Western Palearctic Birding

Morocco, March 2005

Our first exploration of North Africa and a trip that was long in the planning.

Initially we had dismissed doing the whole of the Morocco rounds in this trip because of time limitations but having chatted at length with Steve and Dot Smith it became apparant that is was indeed doable.

So, the objective of the trip became a complete clean up of all the specialist species from north to south!

There are a number of routes a trip to Morocco can take but our itinerary involved flying into Marrakech, taking the route westwards to the coast at Oued Massa, then driving south along the coast to Agadir and Oued Sous before heading back to Marrakech. From there we then struck north through Settat and further north to the coast again at Temara Plage and Merga Zerga. From there we headed generally south east through Ifrane and Azrou before cutting through the Atlas Mountains and continuing south to Merzouga on the edge of the Sahara. Then it was west along the southern edge of the mountains to Boumalne du Dades then north over the Tizi n Tichka pass and up to the alpine ski resort of Oukameiden. From there it was a simple drive back down to Marrakech.

The sites we visited in chronological order were:

Oued Tamri

Paradise Plage, Taghazoute

Oued Sous

Oued Massa

Lac de Sidi Bouhaba

Moulay Bousalem

Sidi Bettache

Dayet Aoua, Ifrane

area east of Ifrane

Lac de Sidi Ali

Cafe Yasmina, Erfoud

area around Auberge Kasbah Derkaoua

area west of Rissani

Tagdilt Track

Riverbed at ??

Oukameiden

As ever we only booked our 1st nights hotel and then relied upon our trust Rough Guide to find suitable accommodation. The standards found were pretty good on the whole with no dives encountered. Prices were cheap (typically £8 - £10 each for a room) with some deals including breakfast and even dinner. We stayed at:

7 March - Hotel Agdal, Marrakech (adequate)

8 March - Hotel Hagouina, Inezgane (probably the roughest place we stayed in but still OK)

9 March - Hotel du Parc, Settat (quite a plush country club)

10 March - Hotel Panorama, Temara Plage (pretty good)

11 March - Hotel Azrou, Azrou (good, with interesting local characters!)

12 March - Hotel El Farah Zouar, Merzouga (adequate)

13 March - Auberge Kasbah Derkaoua, Merzouga (fantastic desert retreat and so atmospheric, great food)

14 March - Hotel Le Soleil Bleu, Boumalne du Dades (adequate)

15 March - Hotel Chez Ju Ju, Oukameiden (a little rough around the edges but a great location and great food, 3 meals included)

16 March - Hotel Jasmine, Marrakech (clean, sterile but adequate)

Driving in Morocco is interesting to say the least! In urban areas it's a complete free for all with the added complication of other road users (abusers!) not bothering with lights at night. Although road surfaces are good the going is slow on some of the routes because of heavy traffic. The worst stretches we encountered were the roads west out of Marrakech, the road north out of Marrakech towards Settat and the road through the mountains between Agadir and Marrakech. In the south the roads were much emptier than in the north. We saw all manner of other vehicles from heavy lorries through to donkeys and carts and barrows on the back of bikes!

7 March 2005

Our flight from Heathrow arrived in the mid-afternoo so birding was limited to a little chance sightings around our hotel in central Marrakech. Still, we did score with our first WP tick of the trip in the form of a Common Bulbul plus c350 House Sparrows at roost and a single Chiffchaff.

8 March 2005

Today was essentially our first real day and when we really started clocking up our first birds. Before we did any of that though we had a little encounter with an angry local outside our hotel! Having parked our hire car in a side street beside the hotel the prvious evening we were greeted by what we later found out was a 'guardian' who proceeded to carry our bags, adjust our wing mirrors and generally bow and scrape. This was unwelcome attention which we dismissed and drove off quickly without giving him the tip he obviously wanted. Unfortunately our road led us to a cul-de-sac so we had to turn round and drive back past him as he threatened to put the brick he was waving through our windscreen! Welcome to the continent of Africa!

We then proceeded to fight our way through the mass of traffic, humanity and Pallid Swifts and out on the road west from the city. The journey to Agadir was a slow one but enlivened by c12 Common Bulbuls, c4 Southern Grey Shrikes, 2 Woodchats, 3 Hoopoes, numerous Cattle Egrets and White Storks but these were surpassed by our first House Bunting.

The route south from Agadir to Tamri then yielded some more goodies including 2-3 stunning Moussier's Redstarts (between Taghazoute and Cap Rhir), a Black Wheatear and 4 Audouin's Gulls loafing on the beach near Tamrhakht.

Upon reaching Oued Tamri we then embarked upon a fruitless search for Bald Ibis. Up and down the stretch of coast we worked but failed to locate any. We then got flagged down by a local at the side of the road who kindly offered to show us where they were.Although we were slightly wary we figured there wasn't much he could do to the 3 of us by himself so he jumped in and we were off down a track towards the estuary. And he was good to his word - 31 Bald Ibis were quickly located and watched extremely well. What's more he didn't want any more payment than a lift back into the village! As we were to find out in the coming days this is very unusual in Morocco! The area was pretty species rich too and we notched up some point blank views of House Bunting where we were watching the Ibises from plus 1 Subalpine Warbler, 3 Chiffchaffs, 3 Serins, a Red-rumped Swallow, Yellow Wagtail, 9 Ravens, 2 Gannets offshore, 1 Yellow-legged Gull and an impressive 50 Audouin's Gulls at the river mouth.

Next up we drove through nearby Paradise Plage where a shout from me saw us quickly watching a roadside Black-crowned Tchagra followed by a celebrationary tea where a House Bunting shared the cafe floor. On the beach here we also found a Lesser Crested Tern, 8 Sandwich Terns and 36 Audouin's Gulls.

With a view to spending a reasonable amount of time at the tidal estuary of Oued Sous in the evening we then made our way into Inezgane to secure our overnight room in plenty of time. This 'town' is really one enormous (and rather sleazy) taxi rank with the square full of the local pale blue taxis. Despite some language problems Andy got by with his smattering of french and we booked a room for 3 in the functional Hotel Hagouina in one corner of the square and fought our way through the traffic to Oued Sous.

The site is one of extensive and rather poor quality dried out saltmarsh on the northern edge of a muddy estuary with the marsh also bordered by the wall of a presidential palace (of which there are quite a few in Morocco). The area is guarded by the military but the one guard by a barrier across the track didn't seem bothered by our presence and was more interested in blagging one of Andy's fags! The entrance track gave us both Barbary Partridge and the curious blue-faced local race of Magpie.

During the last couple of hours of daylight we managed a host of good birds which seriously boosted the trip list. Waders included c6 Stone Curlew, c40 Kentish Plovers, 2 Little Ringed Plovers and 1 Little Stint as well as Greenshank, Grey Plover, Sanderling, Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Knot, Redshank, Curlew and Snipe. A Kingfisher perched obligingly in front of us as we scanned the gulls on the estuary and picked out 6 Slender-billed Gulls and 4 Mediterranean Gulls. Other goodies included c250 Greater Flamingoes, 6 Spoonbills, a Cormorant of the white-breasted 'maroccanus' form, an Osprey, c5 Sardinian Warblers, 2+ Serins and 3+ Fan-tailed Warblers. As the light began to fade we made or way towards the palace walls as the security lights flickered on for the night in search of our main target bird - Red-necked Nightjar which is said to hunt underneath the lights. Justy got a brief view of one in the middle of the saltmarsh but very frustratingly it didn't shown again. Until 30 mins later when one was picked up gliding along the track by the wall and then watched at ludicrously close range as it sat still on the deck. A bogey bird well and truly laid to rest!

That night we found a local kitchen/bar in the square in Inezgane and dined on roast chicken as we joined the locals watching Chelsea beat Barcelona in the Champions League.

9 March 2005

Our next port of call on the southern coastal leg of the trip was Oued Massa to the south of Inezgane. En route along the coast road we saw a male Cirl Bunting on roadside wires, 1 Turtle Dove and a Woodchat as well as 2 House Buntings (the first of which was inside our hotel in the corridor!)

Upon arrival at in the village of Massa we found the target bird in the form of 10+ Laughing Doves and then quickly proceeded to the high ground north of the village picking up a local bird 'guide' on the way. This young guy didn't prove to be much help and was more interested in following us around, looking at our Collins Bird Guide and pointing out the blatantly obvious through his Miranda bins! Needless to say he didn't get the money he wanted when we eventually managed to shake him off!

The rolling desert like high ground to the north of the village yielded 13 Cream-coloured Coursers, 5 Stone Curlews, a Tawny Pipit and several Lesser Short-toed Larks before we ventured down to the estuary of Oued Massa itself. A thoroughly rewarding walk along the track on the north side of the estuary gave us our wanted Brown-throated Sand Martins and we saw 10+ at their small nesting colony in the bank beside the track. The number of species seen was impressive with the pick being a Ferruginous Duck, 4 Pintail, 1 Spoonbill, 1 Squacco Heron, an amazing 214 Glossy Ibis, 1 Osprey, 2 Barbary Partridges, 5 Black-winged Stilts, 2 Little Owls and 3 Red-rumped Swallows. Passerines were well represented too with some giving some very good views indeed - c6 Moussier's Redstarts, 4 Blue Rock Thrushes, 1 Subalpine Warbler, several Sardinian Warblers, 2 Cettis Warblers, several Fan-tailed Warblers, 3 'iberiae' Yellow Wagtails, 2 House Buntings and some memorable views of 3 Black-crowned Tchagras.

Needing to cover a lot of miles meant the rest of the day and well into the evening were spent on the torturous drive from Oued Massa to Settat via Marrakech. Although Settat wasn't our planned overnight place to stay but the slowness of the journey and heavy traffic dictated we stop short of our intended destination. In the end we found the very nice country club-like Hotel du Parc just outside the town which had a decent if rather surreal bar and did the job nicely. On the drive we only saw c25 Spanish Sparrows and 2 Southern Grey Shrikes of any note.

10 March 2005

Upon leaving the hotel in the morning we immediately had a fly-past Great Spotted Cuckoo to get the day off to a good start before we headed north towards the coast.

First stop was the lake of Lac de Sidi Bouhaba a well known breeding site for Crested Coot. And so it proved with c30 seen very easily almost as soon as we got there. Wildfowl were very well represented and probably the rarest Moroccan bird of the trip found by us - a drake Ring-necked Duck. Add to this c75 Little Grebes, 3 Black-necked Grebes, 1000+ Shoveler, 3 Gadwall, 5 Pintail, c12 Red-crested Pochard, a smart drake Ferruginous Duck, c600 Pochard and 10 Tufted Duck. The other speciality of the site took some winkling out but eventually we found c30 Marbled Duck loafing under overhanging vegetation. Around the lake we also has c40 Greater Flamingoes, c25 Spoonbills that circled in, 1 Purple Gallinule, c10 Marsh Harriers, 1 Kingfisher, 2 Barbary Partridges, 1 Grey Wagtail, c10 Cettis Warblers and 2 Sardnian Warblers. Venturing back towards the town of Merdya we then located a flock of c15 Lesser Kestrels hunting over waste ground on the edge of a dilapidated housing estate.

One of the most eagerly anticipated sites was next as we made the relatively short drive to the north side of the famous Merja Zerga to the village of Moulay Bousselam. Here the walled campsite was easily found and having paid our small entrance fees we were allowed to drive in and bird at our leisure. There were a few campers on one side of the campsite but the other (western) half was completely empty and we encountered none of the hassles of local children that we'd read about in several trip reports. After wandering for some while I flushed an African Marsh Owl out of some low trees and despite my yell nobody else got onto it. Andy scored next and then it was a frustrating 15 minutes before Justy bagged his first sighting and it was grins all round! Over the next hour and a half or so we got several more good views but only of flying birds but reckoned on at least 3 individuals. What an enigmatic species. A Black-shouldered Kite posed on top of a tall spindly tree and 2 Little Owls, 1 Sparrowhawk, 3 Hoopoes and c10 Song Thrushes joined the numerous Cattle Egrets to compete for our attention.

After an interesting drive through the slum villages on the edge of the Merja Zerga and some great views of no less than 4 Black-shouldered Kites we made our way to the costal resort of Temara Plage and found the pretty good Hotel Panorama. The terrace restaurant here provided a relaxing evening at the end of a logn but rewarding day. Travelling throughout the day had also produced many White Storks and Cattle Egrets, c240 Black Kites, 1 Booted Eagle, 1 Marsh Harrier and a Raven showing that a northerly passage was underway.

11 March 2005

No rest for the wicked! We were up pre-dawn because of the important of being at our next site at Sidi Bettache at the first glimmers of daylight. So despite taking a wrong turning in the dark we were still on the small carpark in time and within a few minutes were hearing the calls of Double-spurred Francolin. Picking one up in the gloom and tricky habitat was another matter though but eventually I located one in the scope and a panicky few minutes later we were all enjoying views as it sat on the top of a bush calling. The curious habitat of rolling hills and thick impenetrable thron bushes makes this a difficult site to work and it is absolutely essential tio be there at dawn as the birds only call for about 30 mins and then shut up for the rest of the day. In all we had 3 birds calling but only managed views of 1. A wander up and down the road resulted in a few other goodies too with 4+ Black-shoulderd Kites, a Little Owl, 2 Barbary Partridges, 1 Woodlark singing on wires, 1 Black-crowned Tchagra, 1 Wren and 2 'africana' Chaffinches as well as the very common Serins and Sardinian Warblers.

We left the site and then began a drive in a roughly SE direction through arable areas towards the alpine feeling town of Ifrane. This was a complete change of scenery with woodland, hills and almost Swiss feel to it. En route we encountered a few raptors obviously still moving with c30 Short-toed Eagles, 2 Booted Eagles, 1 Long-legged Buzzard, 1 Montagu's Harrier, c20 Black Kites, 1 Sparrowhawk and 5+ Lesser Kestrels.

Close to Ifrane is the lake and woodland of Dayet Aoua which we headed for upon arrival. Despite it's obvious scenic attractions we found the site a frustrating one. This was because although we saw plenty of supporting cast our main target Levaillant's Green Woodpecker proved a real bugger to find! The lake itself held numerous Pochard, Shoveler, Little Grebes, Crested Coot and Common Coot together with 4+ Black-necked Grebes and 2 Ruddy Shelduck whilst waders were represented by c30 Black-winged Stilts, c6 Green Sandpipers and a couple of Redshank. Wandering around for ages in all accessible areas of woodland gave us 7 Short-toed Treecreepers, c5 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, several Firecrests, 2 Black Redstarts, 2 Coals Tits, c15 Mistle Thrushes, a Hoopoe, 2 Cirl Buntings, 8 Rock Sparrows and a Southern Grey Shrike. Then almost at the death in an area of pine woodland up a side road we got our bird! 2 Levaillant's Green Woodpeckers (male and female) eventually gave themselves up and provided some excellent views and even allowed photography!

Feeling rather relieved and elated we then explored the area to the east of Ifrane but failed to find very much. Just 1 Long-legged Buzzard perched on a brush pile and a squabble of c200 Ravens, c6 White Storks and c4 Black Kites around a rubbish dump.

That night we found accommodation at The Hotel Azrou in the town and ate tagine that evening in the hotel restaurant. A rather colourful character (who we later found out to be a lecturer in English at a local school) was slowly getting drunk on wine in the corner of the restuarant and engaged us in some hilarious conversation which contained a phase which has since become immortalised - 'tell me my friends, how is Shakespeare perceived in England?'!

12 March 2005

We started the morning at a very relaxed pace by eating breakfast outside a cafe in Azrou town while we watched the hustle and bustle. The pastries and coffee went down very well as did our only Alpine Swift of the trip around the church opposite plus our only Jackdaws a Grey Wagtail and c20 Cattle Egrets over.

We eventually tore ourselves away from the town (which we all agreed was our favourite of the whole trip) and began our long drive south through the eastern Atlas Mountains and down to the edge of the desert at Erfoud.

The drive was an very interesting one punctuated by several stops and loads of new birds as the habitat changed.

As we moved gradually south the landscape became more arid and we had our first Red-rumped Wheatear perched on roadside wires and soon afterwards other wheatears started to appear and included 2 nice male Seebohm's Wheatears, a total of c8 White-crowned Black Wheatears, c20 Black Wheatears, 1 Northern Wheatear and 3 Desert Wheatears. The journey totals all the way to Erfoud also included 3 Desert Larks, numerous Thekla Larks, 1 Lesser Short-toed Lark, 15+ Rock Sparrows. Our main top on the journey was at the high altitude Lac de Sidi Ali set on a bleak and snowy plateaux. This site is renowned for it's breeding Ruddy Shelduck and sure enough we found 41 close to the lake together with a Blue Rock Thrush and a Thekla Lark. On the windswept lake were numerous Pochard, Mallard and Common Coot. A stop for tea at a roadside cafe next to an escarpment gave us 2 Crag Martins, Booted Eagle and Short-toed Eagle as well and 2 cats shagging on the garage forecourt! As can be seen it was an extremely rich journey in terms of WP ticks!

Dropping down the valley on the southern side of the pass over the Atlas Mountains we could see a stange orangey coloured cloud further down the valley to the south and within about 30 minutes were were driving through our very first sandstorm. Welcome to the Sahara! By the time we reached Erfoud the storm was in full swing and emerging from our car in front of the Hotel El Farah Zonar was fun to say the least. Despite all this we were still hassled by touts wanting to sell us 4-wheel drive tours into the desert despite the fact that you couldn't see past your nose and we just wanted to get checked into the hotel! We saw the storm out from the shelter of our room and eventually managed to venture out a couple of hours later. We made our way along the track leading south into the desert As the track petered out we were met by an enterprising Berber on his moped offering to escort us safely through the desert but as the light was fading we thought better of it and decided to return in the morning.

That night we braved the streets of Erfoud and were pounced upon at every turn but locals wanting to sell us asorted crap or to come into their restaurant. In the end we found a quiet place to eat off the main streets.

13 March 2005

With some trepidation we set off along the same track as the previous evening.

As we'd seen a few hours earlier the first few miles of this track are pretty uninspiring. They are litter strewn, flat wasteland and nothing like the pristine desert we were expecting. Soon the 'under construction' track began to peter out and we found our Berber on moped waiting in the same spot as he has been the previous night. He was annoying to say the least but for not very much money he offered to escort us through the desert, avoiding the soft sandy parts that we would have got stuck in and on to Cafe Jasmina. It was a bizzare experience following him through the desert but quickly the scenery began to improve and we could see the hugely impressive dunes of Erg Chebbi getting ever closer. Zig-zagging our way we eventually reached Cafe Yasmina and parking in the large courtyard we agreed to be left alone for a couple of hours while we birded the area around the cafe. And what a couple of hours it proved to be! Despite the attentions of a tiresome fossil pedler we quickly located a pair of Desert Sparrows that showed nicely on the perimeter wall of the cafe before we turned out attentions to a promising looking area of scrub and bushes. Stalking an elusive sylvia from bush to bush proved a very good move when it revealed itself to be a stunning male Tristram's Warbler. The area proved to be an excellent oasis for tired migrants in the desert with 3 White-crowned Black Wheatears, 1 Black-eared Wheatear, 1 Northern Wheatear, a Hoopoe, 2 Crested Larks, c3 Sardinian Warblers, 1 Southern Grey Shrike, a yellowish Chiffchaff which was probably an Iberian and a flock of c50 Short-toed Larks. Circling not far away were also c10 Brown-necked Ravens.

On our return to the car we were almost immediately ushered into the cafe where we had to sit on cushions and make small talk while we enjoyed what was nicknamed 'berber whiskey', yep, you got it - mint tea! Our man then insisted he escort us to Merzouga with the promise of a vist to his uncles house when we got there. En-route we stopped at a cultivated oasis where a walk around yielded 3 Chiffchaffs, 1 Willow Warbler, 2 Blackbirds and a Sardinian Warbler before we continued to Merzouga. Here, to our enormous surprise (not!) our man's uncle's house turned out to be a shop where they tried to pressure sell us various rugs and trinkets! Myself and Andy held firm but Justy eventually gave in under the onslaught and purchased a rug at the bargain price of quite a bit! Meanwhile Andy and I were outside watching White-crowned Black Wheatear and Laughing Dove and doing a fair bit of laughing ourselves!

Finally we managed to shake off our host and made our way the short distance to our accommodation at the Auberge Kasbah Derkaoua and found a Cream-coloured Courser on the way. And what a place to relax with birding on the doorstep! I can't recommend this place more highly for the atmosphere, birding, food or standard of accommodation - it was excellent. Having checked in we explored the lush and watered grounds and the adjacent scrub and palms. Around the grounds there were plenty of sylvias including 3 Subalpine Warblers, 1 Spectacled Warbler and c5 Sardinian Warblers plus Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs, 1 Desert Wheatear, c4 White-crowned Black Wheatears, Woodchat and Southern Grey Shrike. Birds of the evening though were the 2 Fulvous Babblers that eventually gave themselves up in palms having been found in a large cane break along the entrance track.

That night we tried for Egyptian Nightjar which are reputedly in the area and hunt around the pool at dusk - not that night though! The beef and prune tagine was to die for though!

A note of warning to anyone venturing to Cafe Yasmina and Merzouga - it is very easy to get stuck in soft sand without a large 4-wheel drive vehicle. A new road was being constructed in 2005 so when it is finished access should be easier. The line of telegraph poles used as a landmark and mentioned in Gosney and other trip reports are no longer there! Access to the Auberge Kasbah Derkaoua is much easier along a good track from the Rissani road to the west.

14 March 2005

Reluctant to leave the auberge we decided to start the day but working the grounds again. It was clear that migrants had come and gone in the night with a good turnover. This time the number of Subalpine Warblers had swollen to c8, a male Tristram's Warbler skulked in the same canes as yesterday's babblers and a male Moussier's Redstart graced an area just beyond the boundary wall. Add to this 3 Sardinian Warblers, a Tawny Pipit, a Wryneck high up in the palms, 1 Nightingale, 1 Black-eared Wheatear, 3 Woodchats and 2 Southern Grey Shrikes and we left the site reluctant but more than happy.

As we left the site and ventured out into the desert we scored heavily with a displaying Hoopoe Lark right beside the car (what an amazing sight it is to see these birds somersault backwards into the air) and also a Desert Lark and 2 Bar-tailed Desert Larks before we headed out of the area and made our way towards Rissani.

Our desitnation was the cliff/escarpment on the north side of the road c5km west of Rissani which holds breeding Pharoah Eagle Owl. Despite a long, hot walk and exact directions we were unable to locate any on their favoured cliff. The couple of hours was spent nervously wondering if our car was going to be broken into as we were followed suspiciously all the way there and back by yet another local selling fossils. We returned to find the car intact however and had also seen 3 Crag Martins, 1 House Martin, 1 Black-eared Wheatear, 1 Isabelline Wheatear, c8 Trumpeter Finches, 1 Spectacled Warbler and a very sandy Crested Lark.

We then began the long drive westwards to Boumalne du Dades along the southern side of the Atlas. With frequent roadside stops whenever we spotted something from the moving car it was a very productive journey. Having read in literature that a particular stretch of the road was one of the only places in the country for the species we concentrated our efforts in that area and duly located 2 male Mourning Wheatears close to the 'Boumalne 49km' sign. Other wheatears were very much in evidence with journey totals of c8 Red-rumped Wheatears, 6 Desert Wheatears, 1 Northern Wheatear, 1 Black Wheatear and c40 White-crowned Black Wheatears. These were eclipsed in numbers by larks however with 6 Desert Larks, 2 Bar-tailed Desert Larks, 1 Hoopoe Lark (between Boumalne and Tinehir), 1 Thekla Lark and a flock of c120 Short-toed Larks. Thick-billed eluded us though and was one big miss for the trip. More spectacular was our first Lanner soaring majestically south of the road plus Barbary Falcon, Booted Eagle, Long-legged Buzzard and no less than 10 Cream-coloured Coursers.

On arrival at Boumalne we checked in at the recommended Hotel Le Soleil Bleu and made our way back quickly to the famous Tagdilt Track on the south side of the road just before the town is reached. This site turned out to be a disappointment to us all despite the hype of how good it is. The first couple of kilometers were covered in blowing litter from an ugly rubbish tip complete with its scavenging Black Kites (c100) and mangy feral dogs. The only redeeming feature were the 4 Temminck's Horned Larks which we found beyond the tip which really were stunning. Before the light faded we added 3 Red-rumped Wheatears, c5 White Wagtails and a Lanner flushed from a shallow wadi.

That night the hotel didn't prove as good as expected with a poor meal and no beer available. Just as well, with the rather physcadelic painted walls it felt like being drunk anyway!

15 March 2005

Having seen a couple of House Buntings on the edge of Boumalne we ventured once again out along the Tagdilt Track for an early morning jaunt. Numerous Black Kites were still scavenging and joined by 3 White Storks. Giving the area a thorough working up to the point where we couldn't take the hire car any further (due to large rocks all over the track and frequent touching down!) we still failed to find our main target of Thick-billed Lark. Despite still not being great fans of the site we did clock up quite an impressive species list. Mega views of a Lanner sat on the deck were followed by an excellent 26 Cream-coloured Coursers and c19 Black-bellied Sangrouse whilst 2 - 3 Long-legged Buzzards circled overhead. Larks were represented by c4 Temminck's Horned Larks, 1 Desert Lark, 1 Bar-tailed Desert Lark, 3 Hoopoe Larks, 6+ Thekla Larks and c80 Short-toed Larks. We also had c15 Red-rumped Wheatears, 3 Desert Wheatears, 1 Northern Wheatear, 1 White-crowned Black Wheatear, a female Spectacled Warbler, 2 Woodchats and 4+ Trumpeter Finches.

For the mammal lover there were also many Jerboas and 1 Barbary Ground Squirrel.

Leaving Tagdilt slightly miffed we headed west with the aim being to then turn north and over the Tizi n Tchitka pass through the Atlas Mountains to our overnight destination at Africa's only ski resort of Oukameiden.

On the way we made one main stop by the wide riverbed at ?????. Here we scored with our hoped for Moroccan Pied Wagtail but it showed only briefly and Andy wasn't able to get onto the bird. Despite scanning for ages we just couldn't re-locate it amongst the other wagtails. These included c8 White Wagtails, 2 Yellow Wagtails and 1 Grey Wagtail. The gravelley and marshy islands and banks also gave us 4 Little Ringed Plovers and 2 Green Sandpipers while a Black Redstart and a Blackcap were in the bushes below us and a Sand Martin overhead.

The rest of the drive was a spectacular one through the mountains and past the hill villages of the Atlas. The journey totals from Boumalne to Oukameiden were 1 Booted Eagle, c4 Crag Martins, 1 Moussier's Redstart, 2 Black Wheatears, 5 White-crowned Black Wheatears, 1 Corn Bunting, 1 House Bunting, 2 Southern Grey Shrikes, 1 Hoopoe, 2 Chiffchaffs and a Barbary Partridge.

We reached Oukameiden along the final torturous few miles of narrow winding mountain road after dark and in thick fog! All praying that the weather would clear by the morning!

The Hotel Chez Ju Ju was easily found and despite the rooms and interior being a bit basic it proved to be an excellent place to stay. For just £20 we got dinner, bed, breakfast and even lunch the following day!

16 March 2005

Eagerly anticipating the day ahead we were up at dawn to get a couple of hours birding in before breakfast. The fog had cleared completely and as soon as we left the front door of the hotel and stepped outside into the cold of the morning about half a dozen Crimson-winged Finches flew right past us and settled around nearby buildings to give some wonderful views. What an amazing start! We then birded in the bottom of the large valley at village level until breakfast. As soon as the sun started to rise and fill the valley Alpine Chough (c200) appeared in large numbers and closer scrutiny revealed small numbers of Red-billed Chough (c20). Black Redstarts were singing everywhere (in all we has 30+) and we also had c20 Rock Sparrows. Returning the short distance to the hotel we enjoyed breakfast sat outside the front of the hotel looking at one of the best ever views. Despite the cold and snow the sun kept us plenty warm enough and we shed some layers before venturing out birding again. This time we headed up a track that curves up and eventually behind the village to a high level radar station. On the walk we encounterd several (12+ in all)of the distictive atlas race of Shorelark, a large and pale-bellied Wren, 1 Blue Rock Thrush, 2 Black Wheatears, singles of Peregrine and Raven, c30 Rock Doves, 2 Mistle Thrushes and 10+ Chaffinches (the latter being of the nominate race). We then returned to a lower level to fill our boots with more Crimson-winged Finch views bringing the number of birds seen up to c20. A quick sojourn down the lane in the other direction to a rushing stream and we'd also scored with 2 Dippers (sporting warm brown bellies) and a Grey Wagtail. It had been a truly memorable few hours of birding and a great way to spend our last day. A lunch of cassoulet at Chez Ju Ju had a lot to recommend it too!

The descent from Oukameiden wasn't without it's rewards either however as less than a mile down the road we fluked a Levaillant's Green Woodpecker that flew in front of the car and then posed for ages in the top of a pine. The same stop yielded 2 Cirl Buntings, 3 Firecrests and a Crag Martin while we also had 1 Long-legged Buzzard, 1 Moussier's Redstart, 2 Red-rumped Swallows, 1 Coal Tit, 2 Black Redstarts, c10 Chaffinches (africana ones again!) and 4 Cattle Egrets on the long descent to Marrakech.

Central Marrakech proved to be just as we'd left it several days before - chaos! We did however locate a clean and convenient hotel, The Hotel Jasmine just outside the walls of the medina and chilled out before our last night out on the town. Using the time to photograph Common Bulbul and watch Pallid Swifts from our balcony.

And it was a very interesting night out indeed! We walked the 20 minutes or so following the crowds towards the main square of the D'jeema El F'nar This is something that really has to be experienced if you visit Marrakech. By day it is just a very large paved square but every night is comes alive in a mass of stalls, entertainers, thieves, rogues, drug dealers and bemused visitors! We watched child boxers, chicken charmers and various stortellers, got offered drugs several times and ate in the open in the square where they tried their best to rip us off! A walk around the myriad of alleyways and courtyards of the souk off one end of the square was also very entertaining, colourful and highly recommended (in a dodgy sort of a way!)

It had been a tiring end to a full-on trip which had not let up in terms of hassle from locals. Luckily the birding had also been amazing with a trip list of 174 including 26 new Western Palearctic species.

We were just glad we'd all but cleaned up and didn't have to think about coming back!

South West Finland, February 2005

My first trip to Finland and a chance to meet up with Reija who had visited me in Norfolk the previous November.

Reija and I first got in touch through the www.birdingpal.org website which I would highly recommend to any travelling birder wanting information on their destination.

The trip was only a short one but with the whole time dedicated to birding it had great potential with the plan being to 'go wherever the birds take us'.

24 February 2005

Having arrived after dark the previous evening and very kindly being put up at Reija's sister's house in Iittala we planned to drive north of Tampere, (picking up a birder named Matti en-route) and head off into the snowy forest near a village called Soininkyla, north of the town of Virrat. After a lengthy drive and then a few miles down a forest road we stopped at a feeding station and quickly had some amazing views of Siberian Jay. The bird flew in high and worked it's way down the tree to bread that Matti had attached to the truck. 15 minutes later it or another was seen in flight along a line of pines and then on the bread again at point blank range. On the same feeders were a Crested Tit and 2 Northern Willow Tits. At this stage both were a novelty to a Finnish first timer like yours truly!

With Matti at the Siberian Jay site (in -20 degrees!)

With Reija at the same site

After some deliberation we decided that we had just enough driving time to drop Matti back at his house near Tampere and then head west towards the town of Pori on the coast in search of my 2nd WP tick of the day. After what seemed like an eternity in the car we found the area we were looking for at Ahlainen (north of Pori) and after driving the lanes for a while our quarry was picked up perched high on the top of a pine set back from the road - Hawk Owl. It was scoped well and then seen in accipter-like flight and carrying a rodent. What a bird, living up to all expectations! It was mobbed briefly by a frosty Northern Long-tailed Tit.

25 February 2005

This was to be a more leisurely day without the driving of yesterday when we'd spent most of our day in the car. After breakfast at Villa Rauhala we decided to explore the wooded island of Ruissalo just to the SW of Turku. This has turned out to be one of my favourite sites in Finland and the accomodation at Villa Rauhala is excellent and well recommended http://www.kolumbus.fi/jm.asplund.

Villa Rauhala

Birding the island for a long morning was truly memorable with 2 new WP woodpeckers for me - 2 Grey-headed Woodpeckers on feeders at Honkapirtti and a female Three-toed Woodpecker at the far western end of the island. 10+ Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 2 Crossbills, Treecreeper, Sparrowhawk, Red Squirrel and blueberry pie in the log cabin cafe at Honkarpirtti rounded off an excellent mornings work!

In the afternoon we headed into the city of Turku for a combination of birding, lunch and shopping. The former was satisfied in the form of 2 wintering goodies. The first was a Little Bunting which eventually gave itself up in a finch and bunting flock in a park close to the middle of the city. In the same flock were 30 Yellowhammers, 50 Greenfinches and a solitary Brambling. The second was a very cold and showy Tundra Bean Goose watched at point blank range on the frozen river in the city.

The 3rd days birding and my first attempts to see what was to become a bogey bird for some while - Hazel Hen. Needless to say it wasn't to be on this trip but some good birds were to be had whilst out and about. 2 Crossbills and a Northern Willow Tit at Kwsisto and then a thorough working of the woods and sewage settling pools at Rauvola near Turku producing some of the only water waterbirds of the trip (due to everywhere else being frozen!) - 2 Goldeneye, 5 Mute Swans and 4 Tufted Duck. Thrilling hey? That's winter birding in Finland for you! The visit was livened up alot by 2 extremely confiding and photogenic Bearded Tits and a shout of Black Woodpecker by the very helpful Finns had us all running to the woods to get some great views of a female demolishing a birch.

Black Woodpecker, Rauvola

A quick stop at a bridge and a bit of free-flowing fast water at Nautelankoski close to Reija's house resulted in some good views of a wintering Black-bellied Dipper to round the day off.

'Blue light' Ilmarinen

27 February 2005

The last day of the trip saw us heading just west of Turku to the picturesque town of Naantali where a stop at a patch of open water by the Ukko-Pekau bridge yielded 11 Goosander, 1 Whooper Swan and 6 Mute Swans. The hoped for White-backed Woodpecker at the lake at Luolalarjarvi couldn't be found despite our best efforts so we headed north to Meitoinen to meet another birder named Henry at his summer cottage in the open fields characteristic of southern Finland. His wooded garden revealed a number of birds at his feeders including c6 Tree Sparrows amongst the Yellowhammers and Greenfinches. Henry then took us to the coast nearby where we scoped the extensive frozen bay and picked up 2 distant White-tailed Eagles.

Unfortunately it was time to leave and begin to make our way back north to the airport at Tampere. The trip had one remaining sting in it's tail however when we got a call that the White-backed Woodpecker was showing back at Luolalarjarvi. We'd just got the call in the nick of time before heading too far towards Tampere. Within a short time we were stood on the frozen lake enjoying some wonderful views of this scarce bird. My 5th new WP bird of a great trip.

White-backed Woodpecker, Luolalarjarvi, Naantali

Photographing White-backed Woodpecker, Luolalarjarvi, Naantali

North East France, February 2002

This one was a long weekend trip to the ports and coast of north east France designed as a break and a change of scenery from the English winter. The weather proved to be just as cold however with a strong blustery wind making viewing conditions difficult. Especially in the exposed parts of Dunkerque Harbour!

We travelled by car on the ferry from Dover to Calais and our accomodation was at the youth hostel in Boulogne which proved excellent, convenient and comfortable. Justin and I had a private en-suite room.

8 February 2002

The morning ferry crossing yielded c80 Gannets, a good number of auks of which 23 Razorbills and 26 Guillemots were specifically identified and c50 Kittiwakes. On the approach to Calais 2 Bonxies gave some good close views by the boat.

After embarkation we made the short drive west along the coast to Boulogne to check the harbour and docks. In complete contrast to the security we usually find around docks in the UK the access to those in France is easy and hassle free. The highlights at Boulogne were a Red-throated Diver, 67 Great Crested Grebes (including a very odd pale gingery brown bird at distance) , 2 Slavonian Grebes, 2 Goldeneye, 2-3 Eider and some really close up views of a female Velvet Scoter. On a large concrete area surrounded by warehouses a few gulls loafed including a 1w Yellow-legged Gull (out of a total of 5), 6 Kittiwakes (out of a total of c40) and 5 Mediterranean Gulls.

Kittiwake, Boulogne Docks

Mediterranean Gull, Boulogne Docks

An afternoon visit to the sandy Le Portel Beach on the other side of Boulogne resulted in c30 Mediterranean Gulls and c175 Great Black-backed Gulls rounding off an interesting introduction to winter birding just the other side of the Channel.

Yellow-legged Gull, Boulogne Docks

9 February 2002

Our 2nd day and a change of scenery beckoned - a relaxed walk around the attractive wooded village of Hardelot on the coast not far from Boulogne. This proved a good decision, not only did it boost our weekend list with some woodland species but also gave us some good views of a couple of species we'd stuggle with back home. Highlights of an enjoyable couple of hours were 5 Crested Tits showing well on feeders, 3 Nuthatches, c5 Marsh Tits and an educational (but thankfully calling) Short-toed Treecreeper. Another stroll through the nearby Dunes de Mont St Frieux resulted in c60 Siskins, a Sparrowhawk, c80 Sanderlings on the beach and the curious sight of a lime green Common Tree Frog in a dune hollow.

We then headed back into the town of Boulogne and to the River Liane in the centre of town. Gulls dominated the list again with 2-3 Yellow-legged Gulls, 5 Mediterranean Gulls and c80 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (the latter perhaps proving they winter in larger numbers this side of the Channel). The star bird of the short stop was a Peregrine circling high over the south side of the town.

Me, Boulogne

The docks were then checked again with much the same birds being present as yesterday. 2 Red-breasted Mergansers were new as were 118 Mediterranean Gulls (presumably sheltering here as a gale was blowing down Le Portel Beach their favoured location). Also prseent were a Rock Pipit and c10 Guillemots.

Le Portel Beach, Boulogne

10 February 2002

Today we headed east, past Calais and on to another channel port town with a great deal of historical significance for us Brits - Dunkerque. The harbour and dock complex at Dunkerque is just that - complex! As we spent the whole day checking every nook and cranny the sightings are best set out in a table:

	Bassin de Mardyk	Bassin Maritime	Harbour Est	Avant Port Ouest	Total
Little Grebe	2			1	3
Great Crested Grebe	6	51	9	c40	c118
Red-necked Grebe	1				1
Black-necked Grebe	1			c4	c5
Slavonian Grebe				c10	c10
Guillemot	3				3
Red-breasted Merganser	1	11	3	6	21
Coot	10	95	38		143
Eider		1		c24	c25
Goldeneye		5		c15	c20
Long-tailed Duck			1		1
Velvet Scoter				1	1

Other birds of note around the docks, harbour and surrounding area were 5 Grey Plover, a female Hen Harrier across the road in front of the car south of Mardyck, 4 Grey Partridges, 3 Stock Doves, 2 Rock Pipits, c35 Greenfinches, 2 Snow Buntings and a Crested Lark on a typical piece of rank habitat on the east side of Avant Port Ouest.

Basin de Mardyck, Dunkerque

Crested Lark, Avant Port Ouest, Dunkerque

A series of lakes by junction 25 of the A16 produced just 4 Little Grebes of note.

11 February 2002

A day of pretty horrendous weather with a lot of sheltering in the car and brief forays out to bird! We concentrated our efforts at Platier d'oye where birds of supsect origin seemed to be in the fore - we had 1 bubble gum pink Lesser Flamingo, 3 Barnacle Geese and 3 'minima' Canada Geese amongst more a staple and genuine fayre of wildfowl and waders. Birds added to the trip list included Black-tailed Godwit, Oystercatcher, Snipe, Curlew, Wigeon, Pochard and Pintail. A rather foolhardy long walk along the Grand Fort Phillipe Dunes got us soaking wet as we failed to find a small group of wintering Shorelarks. We did see 33 Snow Buntings, c125 Dunlin, c50 Sanderling and c100 Ringed Plover before heading quickly for the duty frees and the ferry home.

Canary Islands, May 2000

For the dedicated WP birder the Canary Islands are a 'must visit' destination to secure the islands' emdemics and it was with this in mind we booked an inexpensive package tour to Tenerife. We deliberately avoided the fleshpot resort of Playa de las Americas and instead booked into the quieter resort of Puerto de la Cruz on the greener north coast of the island. This proved not to be a quiet as we'd hoped for but was more handily placed for quiet a few of the sites and also the hydrofoil to Fuerteventura. It also provided some interesting nightlife!

The trip objective was to clean up on all the emdemics of Canary Isles Chiffchaff, Tenerife Kinglet, Blue Chaffinch, Bolle's Pigeon, White-tailed Pigeon, Tenerife Robin, and Fuerteventura Chat as well as Houbara Bustard, Plain Swift, some good seabirds and also the distinctive local races of Blue Tit, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Chaffinch, Blackcap and Stone Curlew.

To get all these species it is necessary to visit Tenerife, Fuerteventura and possibly La Gomera. The latter is primarily for the pigeons which are much easier there than on Tenerife. The ferry crossing from Los Cristianos to La Gomera also gives the best chance of seabirds.

Our itinerary involved being based on Tenerife, making a 2-3 day trip to Fuerteventura on the hydrofoil from Santa Cruz and also two ferry trips to La Gomera.

The sites we visited were;

Tenerife

Aguamansa

Mount Tiede

Las Lajas

Vilaflor

Erjos

Punta de Teno

Mirador de Pico del Ingles

La Laguna

Tejina Pools

Embalse de Valle Molina

Erjos Ponds

Teno Alto

Puerto de la Cruz town

Fuerteventura

El Jable desert area

Los Gorriones Beach

Barranco del Mal Nombre

Morro Jable

La Lajita

Pajara

Las Penitas

Embalse de Los Molinos

La Oliva

El Cotillo

Teifa

La Gomera

Mirador de El Rejo

Mirador de El Bailadero

San Sebastian Harbour

5 May 2000

Having arrived we declined the tour operators coach ride from the airport to Puerto de la Cruz and instead picked up our hire car and drove ourselves up the east coast of the island. Arriving in the late afternoon didn't give us a great deal of time for birding but even from our hotel balcony we managed our first new WP bird as 1 Canary Isles Chiffchaff sang it's peculiar song from trees beside the road. c10 Canaries, 3 Spanish Sparrows, a couple of the distinctive teneriffae race of Blue Tit, 2 Grey Wagtails, c12 Plain Swifts (a new bird for Justy and Andy) provided further entertainment as did 2 Cory's Shearwaters at distance in the bay. 4 very pale doves turned out to be African Collared Doves (which subsequently became 'bona-fide' category C ticks as they are on the Spanish list!). 2 spectacular Monarchs were also watched at length around flowers on the edge of some tennis courts.

6 May 2000

Our first real day and our first stop was the picnic site at Aguamansa a fairly short drive inland from Puerto de la Cruz. This site is basically a circular grassy area surrounded by a strip of mixed woodland/bushes. It is said to be the only place on the island where both species of Chaffinch occur side by side. And it lived up to it's reputation nicely. We enjoyed point blank views of 4 Blue Chaffinches (all males) on the path on the edge of the grassy area. These were very confiding and much more so than the 6+ 'tintillon' Chaffinches which were shy and quite elusive. We also saw 1 Canary Isles Chiffchaff and 2 Blue Tits but frustratingly could only hear crests in the conifers. After a coffee and a bocadillo at the cafe we returned to the car to find a Tenerife Robin in nearby bushes. At the time the species wasn't split so it has proved a good spot!

We then drove up towards the centre of the island and onwards past Mount Tiede. On a large plateaux area we pursued a passerine across the sand and it eventually gave itself up as a Berthelot's Pipit. 2 Plain Swifts proved they make it to high altitude too.

Dropping down below the tree line again we visted another picnic site of Las Lajas. This area of open woodland is another good site for Blue Chaffinch and drinking water is provided for them in tubs let into the ground. We saw c6 including our first female together with several Blue Tits and 2 Canaries. The 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers seen gave us the chance to scrutinise this island race and note it's swarthy grey undersides. Here we also met Tony Clarke the Tenerife resident birder and author of the site guide.

Just a few km further along the road is a woodland site near the village of Vilaflor with a leaky irrigation pipe situated a few yards into the woodland off the road. Here we got some good views of 3 more Blue Chaffinches and 5+ Canaries coming down to drink before we moved on and towards the village itself. A wander along the road through the woods and Justy called he'd got a crest. Running about 100m at such a high altitude isn't to be recommended but arriving puffing and panting we soon got onto a couple of Tenerife Kinglets which showed nicely. We also added more of the same species as at all the other woodland sites plus 2 Turtle Doves and 20+ Plain Swifts.

The only other birds of note were 2 genuine looking Rock Doves by the Mount Tiede chairlift carpark on the return drive.

That evening we celebrated our decent haul with a few beers in a English run football bar back in Puerto de la Cruz.

7 May 2000

This morning we headed west along the north coast to a site we'd been tipped off about by Tony Clarke the previous day. This was just a short drive off the coast road and up a mountain track near the village of Erjos. Exploring the wooded side valley on foot (note the woodland is laurel rather than large trees) was very fruitful with at least 40 Bolle's Pigeons providing many sightings. Some of these where perched views whilst at one point we flushed a small group inadvertently. Although this target species was the highlight we also managed 2 Turtle Doves, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Common Buzzard, 2 Sardinian Warblers, 1 Blackcap, and a Tenerife Kinglet amongst the ever present Canaries and Canary Isle Chiffchaffs. Further down the lane back towards the coast road we had 1-2 Corn Buntings and 2 Linnets. Butterflies were much in evidence too with Canary Brimstone, Canary Speckled Wood, Canary Large White and Small White all being identified.

Moving further west along the coast and towards the Punta de Teno right in the NW corner of the island we stopped along the approach road to the point to scan the massive coastal sea cliffs towering above the road. We found the resident nesting Barbary Falcons surprisingly easily and enjoyed some great views of 3 individuals perched on the cliff and in flight. One also 'stooped' at a passing pigeon, a truly memorable sight. A single Raven and 2 Kestrels were also seen before we ventured the short way to the end of the point itself.

A seawatch from the rocks on the point revealed plenty of Cory's Shearwaters (c150) and about 20 'atlantis' Herring Gulls but little else so we decided to work the weedy fields just inland of the point. Birds were fairly thin on the ground but working of some abandoned tomato fields revealed a paid of Spectacled Warblers which showed well and we also located 1 Berthelots Pipit and 3+ Turtle Doves. Best of all however were the 4 Barbary Partridges which were flushed over the road as we left the fields.

8 May 2000

Today we made our way to the upland laurel forest viewpoint at Mirador de Pico del Ingles and began what was to become quite a long vigil scanning the forest from above. Initially mist hampered things but the sun soon burnt this off and in a c3 hours we saw c15 Bolles Pigeons in c40 seperate sightings. Then I got onto a single White-tailed Pigeon as it made quite a lengthy flight. Andy got views just as it vanished but Justy couldn't latch onto it. Despite giving the area a good while there was no further sign. From the viewpoint we did have 1-2 Sparrowhawks, and singles of Chaffinch, Tenerife Robin and Tenerife Kinglet but we left the site firmly in the knowledge that White-tailed Pigeon is a difficult one to bag on Tenerife.

Next up we made our way to the village of La Laguna which holds the islands only breeding Serins and we duly located 2 pairs and a single juv in roadside trees as well as c10 Canaries, 5 Spanish Sparrows, Goldfinch, Linnet and 2 male Blackcaps.

Deciding on a change of scenery and some wetland birding we then headed to the group of small ponds known as Tejina Ponds. There are 4 tiny ponds here and a good look at them all revealed very little. Just a few Coot, Moorhen and Feral Duck for the trip list, 1 Grey Heron and a couple of Blackcaps.

We made one more stop in the afternoon - at the large but rather too heavily fenced reservoir of the Embalse de Valle Molina. Scoping through the entrance gate we did find 1 Common Sandpiper and 5 Grey Herons while a Common Buzzard was over a ridge to the south.

9 May 2000

Another day, another island! Having checked the hydrofoil departure times we made our way in the morning to Santa Cruz and as we entered the port town we immediately got stuck in a huge traffic jam! After what seemed like an eternity and alot of u-turns and swearing we rolled up at the quay with just a few minutes to spare. Not having any time we just handed our car and the keys to a port worker to park it and ran aboard. How trusting we were bearing in mind we had no idea who this guy was and we weren't going to see the car again for 3 days!

The hydrofoil crossing itself yielded 18 Cory's Shearwaters through the windows but will be forever remembered for entirely different reasons. Shortly after departure a 'man' asked if he could take the seat next to me. I had no option but to agree but regretted it almost straight away as he produced a gay magazine and begain to flick through it, glancing at me and putting his leg rather too close to mine! Fit to vomit there was nothing I could do but to grin and bear it while my 2 travelling companions (I pause before calling them friends at this point!) had a field day of piss taking. When a dubious white stain was spotted on this guy's trousers I didn't know whether to laugh or cry! Needless to say he left the vessel at Gran Canaria (apparantly the gay travellers choice of destination) and we had a wait at the ferry terminal before continuing onward to the small port of Morro Jable at the southern end of Fuerteventura.

On arrival we eventually tracked down the car hire company to took charge of a bright yellow run around. Making our way to the recommended place for accommodation of Costa Calma we found a great apartment in a small low-rise development right next to the beach and negotiated ourselves a good deal for the next 3 nights.

Leaving ourselves the late afternoon and evening for birding we headed for the nearby desert area of El Jable which is effectively behind the village of Costa Calma. The area to explore is the north of the obvious wind farm and has a driveable track that runs parallel with the wind farm and then turns 90 degrees right and continues through good habitat for a couple of miles heading towards mountains in the distance. A few Lesser Short-toed Larks, Southern Grey Shrikes and a Kentish Plover along the first piece of track hinted at things to come and it was soon obvious that birding on Fuertevenura was going to be a different ball game from that on Tenerife (and more inspiring). The best was yet to come though and when Andy saw movement towards the turbines of windfarm he knew what he'd got. And sure enough within a couple of minutes were all 'scoping a magnificent male Houbara Bustard. The evening's excitement didn't end there though. In the next couple of hours we explored the area fully finding c10 Black-bellied Sandgrouse, 4 Stone Curlews (including a chick), numerous Lesser Short-toed Larks, a total of 5 Southern Grey Shrikes, 1-2 Egyptian Vultures, Raven and Common Buzzard. Towards dusk we located a distant Cream-coloured Courser and venturing carefully into the scrubby desert for a better view we were amazed to be surrounded by no less than 11 of these absolute beauties as they flew in from all directions! One juvenile provided proof of local breeding.

That night we celebrated in a bar in Costa Calma called Fuerte Action. A place where all the hip surfers hung out (together with 3 scruffy birders!)

10 May 2000

We started this morning with visit to the beach by the Los Gorriones Hotel a few km along the coast from Costa Calma. On arrival is became apparant that it was a nudist beach so we had to be careful where we pointed our scopes! Basically at the women rather than the men! Naked Germans apart we had c35 Kentish Plovers, 1 Ringed Plover, 2 Dunlin and a couple of Little Egrets on the beach whilst offshore we picked up a single Cory's Shearwater. Behind the beach on a rolling desert-type area were several Lesser Short-toed Larks, 5 Hoopoes, 3 Southern Grey Shrikes, 1-2 Berthelot's Pipits, c10 Linnets and 3 Barbary Ground Squirrels.

Next we went in search of the only island endemic further down the coast in the arid deep valley of the Barranco del Mal Nombre. This is situated on the north side of the road between Costa Calma and Morro Jable and you can park by the road at the mouth of the valley and walk up. Birds were fairly thin on the ground but we were encouraged by 7 Barbary Partridges scuttling quickly up a rock ravine and the bubbling call of Black-bellied Sandgrouse. Within 30 minutes however we had found our target bird in the form of 7 Fuerteventura Chats which appeared to be 2 pairs and 3 juveniles. Having seen one very dull and uninspiring male another much brighter one popped up and we were more than satisfied. Our good fortune continued as we made our way back down the valley towards the car as 3 small finches flew in and showed nicely beside the dried up stream. Identified quickly as 1 female and 2 juvenile Trumpeter Finches we'd scored with our 2nd WP tick within 100 metres! 3 Southern Grey Shrikes also kept guard in the barranco.

Birding at a leisurely pace we decided to indulge in some feral species at Morro Jable where we quickly found the introduced Monk Parakeets (c20) around their nests. In the same palms we had another African Collared Dove looking extremely pale as it sat on it's nest. The only real genuine bird was a fly-over Stone Curlew.

African Collared Dove, Morro Jable

Now in mid-afternoon we drove south, past costa Calma to the small village and garden centre at La Lajita. This was a very unimpressive place beside a main road but in the scrub on the opposite side of the road to the garden centre we located 3 Laughing Doves as hoped for. This is the only site for them in the Canaries. Other than 30+ Spanish Sparrows, a single Berthelot's Pipit and the sad sight of a dead male Little Bittern by the side of the road that was pretty much it.

We ended our day back at the El Jable desert area and birded the same tracks as the previous evening. No Houbara this time but many of the same species as before including 5 Cream-coloured Coursers, c8 Black-bellied Sandgrouse, 4 Kentish Plovers and a Stone Curlew. New this time was a female Spectacled Warbler before we headed back to find a local restaurant close to our apartment.

11 May 2000

With a lot of the island left to visit we headed north today with the aim being to cover a couple of reservoirs and some more areas of desert.

As we left Costa Calma we had the bizarre sight of a Common Sandpiper by a puddle on a building site and heading out of the village towards Pajara we scored with an Egyptian Vulture over the hills together with a Raven and a Common Buzzard. In Pajara itself we saw nothing but a Hoopoe, 6 Goldfinches and numerous Spanish Sparrows. The village is a well know site for the island race of Blue Tit but we couldn't locate any.

We wound our way further into the hills and on to the dried up lake at Las Penitas notching up 2 point blank Trumpeter Finches including a stunning male right beside the road on the way. Parking the car and half noticing a local on a moped we walked down the path towards the bushes and dried out lake bed. There was a lot of activity but things weren't giving themsleves up easily. Perseverance paid off eventually though and we finally managed a decent view of a Blue Tit of the 'degener' race in willows plus 5 Berthelot's Pipits, c8 Sardinian Warblers, 1-2 Spectacled Warblers, 4 Fuerteventura Chats and loads of Turtle Doves as well as 3 Egyptian Vultures overhead. Returning to the car and moving off to find something to eat nearby we had problems closing the passenger door but at the time thought nothing of it. A dead Algerian Hedgehog on the road later and we pulled up at a roadside shop and when Justy went to the boot for his money it became apparant that the car had been broken into and the cash stolen from his wallet. Close inspection of the dodgy door revealed a bent door post presumably caused by the thief's crowbar.

Thinking back we were sure that it must have been the suspicious scumbag on the moped we'd seen earlier but determined not to let it ruin our day we pressed on to our next desination - the large reservoir of the Embalse de Los Molinos. Driving along the elevated entrance track and past a goat farm we were treated to some great views of a group of c12 Trumpeter Finches amongst the goats before we reached the end of the driveable track and parked up by some abandoned buildings. Continuing along the track looking down on the steep-sided reservoir we were once again struck by the number of Lesser Short-toed Larks whilst we also located 2 Spectacled Warblers in typical low scrub by the path. A thorough working of the reservoir itself paid dividends too with a flighty group of 5 Ruddy Shelduck qualifying as our first ever genuine ones. Wildfowl also included 2 Marbled Ducks and c70 Coot but was rather lacking in variety. Over the water were c75 each of Swallows and Pallid Swifts. Approaching the far end of the reservoir the water became more shallow with a muddy bay. Waders could be seen so we moved into id range and started scanning. Amongst the 4 Kentish Plovers, 2 Little Ringed Plovers and 4 Black-winged Stilts was a dull calidrid which following scrutiny we were fairly sure was an adult Semi-palmated Sandpiper. Cue a long dash back to the car by an athletic Mr Wilkinson to grab the Collins guide! This confirmed our id of what we were later to find out was only the 2nd record for the islands and therefore a real scoop. The area also produced an impressive 8 Hoopoes and a sub-adult Egyptian Vulture.

We spent the remainder of the day looking at a couple of desert areas in an attempt to find Houbara again. We failed dismally at both La Oliva and El Cotillo but found a couple of Cream-coloured Coursers at each site plus some really close views of Stone Curlew, 5 Ravens, 2 Southern Grey Shrikes, 4 Hoopoes and loads more Lesser Short-toed Larks.

On the drive back c20 Black-bellied Sandgrouse and a Stone Curlew flew over the road near Teifa.

12 May 2000

This wouldn't go down as one of the best days we've ever had on a birding trip. The morning was spent reporting the loss of Justy's money at the local police station (after making a story up about him being mugged so he could claim for it on his travel insurance!). Of course that then meant we were unable to explain the damage to the hire car and that was cause for an anxious time at the Morro Jable quay were we dropped the car off and then waited for the hydrofoil to whisk us away. Parking the car really close to another on the quay we hoped would prevent the guy from the car hire from getting in that side and by the time the damage was noticed we'd be long gone. What we didn't bank on was 2 guys turning up to collect the car! As we sat on the hydrofoil looking out of the window they collected the car and drove off.

Expecting that same yellow car to be brought back to the quay as soon as they discovered the damage we sweated for what seemed like an eternity before our vessel eventually left. We'd got away with it, the car hire company had no contact details for us and more importantly no credit card number!

The return journey to Tenerife produced just 8 Cory's Shearwaters before it got dark and that awas the only species to trouble the scorer for the whole day.

We did arrive to collect our hire car which was on the dock side where we'd left it a few days previously.

13 May 2000

Having not tired of sea travel we decided that today would be a good day to take the ferry from Los Cristianos on Tenerife to San Sebastian on La Gomera. The drive to Los Cristianos was lengthy but uneventful and we boarded the Fred Olsen ferry (with our car) with no hassles.

The main aim of the trip wasn't just pigeons on La Gomera but also seabirds which the ferry offers the best chance of. The crossing was very disappointing in this respect though with just 2 Common Terns and c750 Cory's Shearwaters. Cetaceans were much more entertaining with c50 Short-finned Pilot Whales and 2 Risso's Dolphins.

Disembarking we then wound our way up the narrow winding road out of the small port town, through soem tunnels and up into the laurel covered mountains. Viewing these forests isn't easy so it's necessary to use various recognised viewpoints which luckily have limited parking. The first of these that we tried was the Mirador de El Rejo and it proved to be a great choice. Here White-tailed Pigeon was seen very easily and the 14 we saw even outnumbered the 10 Bolle's Pigeons (a little different to the situation on Tenerife). From the same spot we also had 2 Common Buzzards, 11 Ravens, 2 Kestrels, a Canary, several Canary Isles Chiffchaffs and 3 Grey Wagtails. Butteflies here were more numerous and varied than anywhere else we'd been and totalled c10 Canary Speckled Woods, 1 Small Copper, 1 Canary Blue, 1 Canary Isles Brimstone, c3 Indian Red Admirals and numerous Bath Whites, Small Whites and Clouded Yellows.

Moving on to the Mirador de El Bailadero and we managed 2 Barbary Partridges in the scope as they picked their way up a slope, 7 Bolle's Pigeons, c5 Canaries, a male Blackcap and a very dark blue Chaffinch of god knows what race. A huge Canary Meadow Brown, Painted Lady and a Hummingbird Hawkmoth also showed well amongst the same butterfly species as seen at the other viewpoint.

The drive back down the San Sebastian was broken by some nutters in a car who almost ran us off the narrow road whilst trying to overtake as we approaced a tunnel. We then intimidated them in our own way in the cafe back at the quay while waiting for the return ferry!

The crossing back disappointed once more with the same species and cetacean seen as on the way over but in smaller numbers.

Back in Puerto de la Cruz that evenign we visted the local English football bar and had a few beers. Andy on the other hand had well and truly got his drinking head on and was following each beer with a chaser! By 10pm we figured he'd drunk 3 times the quantity that Justy and I had and was ready to hit the clubs. We wandered back to our hotel and left him to it! At about 4am we were woken by a drunken Mr Wilkinson blundering into the room and we watched as he made some hilrious attempts to extricate himself from his jeans!

14 May 2000

What a start to the morning! In his still pissed state Andy manages to slip over on wet tiles in the bathroon and gash his chin open on the edge of the bath! Despite feeble attempts to patch it up with a plaster it was obvious that it needed stitching so off we went in search of a hospital in town. With a still unsteady Mr Wilkinson we found a free hospital at the 2nd attempt and he was duly stitched up.

These activities pretty much put paid to any serious birding for the day so we were limited to just a few sightings in and around the resort. This did allow us to get some definitive views of the rather dark 'heineken' race of Blackcap near our hotel plus 2 Blue Tits, c10 Spanish Sparrows, c5 Canaries, 1-2 Grey Wagtails another suspect looking Collared/Barbary Dove, loads of Plain Swifts and a single Monk Parakeet in a park in the middle of town.

We hoped for better the following day!

15 May 2000

We were now starting to run out of new sites to visit so opted for a return to Aguamansa this morning. A good going over produced much the same as it had on our first visit. Expect this time we managed some views of 2 Tenerife Kinglets and 3 Tenerife Robins allowed us to appreaciate the subtle differences from European Robin. this is essentially a more restricted but deeper red breast lackingthe orange tones we are familiar with. Also present were c4 Blue Chaffinches, c8 Chaffinches, a Greenfinch and 2 'teneriffae' Blue Tits.

Following in the same footsteps of 6 May we moved on to Las Lajas stopping en-route to get some good views and photographs of some 20 Green-striped Whites by the road close to Mount Tiede.

Las Lajas itself was just as we'd left it but this time hosted at least 12 Blue Chaffinches (including 2 females). With patience we managed to get some photos of 1 of the 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers. 2 Blue Tits, a Berthelot's Pipit, a Raven, a photographic Indian Red Admiral and c6 Canary Blues.

Tiring of revisiting sites and the distinct lack of species variety we decided to try a couple of sites on the west coast of the island in the hope of livening things up. Initially we tried Erjos Ponds but this small lush area of bushes and a reedy pond revealed only 2 Moorhens, a Greenfnch, a few Canaries and Canary Isles Chiffchaffs, 1 Linnet and 2-3 Corn Buntings. The latter was at least a trip tick.

Next followed a spectacular scenic drive through a mountainous and very picturesque valley as we headed towards the hilly coastal area at Teno Alto. The road here eventually peters out to an impassable track and had a strange 'on the edge the world' sort of feeling consisting of windswept steep grassy slopes and hills shelving off sharply toward the sea. We spent a windy couple of hours here and eventually located our target species of a flock c40 Rock Sparrows at their only site on Tenerife. There were also good numbers of flocking Canaries, Linnets, Corn Buntings and Berthelot's Pipits together with singles of Raven and Common Buzzard.

To finish the day we descended to Teno Alto at the north western tip of the island for an evening seawatch. As well as the ubiquitous Cory's Shearwaters of which we had c200 and c10 'atlantis' Herring Gulls we managed to pick out c3 Little Shearwaters at some distance (and with some difficulty as they we really difficult to stay on). Tomorrow we planned another ferry trip for seabirds...

16 May 2000

A quick wander into town for provisions and we found a pair of Monk Parakeets in the main plaza and a fly-over Grey Wagtail. Then it was off to Los Cristianos once again to catch the ferry to La Gomera. This time we opted not to take the car with us as we'd effectively done the island of La Gomera and just wanted to concentrate on seabirds this time round.

The numbers of Cory's Sheartwaters was down on previous crossings with just c80 counted. These were blown away by the nice views of 2 Little Shearwaters, one taking off from the water close to the boat which more than made up for the frankly disppointing views from land the previous evening. Even these were eclipsed by the 2 Bulwers Petrels I called and that showed for us all! What enigmatic birds these are and with a very disticnctive flight action and profile.

Upon arrival at San Sebastian we had an hour or so to kill before the return crossing so sat in the sun basking in the glory over a coffee or two out side the cafe while we watched c10 'atlantis' Herring Gulls, c12 Plain Swifts and our last trip tick - 2 House Martins.

The ferry ride back gave us some mindblowingly close views of a single Bulwers Petrel which was a fitting and memorable way to wrap the trip up.

The trip list totalled just 67 species which was a total clean up of every species available except Starling which we didn't have to heart to search for! This included 18 new WP species.

On reflection the islands wouldn't be ones we'd want to return to so we were mighty glad to have seen it all. By and large the birding on Fuertevenura was agreed to have been the most enjoyable.

Spain, Extremadura and Andalucia, May 1999

This was the first trip arranged along the lines of many that were to follow. That is we booked flights, a hire car and the first nights accommodation and took off armed with a Rough Guide to see us through the rest of the trip.

Having said that the trip wasn't without it's mishaps. On arrival at our 'booked' hotel in Plasencia on the first night were were turned away and we also had a small problem with the car. Read on for full and gruesome details...!

In general though things went well and from a birding perspective we scored with all of our main target species except one. These were centered around the specialities of the two area coverd on the trip - Extremadura and Andalucia and included Little Bustard, Great Bustard, Spanish Imperial Eagle, Black Vulture, Black Wheatear, Western Purple Swamphen, Azure-winged Magpie, Black-shouldered Kite, Marbled Duck, White-headed Duck and Bonelli’s Eagle. Red-necked Nightjar was the only bird 'missed' which was heard one 2 occasions but not seen.

Our route took us from Madrid where we landed south west towards Plasencia then through Monfrague, Trujillo, Caceres and then south to the El Rocio and the Coto Donana. From there we then headed north passing Cordoba on our way back to Madrid.

The main sites visited were:

Plasencia town

Parque Natural de Monfrague (The Castillo, Penafalcon, Bridge, Tietar Cliff and White Hut areas)

Rio Almonte

Belen Plains

Trujillo town

Trujillo to Caceres Plains

Rio Salor Plains

Plains north of Torreorgaz

Western Coto Donana (El Rocio Lagoon, La Rocina, El Acebuche and Palacio de Acebron)

Matalascanas

Northern Coto Donana (Jose Antonio Valverde Centre)

Teba Gorge

Laguna Dulce

Laguna de Fuente de la Piedre

Laguna del Rincon

3 May 1999

Having landed in the middle of the day we picked up our hire car at Madrid Barajas airport and attempted to find our way out of the SW side of the city and on the road towards Plasencia. Instead we found ourselves caught in heavy traffic, taking a wrong turning and heading for the city centre! We righted ourselves by getting our bearings from the Real Madrid's impressive Santiago Bernabeu stadium as we passed it and eventually found our road out.

The drive along the dual carriageway was livened up by a shout of 'Black-shouldered Kite' by yours truly as I spotted one hovering by the road as we sped past. A quick U-turn onto a track running parallel with the main road resulted in a frustrating inability to relocate the bird. Andy had been the only one not to get a glimpse! The stop did yield our first male Little Bustard of the trip blowing raspberries at us a from close range in a crop field and giving some great views.

Next we made a stop along a lane running north from the village of Oropesa which we has read about in trip reports as being good for a good variety of species. And it proved to be a good call. In half an hour we clocked up c5 Bee-eaters, c15 Azure-winged Magpies, 2 more Little Bustards, c20 Spanish Sparrows, 2-3 Serins, 3 Northern Wheatears, 2 Black-winged Stilts and a Little Ringed Plover on a farm pond plus c450 Cattle Egrets and a Short-toed Eagle which posed obligingly on a pylon. Then as were were about to leave the area we picked up 2 superb Black-shouldered Kites and watched these at close range for some whioe before they drifted away over farmland.

The afternoons journey also produced c10 Black Kites, 2 Montagu's Harriers, 3 Common Buzzards, c100 White Storks, c6 Azure-winged Magpies, 2 Woodchats and a Hoopoe.

Arriving well after dark in Plasencia we parked and found the hotel we'd booked in advance. Not that booking ahead did us any good at all - gesticulating and pointing at the clock seemed to indicated that we weren't going to get our room because we'd turned up to late! The place was a complete smokey sleaze hole in any case so leaving wasn't too much of a wrench. Luckily at lady patron walked us kindly round the corner to another hotel (The Hotel Rincon Extremena) which turned out to be much better so we duly booked 2 nights in a triple room.

That night we were serenaded from the alley below by a drunk!

4 May 1999

Our first full days birding and one where we planned to spend the whole day at the Parque Natural de Monfrague just a short drive south of Plasencia. This area of cliffs, woodland and ridges is an absolute mecca, especially for raptor lovers and we were blown away by the numbers and variety of species seen.

There are 4 main areas that need to be covered when visiting Monfrague - Penafalcon, Tietar Cliffs, 'The Bridge' and 'The White Hut'. A walk up to the castillo for the views is also highly recommended. We visted all of these sites during the day with our first port of call being the area around the bridge. This had nesting Crag Martins (on the underside of the bridge), a Rock Sparrow perched on the bridge itself and c25 Alpine Swifts. We also explored 2 side tracks near the bridge. The first was a few hundred metres north of the bridge on the right hand side. This track was our site for Black Wheatear and we scored with this species (2 pairs) quite easily on the rocky slope below the track. Also here were a Black Redstart and a couple of Blue Rock Thrushes. The 2nd track was just south of the bridge at the base of cliffs with low woodland and bushes. This yielded 2 Rock Buntings, 2 Cirl Buntings, Cetti's Warbler and several singing Nightingales.

Next stop was the hugely impressive cliffs of Penafalcon which are viewable from close to a convenient layby driving south from the bridge. For the vulture fan this is true mecca with Griffon Vultures in their dozens nesting on the cliff and circling very close overhead. We also had our first Black Vulture here plus 2 Egyptian Vultures, a Short-toed Eagle, Peregrine, 2 Ravens and 3 Black Storks (2 nests on the cliff). Passerines included 2 Rock Buntings (1 of which flew in and posed in front of us for some time at ridiculously close range), Blue Rock Thrush and Black Redstart. Just around the corner fom the cliff a track leads up to a small carpark from which we walked up to the elevated castillo. This site gives an excellent panorama and also a fine view along the ridge providing eye-level raptors. The site of 2 Booted Eagles flying right towards us along the ridge was one that lingers most in the memory but 2-3 Hawfinches and a Blue Rock Thrush were also bagged.

Having had our fill here we moved out of the immedaite environs of the national park and out on the road south. After a few km this leads to Arroya de la Vid, a small bridge over a stream. Walking up the small valley on the east side (following a line of telegraph poles) is a site for Spanish Sparrow (surprisingly scarce in this part of the country) and we duly found c5 nesting in the tops of the telegraph poles. Here we also gave 2 larks a good close look and they revealed themselves as our first Thekla Larks. The WP ticks just kept coming! 2 Woodchats were also present.

After this success we headed back north to the national park and then towards it's eastern end and the area known as 'the white hut'. In reality this is a concrete hut on the south side of the road leading through the valley with a large lay-by for parking and a good vista over the slopes to the south. This proved to be an excellent place to watch Black Vulture and we had several of these together with several more Egyptian Vultures and a single Subalpine Warbler in the adjacent scrub. Alas though we couldn't find Spanish Imperial Eagle despite a great deal of scanning at this reputedly good spot.

Deciding to finish the later afternoon and evening at Tietar Cliff a little further along the same road we made our way there next. On the way we were surprised (and somewhat chuffed!) to bag 3 Wild Boars as they crossed the road right in front of the car. Arriving at Tietar Cliff we joined a line of birders cars parked at the roadside and started our vigil at the cliff. This holds another large breeding colony of Griffon Vultures and we had 40+ as well as a couple more Black Vultures and c5 Egyptian Vultures. We also had Blue Rock Thrush and Black Stork here but our main aim was Eagle Owl which breeds on the cliff. Sure enough, after some wait for the light to start fading we scored with an adult and a single young bird which actively 'bounced' around the cliff.

All in all it was a fantastic days birding, esecially when you consider we also saw 5 White Storks, 30+ Red-rumped Swallows, c30 Bee-eaters, 8+ Azure-winged Magpies, Woodlark, Stonechat, many Serins, 2 Spotless Starlings, c10 Black Kites and c5 Red Kites throughout the day as well. Butterflies were well represented too with Spanish Marbled White, Zephyr Blue and the spanish race of Marsh Fritillary being the pick.

5 May 1999

A quick nip round the corner from our hotel to the citadel in Plasencia first things and we'd scored with c10 Lesser Kestrels that breed in the walls. These breeding colonies are a feature of the conquistador towns of Extremadura as we were to find out in other places. Also in/over the town were many Spotless Starlings, c5 White Storks and a couple of Black Kites.

Before leaving the area we decided on one last look at the white hut area at Monfrague. What a good job we did because perseverance really paid off! Initially the usual vultures of all 3 species were seen and then I called an eagle as it flew along the hillside to the south and alighted on a rock. Getting the scope on it proved it was a superb adult Spanish Imperial Eagle and we all got some great scope views as it sat there for some time. A minibus load of french birders on a tour eventually cottoned on to the fact that we were saying 'we've got a Spanish Imperial Eagle' rather than we were just looking for one! A first year Golden Eagle circling just afterwards was the icing on the raptor cake! Before we left we also managed another Subalpine Warbler, 2 Dartford Warblers, 3 Woodlarks, and both Green Woodpecker and Golden Oriole heard. Little did we know at the time but not seeing that woodpecker probably cost us an armchair tick when Iberian was split out a few years later!

Finally dragging ourselves away from Monfrague we headed south on the road towards Trujillo (the same road as ventured out along the previous day). After some 30 mins drive the road passes over a bridge over the Rio Almonte in it's wide cliff-sided valley. There is ample rough ground to park on by the bridge and we did just that and explored the valley bottom to the west. This is reputedly a site for Bonelli's Eagle which is said to be difficult here - and so it proved because we failed! Raptors we did see included 2 Black Vultures, 1 Short-toed Eagle and 1 Red Kite whilst a pair of Crag Martins were in and out under the bridge and a Kingfisher flashed by along the river. Walking further away from the road we located 2 Thekla Larks and once again were able to give them a good grilling to eliminate Crested. Also in the valley were a Little Egret, 3 White Storks, 1 Spanish Sparrow, 1 Pallid Swift, a couple of Stonechats and a good concentration of Woodchats.

The drive south to Trujillo yielded another Short-toed Eagle, a Common Buzzard and several Bee-eaters and Azure-winged Magpies before we rolled up in the wonderful old conquistador town of Trujillo. Securing rooms at the smart Hostel Trujillo we had a quick wash and brush up before heading out again. Water seeping into the corridor from underneath the door of Justy's room turned out to be because he'd flooded his room whilst in the shower!

Our desination for the late afternoon and evening were the Belen Plains situated just outside the town to the east. This area proved extremely productive and enjoyable with a marvellous 20 Great Bustards roaming the plains (of which 17 were together in one menacing gang!). By driving along the one narrow road that bisects the plain and any suitable looking side tracks stopping frequently to scan we located a high creditable 15 Little Bustards, 2 Stone Curlews, 3 calling Quail, 2 Great Spotted Cuckoos, 9 Bee-eaters and a couple of Fan-tailed Warblers. Calandra Larks (30+), Spotless Starlings and Cattle Egrets were numerous whilst raptors were represented by 5 Common Buzzards and 2 Black Vultures. All in all it was a very pleasant way to round off what had been a great days birding.

Back in Trujillo for the evening we dined at a restaurant in the Plaza Major chatting with a Scottish couple at the next table. The story of yours truly puking into a urinal in the toilets is one that I really shouldn't mention (but just have!).

6 May 1999

We began this morning at a very leisurely pace, deciding to relax over breakfast of coffee and churos in the Plaza Major in Trujillo. This wasn't entirely without a birding motive though as we got some great views of c20 Lesser Kestrels wheeling around their breeding colony in the walls plus c10 White Storks, 2 Pallid Swifts amongst many Common Swifts and 2 Red-rumped Swallows. Highly amusing was the sight of a road sweeper in the square diligently sweeping a small pile of dust a few yards and then back again, stopping for a coffee part way through as he feigned a hard day at work!

Having lazed about enough we then left the town and headed south and west. Stopping briefly at a roadside pond not far out of town we had 13 Black-winged Stilts, 1 Common Sandpiper, 5 Little Grebes and 2 excellent Great Spotted Cuckoos (plus c150 European Pond Terrapins) we then began the birding day proper. The intention was to spend the day throroughly working the area of plains that lays between Trujillo and Caceres. We explored this area at length by driving the network of lanes both north and south of the main road, stopping frequently to scan and also trying any suitable looking side tracks. At times this was frustrating because it was hard work and birds were in 'pockets' bu the day totals were certainly impressive after all the effort - 3 Great Bustards, 4 Little Bustards, 2 Black Vultures, c10 Montagu's Harriers, 1 Black-shouldered Kite, 4 Red Kites, c5 Common Buzzards, 1 Booted Eagle, 1 Short-toed Eagle, c4 Rollers, c15 Southern Grey Shrikes (our only new WP bird of the day), 2 pairs of Black-eared Wheatears, c30 Calandra Larks, 2+ Thekla Larks, 1 Tawny Pipit, 1 Dartford Warbler and 1 Fan-tailed Warbler as well as numerous Azure-winged Magpies, Hoopoes, Bee-eaters, Red-rumped Swallows and Spotless Starlings. Dappled White butterflies were everywhere.

Making our way into the chaotic town of Caceres in mid-afternoon we found the Rough Guide listed Hostel Castilla in a narrow street just off the main square and booked ourselves in the for that night. The town was busy hosting the annual WOMAD music festival and was full of crustys, assorted music revellers and dubious characters which would make that evening interesting we were sure!

Leaving the town and heading south we'd earmarked the late afternoon and evening for an exploration of the Rio Salor Plains c10 km out of the town. Little did we know what a traumatic evening we had in store!

Driving along the access track off the west side of the road is initially problematical in that a choice needs to be made between crossing a stream by way of a ford or a narrow stone bridge. We opted for the bridge which was only just wide enough for the car (just 2 inches spare each side!). After that the track is good and after a mile or two the track passes an isolated farmhouse outside which our car was attacked by 2 huge and vicious dogs which literally threw themsleves at the car as we drove past! That obstacle negotiated we enjoyed some good birding as we reached a railway crossing which signals the end of where you can bird. 9 Great Bustards, c5 Little Bustards, 6 Stone Curlews, c20 Calandra Larks, 2 Montagu's Harriers and a Little Owl had us in good spirits before the heavens opened and we had to sit the storm out in the car. Within 30 mins it had blown over and we turned round to make out way back towards the main road some 4 miles distant. What had been a good track was now resembling a river and despite being as careful as we could (with Andy out of the car and testing the water depth with his tripod leg) we got our front wheels stuck axle deep in a ditch that had formed across the track! Despite trying everything and getting covered in mud we couldn't get it to shift at all and with the front bumper and trim damaged as well things weren't looking good. The suggestion of venturing to the farmhouse for help was quickly shot down as we recalled the 'devil dogs' and it was looking a grim situation to be in so far from civilisation. As we stood wondering what the hell to do a farmer just happened to pass driving a Range Rover. Running over to him with arms waving Andy managed to get him to come and help pull us out much to our embarassed delight! We even managed to break his screwdriver for him as we tried to loosen the wet rope with it after he'd pulled us free. We were so relieved we could have hugged him!

That night back in Caceres the fun continued with police baton-charging WOMAD revellers in the main square leaving several blood splattered victims. It almost put us off our San Miguels!

7 May 1999

Today was to be the day we headed south for 'part 2' of the trip and we were glad to be leaving a very hectic Caceres. Before we began the long journey to the Coto Donana we decided on one more attempt at some plains birding and hopefully some sandgrouse which had so far eluded us.

We chose the plains north of Torreorgaz to concentrate our efforts and it was with frayed nerves that we drove the entrance track. The area proved a great one for bustards once again with groups of 16, 5 & 6 Great Bustards and 4 Little Bustards (including 3 calling males) together with 3+ Montagu's Harriers, a Red Kite, c10 Black Kites, 2 Common Buzzards and c20 Calandra Larks. I then got onto 2 distant Black-bellied Sandgrouse briefly in the scope as they flew away much to the exasperation of Messrs Lansdell junior and Wilkinson. All was not lost however when another flew in and was watched in a lengthy 180 degree flight in an arc around us. Despite less than ideal lighting conditions we were all more than happy. A puzzling wheatear in a paddock was eventually nailed as just a Northern Wheatear while c5 Bee-eaters, 1-2 Hoopoes and the strange record of a Little Tern over a farm pond rounded things off. Add to that some good bits and picked up en-route to Torreorgaz including 4 Serins, 2 Woodchats, c15 Azure-winged Magpies, 6 Stonechats, a Cetti's Warbler and 1-2 Nightingales and we left for the south in good fettle.

The drive south to the Coto Donana was livened by the fact that we shared the road with hundred of motorbikes all heading to Jerez for the motorcycle grand prix but other than 2-wheeled machines weaving in and out in dangerous fashion we arrived safely in the town of El Rocio. This small town is like stepping into the wild west with sandy streets, wooden buildings and a lawless atmosphere! We joined the rest of the gunslingers, found ourselves a room at the Hotel Isidro for the next 2 nights, slammed ourselves a couple of fingers of sippin' whisky and headed for the El Rocio Lagoon right on the edge of town.

The lagoon is easily viewable from the egde of town or the main road and proved a great introduction to the delights of the Coto. Not surprisingly the species were dominated by herons and waders with 371 Greater Flamingoes being probably the easiest WP tick we'd ever had. 24 Spoonbills, 7 Grey Herons and a Little Egret were joined by a huge count of 147 Black-winged Stilts plus 63 Avocet, 1 Collared Pratincole, 1 Turnstone, 2 Sanderling, 1 Common Sandpiper, 2 Kentish Plovers, c25 Curlew Sandpipers, 2 Black-tailed Godwits and a single Spotted Redshank amongst large numbers of Little Stints and Dunlin. 6 Red Crested Pochard, c5 Whiskered Terns and c12 Black Terns also competed for our attention.

A short drive south from El Rocio and you reach the reserve of La Rocina on the west side of the road.

After a quick look in the plush but ultimately useless visitor centre we had a highly productive wander through the pines and around the hides on the reserve. Although it is only a relatively small area of marsh it held good numbers of birds and is THE place to go for Purple Gallinule of which we enjoyed some great views of at least 8. Add to that 12 Spoonbills, 2-3 Purple Herons, 4 Squacco Herons, 2 Little Bitterns (including a male at point blank range clambering up a reed stem), 1 Little Egret and c20 Cattle Egrets in the evening sun and we were more than pleased. As well as herons there was a single female Red-crested Pochard, c20 Pochard, Marsh Harrier, Kingfisher, Woodchat and a briefly singing Savi's Warbler. Nightingales were singing everywhere whilst we also recorded singing Fan-tailed Warbler and Cetti's Warbler.

Back in El Rocio I made some running repairs to the front trim of the car using a screwdriver we'd bought. While I was on my back under the car one of the locals fired a shotgun into the air outside the Hotel Isidro and I almost s**t myself!

We had just one more aim for the day a look for Red-necked Nightjar at the reserve of El Acebuche about halfway between El Rocio and the coast. Ignoring the signs declaring the reserve to be closed before dusk we walked in along the tarmac entrance road and almost immediately heard Red-necked Nightjar calling it's distinctive 'ker-choc, ker-choc' ahead of us. Alas we were then asked to leave by an official so were destined to dip! A Red Fox was the only sighting of note in the gloom.

8 May 1999

We returned to El Acebuche during opening hours the next morning. This time we parked in the reserve carpark and explored the hides, scrub and woodland. Around the carpark itself the Azure-winged Magpies were very confiding and by scattering peanuts onto one of the picnic tables we were able to get some good photos. On the lagoons we winkled out 14 Spoonbills, 3 Little Egrets, 3 Ferruginous Ducks, 17 Red-crested Pochard, c10 Pochard and a single Purple Gallinule. Waders were quite disappointing though with just 1 Common Sandpiper, 10 Black-winged Stilts and 5 Lapwings providing scant reward. A pale phase Booted Eagle showed nicely overhead but it was the pine belts and scrub that yielded the most in the way of trip ticks - c5 Crested Tits looked most out of place bearing in mind where we're used to seeing them in the UK while we also added singles of Pied Flycatcher and Spotted Flycatcher. Also present were good numbers of Serins (30+) plus Sardinian Warbler and Melodious Warbler.

Our next destinantion was the close-by Palacio de Acebron. This is essentially an area of mature and in places damp woodland around a grand white country house. Being the only mature woodland we visited it had the potential for some welcome additions to the trip list it lived up to this. Best by far were the 2 Iberian Chiffchaffs in full song and giving some good views. Some 5+ Sardinian Warblers leaping about in treetops got us going for a while with thoughts of Orphean but were ultimately to disappoint. Nightingales were exceptionally numerous with 40+ singers together with 5+ Cetti's Warblers, 1 Blackcap and c4 Melodious Warblers. Welcome new birds also included 5 Tree Sparrows, a single Hawfinch and a Short-toed Treecreeper.

We were beginning to run out of options for this western side of the Coto so we returned to La Rocina again and had much the same as we'd had there the previous evening. Additions this time were a Reed Warbler, 1 Tree Sparrow, 2 Whiskered Terns, 1 dark Booted Eagle and a Spotted Flycatcher while there were still plenty of Purple Gallinules and herons. The major scoop however was bumping into a couple of Dutch birders, after a good chat and exchange of info they gave us a map showing the access to the very centre of the Coto. Until now we'd felt we were only really scratching the surface of what this wonderful area has to offer so we vowed to make a long day of it the next day.

The El Rocio lagoon held all the species present the previous day but this time with the added spectacle of 8 Glossy Ibis flying in to roost, 4 Collared Pratincoles and a squadron of 13 Griffon Vultures. Once again a Savi's Warbler was heard but not seen!

As the evening wore on it was time to make our 2nd attempt at Red-necked Nightjar. This time we ventured right down to the coast at Matalascanas. After a quick gander at the sea (3 Whimbrel and 2 Sanderling) we situated ourselves on the top edge of a bushy hollow just inland of the village. 2 Dartford Warblers kept us amused as the light faded and again the call of Red-necked Nightjar was audible in the distance. Again we failed to get any views of what was fast becoming a real bogey bird.

Despite it's appearance as rather a tacky seaside resort we did at least find a decent pizza restaurant in Matalascanas to gorge ourselves in.

9 May 1999

Following the map we'd kindly been given we headed north out of El Rocio and then east off the main road. The route took us through the village of Villamanrique de la Condesa and then a series of tracks approaching the target area from the north. This was lengthy drive but all the tracks were perfectly navigable which is more than can be said for the direct route from El Rocio which is now just deep soft sand and totally out of the question for anyone not driving a tank!

The drive wasn't without it's attractions though. Far from it actually with a number of excellent birds seen and a few impromptu stops. Best of all were the 3 or 4 Lesser Short-toed Larks right beside the track in the final kilometre plus at least 6 Spectacled Warblers along the same stretch. Other passerines seen were c4 Whinchats, 1 Calandra Lark, numerous Crested Larks, singles of Melodious Warbler and Fan-tailed Warbler and a superb group of 30 'iberiae' Yellow Wagtails around some cattle pens. 2 Woodchats and 2 Southern Grey Shrikes also entertained as did a good selection of raptors - 1 Booted Eagle, 1 Short-toed Eagle, 1 Red Kite, 2 Montagu's Harriers and 2 Marsh Harriers. Herons were represented by a Purple Heron flushed from a trackside ditch plus c6 Spoonbills while waders included c10 Collared Pratincoles, 9 Grey Plovers, a solitary Ringed Plover and c10 Black-winged Stilts.

Imagine our surprise, having driven miles along tracks through a landscape resembling the fens with no signposts precious few landmarks that we found the Jose Antonio Valverde Centre to be the plushest visitor centre we'd ever seen. Complete with marble seats, interpretive displays and even a tapas bar! Settling ourselves down on the long marble seat we began to scan the lagoon through the large glass viewing window while being gently cooled by the air conditioning. You get the picture! The lagoon was an amazing spectacle and in thorough search we found and counted 2 Purple Herons, 11 Spoonbills, 53 Greater Flamingoes, c100 Red-crested Pochard, c200 Pochard, c750 Mallard, c20 Gadwall, c30 Little Grebes...

Despite all of this our main quarry Marbled Duck remained firmly off our lists. That is until we had a few words with the one other visitor who was sat at the end of the bench. By inviting us to slide up to the far end of the bench a previously out of view island was suddenly visible and loafin underneath it were a pair of Marbled Duck! We decided then to have a wander outside to explore the immediate vicinity of the centre. Bumping into a reserve warden in the carpark we were asked if we'd like to join him as he checked the reptile pit in the carpark itself. We didn't need asking twice and went on to enjoy in the hand views of both Sharp-ribbed Salamander and Viperine Snake. The latter was in my hand! A walk along the track then produced a very welcome Western Olivaceous Warbler, a few Great Reed Warblers, Spotted Flycatcher, c20 more 'iberiae' Yellow Wagtails and c50 Collared Pratincoles loafing in a ploughed field.

We left the site feeling that we'd at last done full justice to the Coto Donana and made our way to our next overnight stop in the town of Teba. On the drive we clocked 3 Gull-billed Terns and 5+ Cattle Egrets of note.

Accommodation in the town isn't plentiful but we found the Hotel Sevillano in the main street. It looked closed but as we entered the owner was sat in the darkened bar watching footy and found us 2 rooms upstairs with no problem. The room I was given was obviously a family room because he had to remove a ladies nightdress from the bed! We dined that night on hotdogs in a bar full of teenagers at the top end of the main street feeling slightly out of place and old!

10 May 1999

Early morning provided some hilarious entertainment as Andy ventured naked through to the bathroom only to find himself in a ladies hairdressing salon that seemed to have sprung up right outside our door!

Before leaving in the morning we stopped for provisions and had c30 Pallid Swifts over the town and then made our way the short distance to Teba Gorge for our first real birding of the day. Access to the gorge is easy from a bridge on the main road and starts off as a narrow gorge, opening out as you proceed further along. Not always easy to negotiate but without any real problems we scored with some excellent birds. Best by a long way were the hoped for Bonelli's Eagles. A pair of this scarce Spanish bird were watched well on the cliffs just as the valley starts to open out a little plus a Short-toed Eagle and c8 Griffon Vultures. Alpine Swifts were exceptionally numerous with c150 seen plus 5+ Crag Martins and 6+ Chough. Passerines were great too with a Blue Rock Thrush, 2 Black Wheatears, c10 Rock Sparrows, a Hoopoe, 4 Grey Wagtails and 2 Cetti's Warblers. For the lepidopterist we also identified 2 Blue-spot Hairstreaks and a Long-tailed Blue.

Next stop was the reed fringed lagoon of Laguna Dulce which is again easily accessible from a main road. Although high reeds made viewing possible only from certain places the site really did come up trumps with a fantastic 25 White-headed Ducks (including 3 of the black headed immature males), huge numbers of Black-necked Grebes (c75), c20 Little Grebes, c60 Red-crested Pochard and c20 Pochard as well as 20 Greater Flamingoes and a Purple Heron. The variety of terns was good too with 6 Black Terns, c10 Gull-billed Terns and a single Whiskered Tern. As we left the site a male Montagu's Harrier was watched well near Artequera.

No trip to this area of Spain would be complete without a visit to the flamingo lake of Laguna de Fuente de la Piedre. Despite really hot temperatures, distant viewing and alot of heat haze we estimated an incredible 20,000 Greater Flamingoes shimmering pink in the distance plus closer views of a Kentish Plover, c40 Black-winged Stilts and c80 Gull-billed Terns feeding over fields. The reserve centre set around a courtyard provided some good souvenir shopping not to mention some welcome shade in which to chill out for a bit while watching the White Stork nest on the chimney.

While in swing of birding the lagunas of the region we stopped by at the Laguna del Rincon. This relatively small lake set in olive groves and farmland held 5 more White-headed Ducks, 10 Black-necked Grebes, 4 Great Crested Grebes, c25 Little Grebes, 2 Wood Sandpipoers, 1 Common Sandpiper, a Black Tern and 8 Cattle Egrets. Great Reed Warblers were vocal and showy with at least 5 seen. Despite a good search the vaguely hoped for Rufous Bushchat wasn't forthcoming but the area did yield a Whinchat, a Melodious Warbler and 3 'iberiae' Yellow Wagtails.

Our very last site of the day and the whole trip was the disappointing Laguna de Zonar which was largely void of birds and revealed just 2 Great Crested Grebes and a single Black-headed Gull from the carpark.

The rest of the evening was spent making as much progress back to Madrid as we could beforre we got too tired. We made it to the town of Valdepenas where we found the originally named Hotel Valdepenas and crashed out.

Our first trip to the Iberian peninsular had been very worthwhile and great way to start off southern European birding.

Cyprus, April 1998

This was what could be described as the first real serious assault on WP birding. Until 1998 we'd done a bit of birding here and there on the continent but this was really where it all began. Some may say the start of the slippery slope! To coin one of Andy's famous phrases 'some people chose life, we chose birding'!

Our trip was an easy one to plan, we booked a cheap self-catering package tour in some apartments in a village called Kissonerga just outside Paphos. From here, with a jeep hired for the whole trip we could easily reach all of the birding sites without the need to book any other accomodation.

20 April 1998

Day one and we were very anxious to get to the nearby migrant trap of Paphos Headland to secure a female Caspian Plover which we'd been keeping tabs on from home for a few days. It was still present and easily located and given a goog grilling as it fed on the short-cropped lower meadow below the lighthouse. Not a bad start! A thorough flogging of the whole area proved very worthwhile with migrants a plenty - 30+ Blue-headed Wagtails, 6+ Black-headed Wagtails, 3+ Grey-headed Wagtails, a Hoopoe, 2 Tree Pipits, 3 Whinchats, 2 Pied Flycatchers, 3 Northern Wheatears and a stunning male Eastern Black-eared Wheatear of the black throated form.

Caspian Plover, Paphos Headland

A quick trip back into Kissonerga to pick up some provisions and we quickly notched up our 2nd WP lifer of the trip in the form of a pair of Cyprus Pied Wheatears showing by the roadside in a banana plantation. This species proved to be one of the easiest endemics you could want to get with sightings daily in a wide variety of habitats. Back at the apartment and a new bird from the balcony! A pair of Black Francolins calling and the female showing constantly and the male eventually giving himself up sauntering along a track. Time for a coffee and singing Woodlark and Cetti's Warbler by the apartment before we headed the short distance up the coast in the afternoon to Coral Bay. Here we picked up a Sardinian Warbler, 2 Woodchats, c3 more calling (but not seen) francolins and numerous Black-eyed Blue butterflies..

We then moved the short distance to the scrubby beach area at Ayios Georgious and spent some time here getting a Spur-winged Plover, 6 Great White Egrets moving north out to sea, 2 Black-headed Wagtails, 10+ Blue-headed Wagtails, 2 more Cyprus Pied Wheatears and a female Ortolan before moving on to the highly recommended Avgas Gorge for most of the afternoon.

The gorge is a great walk and really should be on any birder's itinerary. A thorough working of the vegetation on both side of the main track through the gorge revealed a stonking male Cyprus Warbler giving point blank views on a scrubby scree slope, an equally stunning male Collared Flycatcher, 3 Pied Flycatchers, a Redstart, 10 Cyprus Pied Wheatears, 6 Red-rumped Swallows, 2 Chukars, 2 Sardinian Warblers and at least 7 Eastern Olivaceous Warblers which favoured the bushes alongside the stream.

The last site of the day was the 'birders meeting spot' of Asprokremnos Dam which is a great site to gather at in the late afternoon and evening. Not only to swap news but it's pretty damn good for birds too! The place to go is the scrubby and marshy area below the dam at the southern end of the reservoir. In a very pleasant couple of hours we had great views of 2 Little Crakes, a Night Heron, 3 Garganey, Little Owl, 2 Red-rumped Swallows, 4 Alpine Swifts, 2 Chukars, 2 male Cyprus Warblers, 1 Ortolan, and a song-flighting Fan-tailed Warbler.

That brought the day total to 8 new WP birds!

Cyprus Pied Wheatear, Avgas Gorge

Little Owl, Asprokremnos Dam

21 April 1998

An early morning check for migrants at Paphos Headland only to discover the Caspian Plover had gone - phew! A lengthy tramp round the whole area revealed a few different migrants from the previous day. A Jack Snipe was flushed and flycatcher were represented by 1 Collared Flycatcher and c6 Pied Flycatchers, a mixed flock of flava wagtails contained 3 forms - c30 Blue-headed, 2 Grey-headed and c10 Black-headed while arboreal warblers included 1 Wood Warbler and some great close up views of an Eastern Bonelli's Warbler.

Paphos Headland and Lighthouse

After planning the previous evening we'd decided that we'd try the Mavrokolybos Dam would be our second port of call of the day. This mountainous area afforded us some excellent views of the best concentrations of Cyprus Warblers we found (5+) in a gully off the main valley, a female Subalpine Warbler, 1 Wood Warbler, 1 Whinchat, 5+ Cyprus Pied Wheatears, 4+ Tree Pipits, a solitary Common Sandpiper and a very distant raptor which was probably a Black Kite (but not one we put on the trip list)

A quick drive around the lanes by the coastal village of Mandria (a well known site for Black Francolin) and we got some excellent views of 5 Collared Pratincoles loafing about in ploughed fields and made a mental note that this comparatively lush arable area would be well worth a check for migrants when we had more time.

For the remainder of the day we then headed inland to the northern end of the Asprokremnos Reservoir. Our initial tactic was to drive the lanes and tracks stopping at likely looking spots and picking up what we could. The best spot seemed to be an area by a ford near the village of Nata and in a prolonged lunch break here we had some great birds. Our attention was initially drawn by a male Little Bittern which flew across the road and into a small patch of reeds by the stream and then refused to show again! A superb male Black-headed Bunting sung and showed well in an olive grove whilst a colony containing 300+ Spanish Sparrows occupied an overgrown orange grove. Other birds seen included Wood Sandpiper, Woodchat, 5 Red-rumped Swallows, 2 Whinchats and another Ortolan. Next we moved slightly south towards the shallow northern end of the reservoir which was generally pretty dried up. We concentrated on the area around the deserted Turkish 'ghost' village of Phinikas. The peculier and deserted shell of a village proved an excellent birding spot with some excellent views of 2 Golden Orioles, a Roller, Hoopoe, 4 Wood Warblers, Great Spotted Cuckoo and a lovely flock of 20+ Red-throated Pipits which appeared out of the grass along a path south out of the village. The dried up and grassy valley bottom hosted 8 Purple Herons, a Common Crane, an unidentified ringtail harrier, c10 Kestrels and 4 superb Red-footed Falcons hunting back and forth. The place and it's birds firmly cmemnted it as one of our favourite places of the whole trip, even for Justin who'd had his hand caught in the car door when we were anxious to nail a distant Roller!. For the mammal list we also recorded 2 Cyrpus Hares here.

Black-headed Bunting, Asprokremnos

Crested Lark, Asprokremnos

22 April 1998

Today we decided to head towards the Evretou Dam and in a morning drive through rural hilly couitryside in that SW corner of the island we clocked a female Rock Thrush, 6 Rollers (including an impressive 4 together), 2 Golden Orioles, 4+ Cetti's Warblers, a male Black Francolin perched up and a sub-adult male Red-footed Falcon. At the dam itself it was fairly quiet but we did find 2 Glossy Ibis down on the reservoir edge, 2 Garganey, 1 Sardinian Warbler and an elusive Eastern Bonelli's Warbler.

Evretou Dam

Next stop was the famous Baths of Aphrodite up in the NW corner of the island near the pretty town of Polis. Here we parked up and spent a good couple of hours working the lightly wooded campsite on the clifftop. Flycatchers were much in evidence with c5 Spotted Flycatchers, c20 Pied Flycatchers and 3+ Collared Flycatchers but despite diligent searching we couldn't locate any Semi-collared. We did notch up c10 Wood Warblers, c10 Tree Pipits, 5 Golden Orioles a solitary Song Thrush and a showy male Eastern Subalpine Warbler. We followed this up with a drive a little westwards along the Smiyies Track where we spent a very pleasant hour containing a 'too close to focus' Black-headed Bunting, Redstart, 3+ Pied Flycatchers, Golden Oriole, Woodchat, c10 Bee-eaters and a fly-over Hobby.

Looking north from Smiyies Track

The hills beckoned so we took an afternon drive into the foothills of the Paphos Forest SW of Polis. Near the village of Lysos we halted rather quickly at an area of cultivated terraces in a valley - we'd spotted Masked Shrike from the car! We enjoyed some mega views of a pair before our attention was drawn to a small passerine in a bushy area by the road. Closer inspection revealed it to be a stunning male Cretzschmar's Bunting quickly joined by 2 others. What a stop! In all the excitement we also saw Red-throated Pipit, Cuckoo and Whitethroat. One other stop in the forest at Stavros tis Psokas yielded the local race of Jay a couple of Chaffinches and c7 Cyprus Mouflin sadly of the fenced-in variety!

Masked Shrike, Paphos Forest

23 April 1998

An early morning flogging of the Paphos Headland area again and this time it produced another set of good birds including another WP tick in the form of a migrant Calandra Lark flushed from below the lighthouse. Larks, pipits and wagtails were very much in evidence with 27 Short-toed Larks, 5 Tree Pipits, a Tawny Pipit, and c15 Yellow Wagtails of various genuses. The spectacular sight of 3 Night Herons in off the sea had us all enthusing while we also enjoyed 4 Woodchats, 1 Stone Curlew and another Red-footed Falcon.

Next stop was the famous Kensington Cliffs which is located on the coast about halfway between Paphos and Limassol. This spot is famed for it's breeding Griffon Vultures and Eleonora's Falcons and we had some amazing views of 8 of the former and 4 of the latter. The falcons hunted back and forth, often at eye level looking from the clifftop and we had 1 dark phase and 3 pale phase of these wonderfully agile birds. Other birds were few and far between here except 13 Little Egrets moving offshore and a single Alpine Swift. 2 Southern Graylings were also watched well.

We then continued eastwards along the coast towards Limassol stopping initially at Phassouri Reedbed pools which proved to be full of birds - 4 Little Egrets, 10 Cattle Egrets, 10+ Squacco Herons, 1 Purple Heron, c21 Glossy Ibis and c15 Garganey were the highlights while we also scored with 2 Marsh Sandpipers, 5 Wood Sandpipers and a Golden Oriole. Better was to follow however when we moved the short distance to Bishops Pool and immediately bumped into a fabulous Blue-cheeked Bee-eater showing extremely well on wires above the track by the gate to Akrotiri air base. The pool itself gave us several views of a mystery snipe which gave us the run around for a bit before we nailed it as a Great Snipe. Add c6 Bee-eaters, 2 Golden Orioles, Nightingale, Tawny Pipit, 6 Black-winged Stilts and a host of more common passage passerines and waders and we had ourselves a good couple of hours.

Around the other side of the massive salt lake (very dry on our visit) lay the Zakaki Pools and this proved to be a site where some excellent close up views of a number of species were possible from the road. Again egrets and herons predominated with 5 Squacco Herons, 2 Purple Herons and 2 Glossy Ibis but our attention was draw to a gull that flew in, circled the pools and headed off quickly - a lovely pink breasted Slender-billed Gull and another new bird for us all. Other goodies included 1 Black Tern, 2 Whiskered Terns, c15 Marsh Sandpipers and a Temminck's Stint.

Squacco Heron, Zakaki Pool

We finished the day with a wander around the Akrotiri Pits area which used to be a site for Pied Kingfisher. Sadly not any more but we did bump into an impressive flock of c50 Collared Pratincoles in a trackside ploughed field and migrants around the pits included a Woodchat, 3 Whinchats, 5 Northern Wheatears, 2 Purple Herons and a Marsh Sandpiper pursued along a ditch.

24 April 1998

In contrast to a very coastal day on 23rd this was a day when we headed inland and gradually worked our way upo to the elevated village of Troodos in the mountains. The best route up is through the picturesque Dhiarizos Valley. Along this long and wide valley we had a number of short stops when we located anything that looked interesting from the car. Do just this we managed a couple of Griffon Vultures, a imm female Red-footed Falcon, 4 Rollers, a Masked Shrike, Cyrpus Warbler, Serin, 3 singing Nightingales, and a good concentration of 17 Turtle Doves.

Roller, Dhiarizos Valley

The area around the villages of Troodos, Platres and the summit of Mount Olympus provided a welcome change of scenery and more importantly some new species. A Woodlark sang right on the mountain summit while the village of Troodos and surrounding woodland gave us c5 Pallid Swifts and some educational species of the endemic Cypriot races in the form of 2 grey Short-toed Treecreepers of the race 'dorotheae', 4 very distinctive Crossbills of the race 'guillemardi' and 10+ Coal Tits of the very dark race 'cypriotes'. Cyprus Pied Wheatears proved that they truly are at all altitudes with at least 10 seen.

Cyprus Pied Wheatear

For the route down towards the coast again we chose the F616 road which runs roughly south but further west than the Dhiarizos Valley. This change of scenery was to take in the only known Long-legged Buzzard on the island (which we duly located and watched at length) but also gave us 4 more Rollers, 1 Whinchat and a memorable group of c10 Great Spotted Cuckoos watched squabbling and chasing off Magpies.

The start of an eventful evening (read on!) began at the Asprokremnos Dam where once again we clocked up an impressive list of species. Start bird by a long way was an extremely close Baillon's Crake. We also had 2 female Little Crakes, Squacco Heron, 1 male Black Francolin, 2 Garganey, 9 Common Sandpipers, 1 Cyprus Warbler, 4 Alpine Swifts, Kingfisher and the resident Little Owl.

Our last stop of the day was to prove exactly that! After poodling through the lanes and tracks at Mandria and clocking up c6 Black Francolins, c6 Collared Pratincoles, a Spur-winged Plover and a couple of Chukars we ventured closer to the beach and despite cries of 'Justin don't drive onto that soft sand on the beach!' you can guess what happened - we got stuck! The view of Andy and I digging the car out and then disappearing in a cloud of dust clutching the footmats we'd used as Justin squealed away will linger long in his memory if not ours! Oh, there were 2 Stone Curlew on the beach enjoying the fun.

25 April 1998

Being creatures of habit we were back on the Paphos Headland first thing (and then again in the afternoon) and enjoying the spectacle of 4 Rollers coming in off the sea. We also scored with our only Sparrowhawk of the trip and it was obvious there had been a fall of different birds - Tawny Pipits were very much in evidence with c15 seen, 2 Woodchats, a female Masked Shrike, 4 Pied Flycatchers, 3 Spotted Flycatchers, 3 Black-eared Wheatears, and an instantly id'd Isabelline Wheatear were supplemented by a couple of Nightingales, 3 Lesser Whitethroats, 1 Whitethroat, 2 Wood Warblers and 1 Olivaceous Warbler. 2 Fly-by Slender-billed Gulls were then eclipsed by 15 flying by while waiting for Andy in a phone box! The heavens then opened and after sheltering over a coffee we did a quick scout around the hotel gardens in Kato Paphos and found a few downed migrants including a stonking male Collared Flycatcher perched on mini golf flags, a Nightingale and 2 Lesser Whitethroats.

26 April 1998

Our last day but one where a late afternoon flight meant we had most of the day to play with. With all of our target species now safely in the bag we decided to head back east along the coast of the Akrotiri area and decided on a stop to Zakaki Pools as our first port of call. And this proved to be a great call when within a short time of arriving we had 2 harriers rising out if the sueda on the far side of the pool. We carefully checked the id and were elated to confirm they were 2 female/1w Pallid Harriers and an unexpected final WP tick of the trip.

Pallid Harrier, Zakaki Pools

The pools themselves were alive with birds once more with an impressive 42 Little Egrets, 6 Squacco Herons, 2 Purple Herons, 3 Kentish Plovers, 5 Little Ringed Plovers, 4 Curlew Sandpipers, 5 Wood Sandpipers, both Little and Temminck's Stint, 4 Marsh Sandpipers, 2 Greenshank and 21 Black-winged Stilts. A wander along the lane also proved fruitful with some excellent views of 2 long overdue Spectacled Warblers.

A drive along the Bishops Pool access track then produced c15 Bee-eaters, 3 Rollers and a fly-over Eleonora's Falcon presumed to be from the inaccessable breeding colony on the cliffs inside the base.

Next stop was Phassouri Reedbed which was oince famous for it's breeding Dead Sea Sparrows. Sadly these died out years ago but we were treated to some more good birds including 2 new species for the trip list in the form of 2 Bitterns and a superb 2nd summer White-winged Black Tern. Add 20 Glossy Ibis, 20 Garganey, 10 Cattle Egrets, 1 Purple Heron, 7 Squacco Herons, Marsh Harrier and 5 Wood Sandpipers and you have a site we'd highly encourage others to visit.

For our last port of call of the day (and indeed the trip) it seemed appropriate to pay our respects once more to the Asprokremnos Dam Pools and whilst hastily getting changed for our flight and stuffing clothes into our luggage we clocked some more views of the Baillon's Crake, 3 Little Crakes, a female Little Bittern, 1 Glossy Ibis, Stone Curlew, 2 Alpine Swifts, Red-rumped Swallow, Roller, 2 Cyprus Warblers, the by now familiar Little Owl and flocks of 11 and 19 Bee-eaters over.

An amazing trip and one that firmly gave us the WP birding bug!

The Belgian Ardennes, March 1996

The inaugral boys' foreign birding trip!

Armed with the Rough Guide to the Benelux Countries and with just ferry tickets purchased in advance the plan was to find suitable accommodation as we went. Birdingwise we wanted to connect with the winter and resident specialities of the region concentrating on the species we couldn't see at home.

14 March 1996

Although the 'Tres Amigos' catchphase had yet to be adopted it was myself, Justin and Andy who travelled on the cross channel ferry from Dover to Calias and after a quick stop to watch 3 Crested Larks at Calais Docks drove through the evening in my trusty blue Rover to our first stop. Following the France/Belgium border on the French side we headed through the towns of Cambrai and Charleville Mezieres (nearly knocking a woman and her shopping trolley over at one point!) before crossing the border and heading into the town of Virton. Here we had a beer or two (well we were in Belgium!) and drove the short distance to Ethe Woods where we headed up a track and set up camp for the night. Foolishly some would say because it was freezing and Justin as recovering from illness and had been warned by his doctor about looking after himself. That probably didn't mean a 1-season sleeping bag resulting in 3rd grade hypothermia!

15 March 1996

The one advantage of camping out in the woods was that come the morning we were right on site and with a morning brew still going on Andy's trangier we were already watching 2 Crested Tits right by the car. After packing away we then spent a good long morning walking the various paths and tracks through the impressive Ethe Woods. This pristine and unspolit woodland held healthy populations of birds some of which have become hard to come by back home. The highlights of the morning were c25 Nuthatches, 1Willow Tit, c10 Marsh Tits, 1 Common Treecreeper, 2 Woodlarks, c12 Hawfinches, c7 Great Spotted Woodpeckers and 3 Red Kites whilst a lot of calling and brief flight views of a Black Woodpecker provided our first WP tick of the trip. After 3 hours we finally chanced upon another of our target species in the form of an excellent Middle Spotted Woodpecker in oaks and beeches over a track. By the time of our visit a very small population of Hazel Hens were thought to have died out but we did see Red Squirrel and signs of recent Wild Boar activity.

Our next stop of the day was for a quick walk through some likely looking mature woodland at Croix Rouge and short distance from Ethe. In an hour here we managed a nice showy Short-toed Treecreeper as well as Willow Tit, more Nuthatches and half a dozen Common Buzzards.

Having secured soem accommodation at the Hotel de Liege in the picturesque town of La Roche en Ardennes we made our way to the small nearby village of Hargimont and found the quarry we had been directed to by our Belgian contact Renee-Marie Lafontaine without too much difficulty. Arriving at 17.30 we began our vigil until dusk with the time being livened by 2 Common Buzzards, calling Tawny Owl, Bullfinch and an impressive fly-by flock of c40 Hawfinches. As darkness approached we then scored with our quarry (excuse the pun!) as a superb Eagle Owl flew into birches on the top lip of the cliff. It sat here eyeing us up for a full 5 minutes before flying into trees and being lost to view in the fading light.

That night we joined the locals in a bar in the town of La Roche which seemed to be having an evening of festivities. One group arrived dressed as undertakers emerging from a coffin on the back of a converted mini while later in the evening we were joined in the bar by a cow. I kid you not!!

16 March 1996

After breakfast from the boulangerie we made our way on the cross country drive towards Logbierme, a site we were all looking forward to visiting. En route we encountered a flock of passerines in roadside pastures near Samree which turned out to contain c100 Chaffinches, a single Brambling and c100 Fieldfares while we also saw a Stonechat and 3 Common Buzzards on the journey.

Arriving at Logbierme we quickly ventured off into the large area of upland heath and woodland resembling a 'Brecks at higher altitude'. Despite there being a fair bit of snow about the site wasn't too hard to navigate and in the space of 3-4 hours we'd seen c8 Crested Tits, 1 Willow Tit, 1 Marsh Tit, 3-4 Crossbills, c100 Siskins, c200 Chaffinches, 1 Grey Wagtail, 3 White Wagtails and couple of Nuthatches. Star birs of the long morning had to go to a Nutcracker picked up in the tops of spruces across an area of clearfell and then seen in flight with it or another calling later in the morning. 2 blocks of beech wood amongst the predominantly coniferous woodland looked promising for Black Woodpecker and as we'd located a probable nest hole we decided to return as dusk approached to see if there was any activity.

After a sojourn into the nearby town of Malmedy to book our beds for the night at the Hotel St Gereon, lunch and a brew we return to Logbierme at about 17.30 and made our wat to the aforementioned nest hole. After a short wait a superb male Black Woodpecker burst noisily onto the scene and gave some memorable views against a sinking sun as it came and went and then eventually almost somersaulted into it's roost hole. Time was getting on we dashed back towards the car to listen in the dense blocks of spruce trees for our main target bird of the day. Within seconds of turning the tape on a Tengmalm's Owl was calling strongly back and did this for some 20 minutes before falling silent. Despite our best efforts with torches and car headlights we couldn't get a view though.

We left the site in darkness and made out way down the through lanes to Malmedy. Upon reaching the main street it was clear that another festival of sorts was in full swing and we soon found that 3 British birders in their car had become part of a procession which featured hundreds of people dressed in white smocks and wearing long upturned false noses! Oh the Belgian sense of humour!

17 March 1996

2 Grey Wagtails over the hotel first thing in the morning set us on our way north towards the German border and our main site of the day, Lac D'Eupen near the german-speaking town of the same name. Our main reason for visiting this site was because it was a reputed breeding site for Grey-headed Woodpecker but despite several hours working some difficult steep wooded terrain along the lake edge we failed to find any. Other woodpeckers were in evidence however with Great Spotted Woodpecker and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker both seen and Black Woodpecker heard. Other woodland species were again well represented with c20 Nuthatches, 2 Common Treecreepers, a Crossbill, 3 Crested Tits and c20 Siskins.

After failing to find any

likely looking hotels in Eupen a little further north we stumbled upon an attractive roadside wooden lodge Le Lion Rouge and after booking ourselves in for the night spent a couple of hours exploring the local area known as the Barrage de la Gileppe. The wooded river valley held some good birds including 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 1 female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker a distant drumming Black Woodpecker (audible across the valley!), c15 Nuthatches, c4 Short-toed Treecreepers, Crested Tit, c6 Marsh Tits and a Hawfinch. On reaching the hotel after lengthy walk we located 3 Long-tailed Tits in the hedge along the lane including to our surprise one pure white-headed Northern Long-tailed Tit.

Being in the middle of nowhere we dined and drank in the wood panelled bar of the hotel that night including the highly recommended abbey beer of the area. If only I could remember what it was called!

18 March 1996

Our last day and after finding 2 Northern Long-tailed Tits by the hotel (curiously both seemingly paired with 'normal' birds) we had another crack at our missing woodpecker at Lac D'Eupen. And another dip! An occupational hazzard when looking for birds right on the edge of their breeding ranges. Whilst searching we did clock up 3 Short-toed Treecreepers, a Crested Tit, c4 Coal Tits, c300 Chaffinches, 1 Brambling, a Grey Wagtail and some great views of a Red Squirrel but we left the area at a low point.

The decision was made to drive back south to the Luxembourg border and another woodland site at Vance near the town of Arlon. Upon arrival we were met by sign prohibiting access due to it being a military area. Undetered we ploughed on in and despite live firing going on uncomfortably close (!) we flogged the area we'd been given directions to but again failed with our target bird - Hazelhen. All we managed were single Willow Tits and Crested Tits before we began the long drive back up to the channel coast and the ferry home.

Yugoslavia, August 1990

Yet another non-birding trip with some birding squeezed in between other commitments. This time it was a family holiday with my now ex-in-laws and as an actual holiday it was extremely dull. The birding provided a welcome diversion from the boredom and family disagreements.

The trip was a 2 centered one, the first week being on the island of Brac in the Adriatic with the second week being based in Makarska on the mainland Dalmation coast. The timing was rather fortuitous - just before the Balkans War and the break up of the former Yugoslavia. In some of the less touristy inland areas you could feel the tension and unease.

From a birding point of view the trip was quite frustrating but at the time I had several new WP birds, some of which I only became re-aquainted with many years later in Israel in 2006 (Sombre Tit and Pygmy Cormorant) or Turkey in 2007 (Western Rock Nuthatch). Only one species remains unseen elsewhere at the tiem of writing (Rock Partridge) whilst rather oddly my only overseas Lesser Grey Shrike was on this trip.

The first few days of the trip were spent around the resort village of Bol on the island of Brac and the following is a summary of the birds seen.

5 August 1990

2 Woodchats around the apartment, an adult feeding a noisy juvenile.

6 August 1990

Both Woodchats were still present while a stroll down to the beach produced a male Red-backed Shrike on wires in the village and a female Cirl Bunting. Back at the apartment an Eastern Olivaceous Warbler was watched well in a tree from the back balcony.

7 August 1990

Much of the same as the previous 2 days but a walk around the trees and scrub behind the Golden Horn beach produced 4 Woodchats, 3 Red-backed Shrikes, 4 Turtle Doves and numerous Chaffinches. 2 Eastern Grayling butterflies were also identified.

8 August 1990

A walk along the coastal footpath leading eastwards from the village and at last some different birds! Woodchats and Red-backed Shrikes were again obvious but 2 Sardinian Warblers, another Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, 2 Cirl Buntings, 2 Whitethroats, 5+ Alpine Swifts and 3 Ravens gave me something to liven the notebook with. At least 20 Yellow-legged Gulls were also feeding on the rubbish tip behind the village. Butterflies again produced soem goodies with Hungarian Glider, Brown Argus, Southern Comma, Pale Clouded Yellow and many Woodland Graylings.

10 August 1990

Finally a decent bit of time available for birding but as it had to be done on foot from the village the scope was limited. An early morning start and a walk in a loop inland of the village and then along the coastal footpath produced some good birds and 4 new WP birds for me at the time. Initially the village itself held it's usual Woodchats (3+) and Red-backed Shrikes (5) but in addition 5 Cirl Buntings showed really well and 5 Golden Orioles were flushed from a copse in the village with a great deal of singing also noted. Walking up the road leading inland from the village was hard work but well worth the effort when reaching an area of pines beside the road I found a Sombre Tit and 2 Short-toed Eagles soared together on the morning thermals with 10+ Alpine Swifts.

Back down at coastal level the footpath to the east of the village was productive with 1 Sardinian Warbler, 1 Northern Wheatear, 2 Black-eared Wheatears (of the eastern pale throated form), 4 Stonechats and what was one of the highlights of the trip for me in those formative days - 2 Blue Rock Thrushes.

11 August 1990

Very little today except the resident juvenile Woodchat almost entering the apartment (!) and 5+ Alpine Swifts over the village. Butterflies added to the triplist were Scarce Swallowtail and Queen of Spain Fritillary.

The second phase of the trip was on the mainland at Makarska and the hope that being off an island the bird life might be a little more varied!

13 August 1990

A walk in the woodland and mountains surrounding Makarska produced a wheeling flock of c200 Alpine Chough, a male Red-backed Shrike in a pine wood on the edge of town and a few Chaffinches and Greenfinches but little else of interest. Butterflies included 1 Pale Clouded Yellow, 2 Hungarian Gliders, 2 Marbled Whites and numerous Woodland Graylings.

15 August 1990

Some proper birding at last! Heading south along the coast to the hug wetland of Hutovo Blato. Stopping near the village of Svitava at a military checkpoint which signalled the end of where I could drive I scanned the vast expanse of water and happily picked out 7 Pygmy Cormorants. 2 Squacco Herons were in a reedy pool by the road together with 2 Hooded Crows, a Kingfisher and 3 Bee-eaters on wires. 3 Little Egrets flew along the river at Opuzen before I drove a long loop along winding lanes through the arid hills beside Hutuvo Blato. I failed to find another way in to the area avoiding the military areas but the drive and few stops did yield 2 Black-eared Wheatears, a Blue Rock Thrush, 2 Subalpine Warblers and a couple of male Red-backed Shrikes.

I then headed to the reserve at Karaotok where a walk between swampy woodland and cereal fields revealed a flock of c20 Bee-eaters, singles of both Kingfisher and Green Sandpiper along a dyke. A Quail sang from the cereal and a scan over the same fields produced an excellent pink-flushed male Lesser Grey Shrike. Linnets were very common in the area and a single Cuckoo was also seen. The best butterflies were a female Lang's Short-tailed Blue at Karaotok and a Bath White near Svitava.

Next I drove a little further north along the coast and then inland. Stopping at a lay-by near Bacina to take a photograph resulted in a total fluke as a Western Rock Nuthatch flew over the road and perched on top of a boulder before disappearing away up the slope. The lake opposite was duly photograped and as I looked up the massive silhouette of a juv White-tailed Eagle soared overhead. During the day I also had Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Golden Orioles plus Jay and Magpie as additions to my triplist.

16 August 1990

A day spent exploring the large inland lake of Busko Blato and the surrounding hills.

The wide muddy margins of the lake produced a single male Kentish Plover, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 5 Water Pipits, 15+ Grey Herons and a couple of Little Egrets and on the walk down from the car a Sombre Tit was seen well in a line of bushed leading down towards the lake. The whole area was very rich for Red-backed Shrikes with at least 10 seen. 2 Rock Buntings were a great find beside the road near Prisoje but the best was yet to come a couple of miles further along the same road when a brief stop at a rocky area resulted in some excellent views of a Rock Partridge before it scuttled away up a gully.

The day also produced 4 Hooded Crows and 1 Corn Bunting plus c40 'eastern' Jackdaws in the square of the tense and very soviet-feeling town of Livno.

Madeira, August 1988

My very first stab at overseas birding but it could hardly be described as a birding trip - it was actually my honeymoon! If I'd have known then what I know now I'd have spent much more time birding during the 12 days on the island!

Despite having my movements restricted some birding was possible and being a first foray into foreign birding meant a few WP ticks including 2 endemics which I haven't seen subsequently (Trocaz Pigeon and Madeira Firecrest). Seabirds were a big miss so a further trip to Madeira may be necessary in the future.

As I'm writing this report retrospectively (19 years after the event!) details are a bit sketchy so I've just shown the daily sightings. Species like Canary, Plain Swift and Atlantic Yellow-legged Gull were seen daily around Funchal (where I was based) so are not repeated on the list.

1 August 1988, Funchal

Many Atlantic Yellow-legged Gulls, 4 Turnstones, 3-4 Plain Swifts, 2 Common Terns

2 August 1988, Funchal, Ribeira Brava and Sao Vicente

6-7 Grey Wagtails (2 Ribeira Brava beach, 4-5 Sao Vicente), 1 Starling, 2 Spanish Sparrows (Cafe Ribeira Brava), 1 Chaffinch (maderensis race bird at Boca da Encumeada), 1 Canary (Serra de Agua), 2 Kestrels and 1 Common Buzzard.

3 August 1988, Funchal and Machico

1 Common Buzzard, 1 Alpine Swift (Canico), numerous Plain Swifts everywhere, 8 Canaries (Funchal) and a distant large raft of Cory's Shearwaters off Funchal seafront.

4 August 1988, Monte and Eira do Serrado

10+ Goldfinches, 3 Chaffinches, 1 Madeira Firecrest (showing very well in laurels at Eira do Serrado), 1 Trocaz Pigeon (eventually one seen when flushed off the road by the car on the way back down and having almost given up!) and 3-4 Spanish Sparrows.

5 August 1988, Machico and Ponta de Sao Lorenco

3 Common Buzzards, 2 Kestrels, 15+ Berthelot's Pipits (Ponte de Sao Lorenco), 80+ Rock Sparrows (large flock on the Ponte de Sao Lorenco)

6 August 1988, Ribo Frio and Pico do Areiro

2 Berthelot's Pipits (Pico do Areiro), 1 White Wagtail and 1 Chaffinch.

8 August 1988, Pico do Areiro

3-4 Berthelot's Pipits, 1 Spanish Sparrow, many Plain Swifts and 1 Common Buzzard.

9 August 1988, Funchal

1 Manx Shearwater and 5 Common Terns seen from a yacht trip off Funchal

12 August 1988, Funchal

40+ Canaries over a banana plantation near the hotel was the biggest gathering seen.

Western Palearctic Birding

Chris Lansdell