Spain Trip Report Andy Walker 2015 3rd-12th April 20151 http://awbirder.blogspot.co.uk Spain Birding/ I berian Lynx Trip Report April 3rd-12th 2015 Andy Walker http:/ / awbirder.blogspot.co.uk Iberian Lynx J eroen Vanheuverswyn April 2015 A familiarisation trip for Birding Ecotours http://birdingecotours.comSpain Trip Report Andy Walker 2015 3rd-12th April 20152 http://awbirder.blogspot.co.uk Outline Itinerary I had a bit of leave that needed using up so got chatting to a couple of friends and decided to go to Andalusia, southern Spain to look for Iberian Lynx and a few Spanish specialties. I t was also a great opportunity to do some scoping out for possible future tours to the region for Birding Ecotours. I had read a few trip reports that suggested April probably wasnt the best time to try for the Lynx (most people going in J anuary and February), but I planned an itinerary that offered me 3 or 4 days in the key areas with the hope that this would give me enough opportunity to try and connect, with the thought that there would at least be some migrants/interesting resident birds around whilst I waited for the Lynx. I purposefully left the second half of my week flexible so that if I wanted to stay in the Lynx area for longer I could, with the plan that Iwould try and get to some of the other decent birding areas in the region if time permitted. The general area visited (c/o Google) A short while before I left Igot speaking to a local York area birder, Paz Fletcher who was keen to join me for part of my trip, with the aim of seeking out Blind Mole and Spanish Festoon butterfly, with the Iberian Lynx being a decent incidental tick for him. So we got things organised. Paz decided hed come over for the first 7 days, and Id stay on for a few days after. Id had a lot of communication with Oliver Reville (Next Generation Birders) who I knew was going to be staying over there with a group so made loose plans to catch up with him if things fell into place. As things transpired Paz and I spent four nights in Virgin de la Cabeza (Hotel: Complejo La Mirada), followed by two nights in La Lantejuela (Hotel: Hotel Albanta). I then moved over to Alcala de los Gazules where I met up with Oliver and the NGB team for three nights. The eventual itinerary was as follows: 3rd April 2015 Early morning flight from Leeds Bradford to Malaga (J et2), travel to Andujar Area arriving late afternoon (overnight Virgin de la Cabeza); 4th April 2015 Andujar Area in the mountains looking for Iberian Lynx and following birds: Spanish Imperial Eagle, Black Vulture, Eurasian Griffon Vulture, Iberian Green Woodpecker, Iberian Grey Shrike, Black Wheatear, and Rock Bunting (overnight Virgin de la Cabeza); Spain Trip Report Andy Walker 2015 3rd-12th April 20153 http://awbirder.blogspot.co.uk 5th April 2015 Andujar Area in the mountains looking for Iberian Lynx and following birds: Spanish Imperial Eagle, Black Vulture, Eurasian Griffon Vulture, Iberian Green Woodpecker, Iberian Grey Shrike, Black Wheatear, and Rock Bunting (overnight Virgin de la Cabeza); 6th April 2015 Andujar Area: relaxed birding and some cultural stuff around Virgin de la Cabeza then looking for Iberian Lynx, butterflies and following birds in the lower areas along the Rio J andula: Spanish I mperial Eagle, Black Vulture, Iberian Green Woodpecker, Iberian Magpie, Nightingale, and Rock Bunting (overnight Virgin de la Cabeza); 7th April 2015 Early departure from Virgin de la Cabeza to the La Lantejuela Area focussing on a range of salinas and permanent ponds, and arable and grassland agricultural land looking for the following birds: White-headed Duck and other waterfowl, Black-winged Kite, Montagus Harrier, Great Bustard, Little Bustard, waders, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, and Iberian Yellow Wagtail (overnight La Lantejuela); 8th April 2015 La Lantejuela/Osuna Area all day. Morning birding for the aforementioned species, afternoon ringing for Lesser Kestrel, Common Kestrel, and Black-winged Kite (overnight La Lantejuela); 9th April 2015 Early morning departure from La Lantejuela to Alcala de los Gazules via Malaga (to drop Paz off), Tarifa, and Barbate. Target birds included a range of migrants (weather dependent, hopefully raptors and passerines and Audouins Gull) at Tarifa and a range of wildfowl and waders, and Northern Bald Ibis at Barbate (overnight Alcala de los Gazules); 10th April 2015 A day focussing on saltpan, wetland and farmland birds at Bonanza Salt Pans, Los Portugeuses, and Brazo del Este with the main target birds including: Marbled Duck (and a wide range of breeding and passage wildfowl and waders), Squacco Heron, Purple Swamphen, Collared Pratincole, Slender-billed Gull, Savis Warbler, Penduline Tit, Common Waxbill, and Black-headed Weaver (overnight Alcala de los Gazules); 11th April 2015 A day in the mountains in Montejaque (Llanos de Libar) targeting the following birds: Egyptian Vulture, Short-toed Eagle, Bonellis Eagle, Alpine Swift, Black Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush, Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush, Rock Sparrow, and Rock Bunting, and an evening at Cantarranas until dusk for Black-winged Kite, nightjars and owls (overnight Alcala de los Gazules); 12th April 2015 Relaxed morning departure from Alcala de los Gazules to Malaga via Tarifa to have a look for mote migrants, and Audouins Gulls. Afternoon flight Malaga to Leeds Bradford (J et2). A beautiful view along the Rio J andula just after the second Iberian Lynx spot Spain Trip Report Andy Walker 2015 3rd-12th April 20154 http://awbirder.blogspot.co.uk Background I nformation/ References/ Resources I had some really great (and appreciated) advice from Oliver Reville (NGB) on some decent places to go birding in Andalusia, and he forwarded me a couple of really useful trip reports specific to the Andujar/Iberian Lynx area. These had all the details I needed, and detailed annotated maps too. I dont know who they are authored by as no details but I can provide copies of them on request. As I was also going to do some birding in the Cadiz region I used J ohn Cantelos excellent Birding in Cadiz Province (J une 2014 version), is easily available with a google search. This huge document covers all the sites you could wish for, and importantly for me covered a few sites just outside Cadiz province, ones I was planning to visit. Thanks should go to J ohn for his report as it will have taken a lot of work to put that together. I found all of the information within the document to be accurate and helpful. I got to meet J ohn in Alcala de los Gazules so was able to thank him personally! I dont intend to detail instructions to all the sites visited (other than as in the outline itinerary above) because I couldnt add anything to J ohns notes, or those of the Andujar/Iberian Lynx trip reports. However, if anyone requires any specific advice/updates Im happy to provide it where possible. Where to Watch Birds in Southern and Western Spain (3rd Edition, 2008) was also quite useful at times for a bit of an overview. The Collins Bird Guide (book and app) was useful and I created a European bird song playlist for my IPhone based on CDs of European bird songs in my possession. We also used a couple of guide to European Butterflies and Mammals. Site, Travel and General I nformation I hired a car through Centauro (www.centauro.net), it worked out about 14 a day and we got picked up and dropped off at the airport to their centre, about a five minute drive from the airport. All went very smoothly. I hired a Ford Focus 1.6, it was brand new, had got 2 km on the clock. I wrecked it! It went on some appalling rocky roads, across a few farmers fields and along the new railway line being built when we were out ringing. I smashed a hole in the skid plate on the last day but they didnt seem to care so I didnt get charged any extra, a bit of luck! Fuel appeared cheap and I downloaded a satnav for my IPhone which worked a treat. Driving was fairly simple, decent main roads at least, and fairly quiet. Lots of speed cameras but not sure if they work. One of the many great things about Spain (other than the wildlife) was the quality food and drink. Paz and I ate at some really nice restaurants and cafs and did a supermarket trip in Andujar for food for our lunches lots of bread, meat, cheese, olives, cakes, nuts and fruit etc. which lasted the week. It was great to be able to spend some time getting to know some of the Next Generation Birders, I wish there was something like NGB when I was their age! They were a great group of people and left me feeling that the future of the UK birding scene is in good hands! Must say thank you to them for letting me doss down on their sofa for three nights and not shaving my eyebrows off etc! We also got lucky bumping into a couple of local birders/ringers (Manolo and Pepe) in La Lantejuela and because we could communicate with them in Spanish we managed to get a birding experience not many others would have had their first-hand local knowledge was great, and birding with them was great fun. Ive included a range of photos in the report. All of the photos in this report were taken with my Panasonic Lumix FZ-200, with a few off my IPhone. We met a Belgium wildlife watcher (J eroen Vanheuverswyn) in Andujar who got some decent photos of our first Iberian Lynx whilst he was stood next to us; he has very kindly let me use his photos in this report. Please take a look at the originals on his website if youd like to see more: https://liesenjeroen.wordpress.com/2015/04/21/spain-hunting-for-lynx-wolf-and-bear/ . The rest of the images are mine, mainly record shots more than anything else. Spain Trip Report Andy Walker 2015 3rd-12th April 20155 http://awbirder.blogspot.co.uk Birding/ Wildlife Highlights Iberian Lynx The main reason for our trip and the main highlight too. We ended up seeing two individuals. One from the main lookout area in Andujar along the road between Los Escoriales and La Lancha after a day of observing from an assortment of viewpoints with another seen the following day along the river (Rio J andula) as we walked towards El Encinarejo. The first sighting came very close to dusk on the 4th April, the Lynx miraculously appearing in front of a rock wed been looking at for hours, just moments before we were about to give up for the day. The Lynx was tracked as it moved up the valley at fairly close range before disappearing as easily as it had appeared. We were ecstatic with this observation, our first Iberian Lynx right there! We were shaking with excitement! Iberian Lynx J eroen Vanheuverswyn April 2015 Back of the camera I berian Lynx J eroen Vanheuverswyn April 2015 photographed on my IPhone! Spain Trip Report Andy Walker 2015 3rd-12th April 20156 http://awbirder.blogspot.co.uk The second sighting, along the river, was great fun. As we were quietly walking along the river mid-afternoon looking at butterflies and enjoying the Nightingale song on the 5th April I was suddenly aware of a huge number of Iberian Magpies (c50 birds) alarming and flying in to mob something I couldnt see until a Lynx walked out right in front of me on the opposite side of the river! Amazing sight! It quickly walked up through the meadow and out of view. But we were buzzing again! Paz and I celebrated big style with some amazing local food, and beer, wine and spirits after these two great sightings. We just couldnt get over the excitement of seeing the Iberian Lynx. Anything else after this point of the trip was just a bonus, a cherry on the top of the trip! Very nice local steak and cider in celebration of a successful Iberian Lynx chase Spanish Imperial Eagle Several seen of various ages during our time in the Andujar area. A truly magnificent eagle and great to be able to see well at times. Had one fly below us at one point. Spanish Imperial Eagle Spain Trip Report Andy Walker 2015 3rd-12th April 20157 http://awbirder.blogspot.co.uk Golden Eagle A couple of birds seen in the Andujar area. Egyptian Vulture One (adult) on a thermal in the Llanos de Libar (Montejaque) area. European Griffon Vulture Commonly recorded in the mountains, and some of the lowland areas. Black-winged Kite One see in the La Lantejuela area with two seen near dusk in the Cantarranas area. Black Vulture Several birds noted in with the European Griffon Vulture flocks in the Andujar area. A really huge bird! Black Vulture Short-toed Eagle A couple seen at a few locations, great views of a pair hunting in the Llanos de Libar (Montejaque), one of them perching close up on a rock. Short-toed Eagle Bonellis Eagle Seen nicely in the La Lantejuela area, and in the Llanos de Libar (Montejaque) Spain Trip Report Andy Walker 2015 3rd-12th April 20158 http://awbirder.blogspot.co.uk Booted Eagle Commonly recorded at a range of sites, an impressive hour or so at Tarifa gave brilliant views of 122 birds coming low in-off the sea after making the crossing from Morocco. Booted Eagle Booted Eagle Lesser Kestrel Amazing sightings! Paz and I got chatting to a couple of local bird ringers in the La Lantejuela area, and after having a few beers and some dinner (and a great laugh) with them we managed to get ourselves invited on some ringing the next day. We had a great afternoon catching Lesser and Common Kestrels at a variety of sites that the guys were monitoring. Male Lesser Kestrel Spain Trip Report Andy Walker 2015 3rd-12th April 20159 http://awbirder.blogspot.co.uk in the hand was pretty smart and definitely a trip highlight. The male Lesser Kestrel was actually quite sedate whereas the male Common Kestrel was a bit of a psycho! Lesser Kestrel - male Montagus Harrier One of my favourite raptors and seen well on a number of occasions, especially around the La Lantejuela area. Montagus Harrier - male Great Bustard An impressive count of 26 birds lekking in the Osuna area was a great sight, especially watching some of them doing their foam bath display. Little Bustard Several seen in the Osuna area, but far less numerous than the above species. White-headed Duck Common in the La Lantejuela area where several pairs showed well.Spain Trip Report Andy Walker 2015 3rd-12th April 201510 http://awbirder.blogspot.co.uk Marbled Duck A couple of birds at Los Portugueses were a little disappointing in reality!Northern Bald Ibis Great views of the important re-introduction scheme birds down at Barbate. Bizarre looking things! Northern Bald I bis Audouins Gull Cant beat a good seagull. A couple seen on the beach, and past the headland at Tarifa. Slender-billed Gull Loads of them at Bonanza Salt Pans, most in breeding plumage looking quite smart. Slender-billed Gull Spain Trip Report Andy Walker 2015 3rd-12th April 201511 http://awbirder.blogspot.co.uk Black-bellied Sandgrouse Good views of a couple of birds in the La Lantejuela area, followed by excellent views of a flock of about 35 birds at close range. Iberian Green Woodpecker Common in the Andujar area. Iberian Magpie Common in the Andujar area but not seen away from there (formerly Azure-winged Magpie). Iberian Grey Shrike Commonly recorded in a number of locations. Iberian Grey Shrike (left), and Black Wheatear (right) Black Wheatear Several seen well in the Llanos de Libar (Montejaque) area. Rock Bunting Several seen well in the Andujar and Llanos de Libar (Montejaque) areas. Spanish Festoon A very smart butterfly seen very well at a few locations, probably our best views along the river (Rio J andula) in the Andujar area and a definite highlight as both Paz and I really wanted to see this butterfly. Spanish Festoon Spain Trip Report Andy Walker 2015 3rd-12th April 201512 http://awbirder.blogspot.co.uk Birding Sites For details of all these sites (e.g. birding areas, access etc. refer to the documents cited above). Andujar Area: The area was really beautiful hilly ground. It was really quite hot and dry while we were here. The main quarry was the Iberian Lynx, which we saw. But we also recorded a wide range of cool bird species in our time here including: Red-legged Partridge (proper ones!), Black-crowned Night-Heron (5 birds in a roost), Osprey, Eurasian Griffon Vulture, Black Vulture (4 birds peak count), Golden Eagle (peak count 2 adults), Spanish Imperial Eagle (peak count 4 birds), Booted Eagle, Peregrine Falcon (awesome thermal display), Common Cuckoo, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Tawny Owl, Little Owl, Eurasian Scops Owl, Pallid Swift, Hoopoe, Eurasian Bee-eater, Iberian Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Thekla Lark, Woodlark, Crag Martin, Red-rumped Swallow, Nightingale, Common Redstart, Black Redstart, Western Black-eared Wheatear, Northern Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush, Cettis Warbler, Western Subalpine Warbler, Dartford Warbler, Western Bonellis Warbler, Pied Flycatcher, Crested Tit, Short-toed Treecreeper, I berian Grey Shrike, Woodchat Shrike, Iberian Magpie, Chough, Spotless Starling, Serin, Hawfinch, Cirl Bunting, and Rock Bunting. Woodchat Shrike Iphone-scoped (left), and Western Subalpine Warbler (right) Nightingale Paz is available for poem readings if youre looking for soemone Spain Trip Report Andy Walker 2015 3rd-12th April 201513 http://awbirder.blogspot.co.uk La Lantejuela/ Osuna Area: A range of almost-dry, or totally-dry salinas were fairly disappointing to be honest, though an area with permanent water (Laguna de Gobierno) was very good. Visiting here was a stroke of luck (we also bumped into the NGB group here!), because we met two really cool local birders/ringers who took us round for a couple of days to their secret/private sites for a wide-range of species. With their local knowledge we got some great birds. We also had a good time with them and had some good meals and drinks with them. A good number of birds were recorded here, some of the more interesting ones include: Shelduck, Red-crested Pochard, White-headed Duck, Quail, Black-necked Grebe, Cattle Egret, White Stork, Glossy Ibis, Eurasian Spoonbill, Greater Flamingo, Red Kite, Black Kite, Bonellis Eagle, Booted Eagle, Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier, Montagus Harrier, Black-winged Kite, Common Kestrel, Lesser Kestrel, Great Bustard, Little Bustard, Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Stone-curlew, Kentish Plover, Gull-billed Tern, Whiskered Tern, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Little Owl, Hoopoe, Eurasian Bee-eater, Roller, Iberian Green Woodpecker, Greater Short-toed Lark, Calandra Lark, Crested Lark, Red-rumped Swallow, Nightingale, Stonechat, Tawny Pipit, Iberian Yellow Wagtail, Zitting Cisticola, Iberian Grey Shrike, Woodchat Shrike, Raven, Spotless Starling, Spanish Sparrow, Serin, and Corn Bunting. Common Kestrel (left), and Lesser Kestrel (right) European Roller (left), and Little Owl (right) Spain Trip Report Andy Walker 2015 3rd-12th April 201514 http://awbirder.blogspot.co.uk White-headed Duck Tarifa: Spectacular place! I went twice, both times the wind was unbearable, but it didnt prevent me from seeing and enjoying some impressive raptor passage, the wooded/scrubby valleys producing a few decent migrants too. Highlights here included: White Stork (66 in-off), Osprey (1 in-off), Short-toed Eagle (1 in-off), Booted Eagle (122 birds in-off including 96 pale, and 26 dark birds), Black Kite (12 in-off), Marsh Harrier (1 in-off), Montagus Harrier (1 in-off), Lesser Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Audouins Gull, Gull-billed Tern, Turtle Dove, Common Swift (350 in-off in 15 minute watch), Hoopoe, Eurasian Bee-eater (45+ in-off), Nightingale (c20+), Common Redstart, Western Black-eared Wheatear, Stonechat, Blackcap, Pied Flycatcher, Woodchat Shrike, Golden Oriole, and Cirl Bunting. The beach area also produced some interesting passerines and gulls/terns including Audouins Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Sandwich Tern, Greater Short-toed Lark, Whinchat, Stonechat, and British Yellow Wagtail. It was quite cool, once the cloud lifted to be able to look across at Morocco. Booted Eagle Spain Trip Report Andy Walker 2015 3rd-12th April 201515 http://awbirder.blogspot.co.uk Audouins Gull (left and right) both IPhone-scoped in gale-force winds Barbate: I stopped here to take a look at the re-introduction breeding colony of Northern Bald Ibis, certainly an impressively ugly looking bird. Great views of them. I spent the early evening looking over some nearby waterbodies and had a few nice birds, the highlight being a flock of 96 Common Pratincole. Other birds noted included: Eurasian Spoonbill, Little Egret, Greater Flamingo, Marsh Harrier, Montagus Harrier, Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Little Stint, Caspian Tern, Pallid Swift, Iberian Yellow Wagtail, Common Whitethroat, and Woodchat Shrike. Eurasian Spoonbill in the evening sunlight Bonanza Salt Pans: A really great place, loads of waders, and good views of most. I drove a random way around the saltpans and went off road along a rather bumpy 4x4 track to an area of scrub to look for migrant passerines. Highlights in the area included: Greater Flamingo, Osprey, Booted Eagle, Black Kite, Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Collared Pratincole, Kentish Plover, Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint, Slender-billed Gull, Little Tern, Lesser Short-toed Lark, Garden Warbler, and Western Subalpine Warbler. Spain Trip Report Andy Walker 2015 3rd-12th April 201516 http://awbirder.blogspot.co.uk Greater Flamingo Black-winged Stilt (left), and Curlew Sandpiper (right) Los Portugeuses: Didnt spend too long here, just really driving through on my way between Bonanza Salt Pans and Brazo del Este. However I did get my two main targets here, Marbled Duck and Purple Swamphen. I did also see Lesser Short-toed Lark and a field full of White Storks. Brazo del Este: Really liked it here. Spent an afternoon checking the site out, I thought I was in the wrong place as I was driving through arable farmland, but then suddenly you hit the old ox-bow lakes and birds are everywhere! Some of the highlights here included: Garganey, Red-crested Pochard, Black-crowned Night Heron, Squacco Heron (2), Little Egret, Great Egret, Purple Heron, Glossy Ibis, Eurasian Spoonbill, Black Kite, Montagus Harrier, Lesser Kestrel, Purple Swamphen, Stone-curlew, Collared Pratincole, Wood Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, Black-tailed Godwit, Ruff, Gull-billed Tern, Whiskered Tern, Hoopoe, Eurasian Bee-eater, Iberian Yellow Wagtail, Sedge Warbler, Spain Trip Report Andy Walker 2015 3rd-12th April 201517 http://awbirder.blogspot.co.uk Cettis Warbler, Savis Warbler, Reed Warbler, Great Reed Warbler, Penduline Tit, I berian Grey Shrike, Woodchat Shrike, Common Waxbill, and Black-headed Weaver. Glossy Ibis (left), and I berian Yellow Wagtail (right) Squacco Heron Montejaque (Llanos de Libar): This was a spectacular place great landscape and lots of great mountain birds. I did have difficulty with my satnav here as it wanted to take my up a road that simply wasnt wide enough for my car! Once I got on the correct road, minus a couple of wing mirrors I could enjoy the place. Lots of good birds here, highlights included: Eurasian Griffon Vulture, Spain Trip Report Andy Walker 2015 3rd-12th April 201518 http://awbirder.blogspot.co.uk Egyptian Vulture, Short-toed Eagle, Booted Eagle, Bonellis Eagle, Black Kite, Peregrine Falcon, Little Owl, Alpine Swift, Hoopoe, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Crag Martin, Nightingale, Robin, Black Redstart, Northern Wheatear, Western Black-eared Wheatear, Black Wheatear, European Stonechat, Blue Rock Thrush, Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush, Blackcap, Western Subalpine Warbler, Western Bonellis Warbler, Firecrest, Wren, Nuthatch, Short-toed Treecreeper, Iberian Grey Shrike, Woodchat Shrike, Chough, Raven, Rock Sparrow, Hawfinch, Cirl Bunting, Corn Bunting, and Rock Bunting. Western Black-eared Wheatear (left), and European Stonechat (right) European Bee-eater Cantarranas: I spent just an evening here but had good (but distant) views of two Black-winged Kites. Other birds noted included: Marsh Harrier, Montagus Harrier, Common Buzzard, Eurasian Scops Owl, Tawny Owl, Quail, Crested Lark, and Corn Bunting. Spain Trip Report Andy Walker 2015 3rd-12th April 201519 http://awbirder.blogspot.co.uk Corn Bunting (left), and Crested Lark (right) Sunset on the final evening Cantarranas Spain Trip Report Andy Walker 2015 3rd-12th April 201520 http://awbirder.blogspot.co.uk Summary Spain really is a great place for birding and wildlife watching, its also a great place for quality food and drink, and a good time. Paz and I had a really brilliant time and I cant wait to get back. To see two Iberian Lynx was way more than I could have hoped for, such an incredible animal. A number of exciting birds were seen too Spanish Imperial Eagle being one of the best. Huge thanks to Oliver Reville and NGB too, and also to Manolo and Pepe but mainly for Paz for teaching me all I wanted to know, and more on Blind Mole. Alas we dipped, but youve got to have a reason to go back, right? If you would like any further information please drop me an email to andywalker1000 AT hotmail.com subject Spain Birding Thanks, Andy7th August 2015. The very happy team after an awesome days birding (Pepe, Andy, Paz and Manolo) Andy works for Birding Ecotours check out the Guides Page for his general details and those of his upcoming tours here: http://birdingecotours.com/staff/andrew-walker or the following link to a recent Q&A session on the Birding Ecotours blog: http://birdingecotours.com/getting-to-know-andy-walker/. Spain Trip Report Andy Walker 2015 3rd-12th April 201521 http://awbirder.blogspot.co.uk Complete Bird List I recorded 190 bird species during the trip (see list below), about 143 of those while I was birding with Paz. The above were the highlights however there was plenty of other great birds, or birding experiences with more common species. 1.Common Shelduck2.Gadwall 3.Mallard 4.Garganey 5.Marbled Duck 6.Northern Shoveler 7.Red-crested Pochard 8.Common Pochard 9.White-headed Duck 10.Red-legged Partridge 11.Scopolis Shearwater 12.Balearic Shearwater 13.Northern Gannet 14.Common Quail 15.Great Cormorant 16.European Shag 17.Black-crowned Night Heron 18.Squacco Heron 19.Western Cattle Egret 20.Little Egret 21.Eurasian Great Egret 22.Grey Heron 23.Purple Heron 24.White Stork 25.Glossy Ibis 26.Northern Bald Ibis 27.Eurasian Spoonbill 28.Greater Flamingo 29.Little Grebe 30.Great Crested Grebe 31.Black-necked Grebe 32.Short-toed Eagle 33.Eurasian Griffon Vulture 34.Cinereous Black Vulture 35.Egyptian Vulture36.Spanish Imperial Eagle 37.Golden Eagle 38.Bonellis Eagle 39.Booted Eagle 40.Western Osprey 41.Black-winged Kite42.Black Kite 43.Red Kite 44.Eurasian Marsh Harrier 45.Hen Harrier 46.Montagus Harrier 47.Eurasian Sparrowhawk 48.Common Buzzard 49.Merlin 50.Peregrine Falcon 51.Common Kestrel 52.Lesser Kestrel 53.Purple Swamphen 54.Common Moorhen 55.Common Coot 56.Little Bustard 57.Great Bustard 58.Black-winged Stilt 59.Pied Avocet 60.Eurasian Stone-curlew 61.Collared Pratincole 62.Little Ringed Plover 63.Common Ringed Plover 64.Kentish Plover 65.Grey Plover 66.Red Knot 67.Ruff 68.Curlew Sandpiper 69.Sanderling 70.European Dunlin 71.Little Stint 72.Common Snipe 73.European Black-tailed Godwit 74.Common Sandpiper 75.Green Sandpiper 76.Spotted Redshank 77.Common Greenshank 78.Wood Sandpiper 79.Common Redshank 80.Black-headed Gull 81.Audouins Gull 82.Slender-billed Gull 83.Lesser Black-backed Gull 84.Yellow-legged Gull 85.Gull-billed Tern 86.Caspian Tern 87.Little Tern 88.Whiskered Tern 89.Sandwich Tern 90.Common Tern 91.Black-bellied Sandgrouse 92.Rock Dove 93.Feral Pigeon 94.Common Wood Pigeon 95.Eurasian Collared Dove 96.European Turtle Dove 97.Monk Parakeet 98.Great Spotted Cuckoo99.Common Cuckoo 100. Eurasian Scops Owl 101. Little Owl 102. Tawny Owl Spain Trip Report Andy Walker 2015 3rd-12th April 201522 http://awbirder.blogspot.co.uk 103. Common Swift 104. Pallid Swift 105. Alpine Swift 106. European Bee-eater 107. European Roller 108. Eurasian Hoopoe 109. Iberian Green Woodpecker 110. Great Spotted Woodpecker 111. Eurasian Golden Oriole 112. Iberian Grey Shrike 113. Woodchat Shrike 114. Red-billed Chough 115. Eurasian J ay 116. Iberian Magpie 117. Eurasian Magpie 118. Western J ackdaw 119. Common Raven 120. Common Firecrest 121. Eurasian Penduline Tit 122. Eurasian Blue Tit 123. Great Tit 124. Crested Tit 125. Greater Short-toed Lark 126. Lesser Short-toed Lark 127. Woodlark 128. Crested Lark 129. Thekla Lark 130. Calandra Lark 131. Barn Swallow 132. House Martin 133. Crag Martin 134. Red-rumped Swallow 135. Cettis Warbler 136. Long-tailed Tit 137. Common Chiffchaff 138. Iberian Chiffchaff 139. Willow Warbler. 140. Eurasian Blackcap 141. Garden Warbler 142. Common Whitethroat 143. Spectacled Warbler 144. Dartford Warbler 145. Western Subalpine Warbler 146. Sardinian Warbler 147. Savis Warbler 148. Sedge Warbler 149. Fan-tailed Warbler 150. Eurasian Reed Warbler 151. Great Reed Warbler 152. Eurasian Nuthatch 153. Short-toed Treecreeper 154. Eurasian Wren 155. Spotless Starling 156. Blue Rock Thrush 157. Common Blackbird 158. Mistle Thrush 159. European Robin 160. Common Nightingale 161. European Pied Flycatcher 162. Common Redstart 163. Black Redstart 164. Whinchat 165. Common Stonechat 166. Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush 167. Northern Wheatear 168. Western Black-eared Wheatear 169. Black Wheatear 170. House Sparrow 171. Spanish Sparrow 172. Tree Sparrow 173. Common Rock Sparrow 174. Grey Wagtail 175. White Wagtail 176. Iberian Western Yellow Wagtail 177. British Western Yellow Wagtail 178. Tawny Pipit 179. Common Chaffinch 180. European Serin 181. European Greenfinch 182. European Goldfinch 183. Hawfinch 184. Common Linnet 185. Cirl Bunting 186. Rock Bunting 187. Common Reed Bunting 188. Corn Bunting 189. Common Waxbill 190. Black-headed Weaver Spain Trip Report Andy Walker 2015 3rd-12th April 201523 http://awbirder.blogspot.co.uk A Few Photos Algerian (Large) Psammodromus Lizard (Psammodromus algirus) (left), and Iberian Wall Lizard (right) Small Heath (left), and Wall Brown (right) Clouded Yellow (left), and Common Blue (right) Spain Trip Report Andy Walker 2015 3rd-12th April 201524 http://awbirder.blogspot.co.uk La Lancha area, Andujar Rio J andula area, Andujar, with Paz enjoying the view Road signs in the Andujar area to remind you what youre looking for, and to not run them over!Spain Trip Report Andy Walker 2015 3rd-12th April 201525 http://awbirder.blogspot.co.uk Enjoying Lesser Kestrel ringing and Sandgrouse spotting! The Montejaque area Spain Trip Report Andy Walker 2015 3rd-12th April 201526 http://awbirder.blogspot.co.uk Mirror Orchid Sawfly Orchid (left), and Champagne Orchid (right)