800 hrs. We had none that day but more good second prizes. Bee-eater and Hoopoe and Great Grey Shrike and Calandra Lark and Corn
Bunting and Little Owl and a fifth Great Spotted Cuckoo, unless it double counted from one of the three on Thursday.
iv) The Belen Road
This is a recommended route and we were pleased we went there. When we got to the end by the pig farm we had options for driving home by other routes on spec as it were but the only real option was to retrace our steps. At least the black clouds of thunderstorms troubling others were then behind us. When we got back to Belen the work in a hole in the road had been finished and tidied away. At the first river bridge for the Marinejo we saw the same type of big green lizard as at the top of Castillo. We sorted out the songs of Skylark and Crested Lark. We watched Calandra Lark and Short-toed Lark. From the top of the hill summit scan round for all of the kites and vultures and eagles you might dream about. Say, halfway along is a cross track. In one tamarisk bush to the north we had Great Spotted Cuckoo, Great Grey Shrike, Cardinal (Fritillary) and Great banded Grayling. Not much on the south turn, compared. Big fincas. There is a major (White) Stork colony on the left well down the road driving away from Belen and Trujillo with Cattle Egrets also. On the way back for our second drive of the road we had obviously made the correct choice, as seven male Great Bustards were now visible easily on the same side as the colony and opposite the gates for Mingalozuma des las Monjas.
CONCLUSION: Excellent. And on a scale of 1 to 10? We knew we were late in the year but that's what diaries are and it was not really that hot. So, 9. That leaves room for us to return one day to have another go; and earlier in the breeding season; for those few more species. But what would a high season trip be like on the roads, accommodation etc?
David W Arch 27th June 2006
Species Lists
Red Kite
Barn Swallow
House Sparrow
Common Starling
Blackbird
White Stork, three major colonies but check all single chimneys etc
Little Egrets
Kestrel
Griffon Vulture, nesting and calling at Tajadilla
Crested Lark
Common Buzzard
Black-winged Magpie
Great Grey Shrike
Goldfinch
Bee-eater
House Martin, nests at Seville Airport buildings airside
Lesser Kestrel, Trujillo
Feral Pigeon
Black Kite, everywhere but try the stork colony near the N951
Grey Heron
Hoopoe, the Almonte bridge on the EX208
Woodchat Shrike
Mallard
Iberian Magpie
Crag Martin, Crag Martin crag below the postage stamp car park
Red-rumped Swallow
Jackdaw, the Almonte bridge on the EX390
White Wagtail
Chaffinch
Collared Dove
Common Swift
Wood Pigeon
Blue Tit
Serin, upgraded at Castillo on the final dawn visit
Blue Rock Thrush, Pena Falcon
Egyptian Vulture, Castillo
Greenfinch
Black Stork, Pena Falcon
Raven, Pena Falcon
Short-toed Treecreeper, postage camp car park
Long-tailed Tit, Iberian sub species, postage stamp car park
Red-legged Partridge
Spanish Imperial Eagle, cliffs at Tietar
Rock Bunting, Pena Falcon
Great Tit
Mistle Thrush
Spotless Starling
Spanish Sparrow
Montagu’s Harrier, either of the plains roads iii) and iv)
Alpine Swift, Almonte bridge on EX390
Little Ringed Plover
Great Spotted Cuckoo, either of the plains roads
Sparrowhawk
Corn Bunting
Great Bustard, either of the plains roads
Calandra Lark, either of the plains roads
Stonechat
Cirl Bunting, Rio Magasca bridge near Santa Marta
White Wagtail
Black-eared Wheatear, north of Monfrague from the roadside
Turtle Dove, Tietar lay by
Nuthatch, Tietar lay by
Linnet
Whitethroat, Pena Falcon
Lesser Whitethroat, Pena Falcon
Kingfisher
Hawfinch, upgraded at Castillo on the final dawn visit
Carrion Crow
Cuckoo
Coot, bridge at Rio Tozo on EX280
Moorhen, four young at the Rio Tozo
Black Vulture, on the "Santa Marta" road
Booted Eagle
Short-toed Lark
Short-toed Eagle
Cattle Egret, at the Belen Road stork colony
Little Owl, at the farm at the end of the Belen Road
Black Redstart, Castillo on the Saturday at dawn
Pallid Swift, Castillo but also at Seville Airport
Sardinian Warbler, at Rio Arroya de la Vid, and the EX390 Almonte
Subalpine Warbler, at Rio Arroya de la Vid
Nightingale, at the boundary bridge between Extremadura and Andalusia
Melodious Warbler, at the (same) boundary bridge between Extremadura and Andalusia
