Day 4. February 23rd. Sunny with a little cloud.
The final day would start with a look around the hilltop castle in Alburquerque. A Blue Rock Thrush was perched on the castle walls as we arrived. We climbed up on to the walls and could see Crag Martins flying around with House martins. Over the town there were a few Lesser Kestrels which would be the first ones to arrive for the breeding season, a good number collect here as summer migrants.
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| White Stork |
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| Crag Martin |
We would then head for the Gevora River in the vicinity of Alburquerque Birds seen here: Griffon, Egyptian and Black Vultures, Spanish Imperial Eagle, Sardinian Warbler, Hoopoe.
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| Hoopoe |
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| Crested Lark |
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| Egyptian Vulture |
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| Sardinian Warbler |
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| Serin | |
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| Spanish Imperial Eagle |
It would then be time for lunch and then our journey back to the airport for flights home.
It was a very intensive four days and with so much to see, my aim of recording the trip with photographs of the birds would be quite a challenge. I hope my shots give an idea of what to expect, if considering a well recommended visit. From a birdwatching point of view it couldn’t be faulted. 124 species in four days is very impressive. Godfried is an excellent tour leader, he knows the area very well and his experience of the birds meant that nothing went unseen. For anyone interested in visiting the area it would be worth contacting him – godfried.schreur@gmail.com
I would like to thank Martin and the Surfbirds team for giving me the opportunity to go on the trip. It has given me a great insight into the area and I will visit again for a photographic trip. Species List For the Trip | Anser anser | Greylag Goose |
| Alopochen aegyptiaca | Egyptian Goose |
| Anas strepera | Gadwall |
| Anas crecca | Eurasian Teal |
| Anas platyrhynchos | Mallard |
| Anas clypeata | Northern Shoveler |
| Netta rufina | Red-crested Pochard |
| Aythya ferina | Common Pochard |
| Alectoris rufa | Red-legged Partridge |
| Tachybaptus ruficollis | Little Grebe |
| Podiceps cristatus | Great Crested Grebe |
| Podiceps nigricollis | Black-necked Grebe |
| Phalacrocorax carbo | Great Cormorant |
| Ixobrychus minutus | Little Bittern |
| Bubulcus ibis | Cattle Egret |
| Egretta garzetta | Little Egret |
| Egretta alba | Great Egret |
| Ardea cinerea | Grey Heron |
| Ciconia nigra | Black Stork |
| Ciconia ciconia | White Stork |
| Platalea leucorodia | Eurasian Spoonbill |
| Elanus caeruleus | Black-winged Kite |
| Milvus migrans | Black Kite |
| Milvus milvus | Red Kite |
| Neophron percnopterus | Egyptian Vulture |
| Gyps fulvus | Griffon Vulture |
| Aegypius monachus | Cinereous Vulture |
| Circus aeruginosus | Western Marsh Harrier |
| Circus cyaneus | Northern Harrier |
| Accipiter nisus | Eurasian Sparrowhawk |
| Buteo buteo | Common Buzzard |
| Aquila adalberti | Spanish Imperial Eagle |
| Aquila chrysaetos | Golden Eagle |
| Aquila fasciata | Bonelli's Eagle |
| Pandion haliaetus | Osprey |
| Falco naumanni | Lesser Kestrel |
| Falco tinnunculus | Common Kestrel |
| Falco columbarius | Merlin |
| Falco peregrinus | Peregrine Falcon |
| Gallinula chloropus | Common Moorhen |
| Porphyrio porphyrio | Purple Swamphen |
| Fulica atra | Eurasian Coot |
| Grus gruS | Common Crane |
| Tetrax tetrax | Little Bustard |
| Otis tarda | Great Bustard |
| Himantopus himantopus | Black-winged Stilt |
| Burhinus oedicnemus | Eurasian Stone-curlew |
| Pluvialis apricaria | European Golden Plover |
| Vanellus vanellus | Northern Lapwing |
| Gallinago gallinago | Common Snipe |
| Actitis hypoleucos | Common Sandpiper |
| Tringa ochropus | Green Sandpiper |
| Chroicocephalus ridibundus | Black-headed Gull |
| Larus fuscus | Lesser Black-backed Gull |
| Pterocles orientalis | Black-bellied Sandgrouse |
| Columba oenas | Stock Dove |
| Columba palumbus | Common Wood Pigeon |
| Streptopelia decaocto | Eurasian Collared Dove |
| Clamator glandarius | Great Spotted Cuckoo |
| Bubo bubo | Eurasian Eagle-Owl |
| Athene noctua | Little Owl |
| Apus pallidus | Pallid Swift |
| Alcedo atthis | Common Kingfisher |
| Upupa epops | Hoopoe |
| Dendrocopos major | Great Spotted Woodpecker |
| Dendrocopos minor | Lesser Spotted Woodpecker |
| Melanocorypha calandra | Calandra Lark |
| Galerida cristata | Crested Lark |
| Galerida theklae | Thekla Lark |
| Lullula arborea | Woodlark |
| Alauda arvensis | Eurasian Skylark |
| Ptyonoprogne rupestris | Eurasian Crag Martin |
| Hirundo rustica | Barn Swallow |
| Delichon urbicum | Common House Martin |
| Anthus pratensis | Meadow Pipit |
| Motacilla cinerea | Grey Wagtail |
| Motacilla alba | White Wagtail |
| Troglodytes troglodytes | Winter Wren |
| Prunella modularis | Dunnock |
| Erithacus rubecula | European Robin |
| Phoenicurus ochruros | Black Redstart |
| Saxicola rubicola | European Stonechat |
| Monticola solitarius | Blue Rock Thrush |
| Turdus merula | Common Blackbird |
| Turdus philomelos | Song Thrush |
| Turdus iliacus | Redwing |
| Turdus viscivorus | Mistle Thrush |
| Cettia cetti | Cetti's Warbler |
| Cisticola juncidis | Zitting Cisticola |
| Sylvia undata | Dartford Warbler |
| Sylvia melanocephala | Sardinian Warbler |
| Sylvia atricapilla | Eurasian Blackcap |
| Phylloscopus collybita | Common Chiffchaff |
| Regulus ignicapilla | Common Firecrest |
| Aegithalos caudatus | Long-tailed Tit |
| Lophophanes cristatus | European Crested Tit |
| Cyanistes caeruleus | Eurasian Blue Tit |
| Parus major | Great Tit |
| Sitta europaea | Eurasian Nuthatch |
| Certhia brachydactyla | Short-toed Treecreeper |
| Remiz pendulinus | Eurasian Penduline Tit |
| Lanius meridionalis | Southern Grey Shrike |
| Garrulus glandarius | Eurasian Jay |
| Cyanopica cookii | Azure-winged Magpie |
| Pica pica | Common Magpie |
| Corvus monedula | Western Jackdaw |
| Corvus corone | Carrion Crow |
| Corvus corax | Northern Raven |
| Sturnus unicolor | Spotless Starling |
| Passer domesticus | House Sparrow |
| Passer hispaniolensis | Spanish Sparrow |
| Passer montanus | Eurasian Tree Sparrow |
| Petronia petronia | Rock Sparrow |
| Estrilda astrild | Common Waxbill |
| Fringilla coelebs | Common Chaffinch |
| Serinus serinus | European Serin |
| Chloris chloris | European Greenfinch |
| Carduelis carduelis | European Goldfinch |
| Carduelis cannabina | Common Linnet |
| Pyrrhula pyrrhula | Eurasian Bullfinch |
| Coccothraustes coccothraustes | Hawfinch |
| Emberiza cirlus | Cirl Bunting |
| Emberiza cia | Rock Bunting |
| Emberiza calandra | Corn Bunting |