Another day, another Pallid Harrier

In recent days we worked in ZEPA (SPA) Llanos de Cáceres y Sierra de Fuentes. This region holds the largest number of Great Bustards in Extremadura, but even here they are declining. We did see some Great Bustards but avoided the large concentrations, not to disturb them while breeding. Life in Llanos de Cáceres is hard enough with overgrazing and fences. We saw very few Little Bustards, really sad and alarming. Other steppe species seem to be doing OK.
Birding highlights included mainly raptors. On May 7th Re'a found a 2cy female Pallid Harrier towards the end of our morning session, not far from Sierra de Fuentes. I finished mine and picked him up. As we drove out, my camera in the bag in the back of course, we saw a Montagu's Harrier attacking viciously another harrier - sure ID feature for Pallid Harrier... And indeed it was the same bird. We saw it very well but while I got my camera out of the bag both harriers flew away and into the sun. I fired off some hopeless photos at a silly distance. I think that with some imagination you can actually see the face pattern and pale primaries...

Quite cool to have a second Pallid Harrier in a just few days. However, I would trade both harriers for one certain vulture... Other birding highlights included the first Spanish / Iberian Imperial Eagle of the trip (somehow we succeeded not to see any till this one), and a Spotted Crake, a local rarity.

Some other raptors:

This female Montagu's Harrier was somewhat closer:

Several pairs of Booted Eagle breeding around the park:

Short-toed Eagle - I really like them:

First Honey Buzzards of the trip:

From now on I should use the brilliant Spanish term 'bimbo' for tick - trip tick, lifer, Spanish tick etc. - from now on bimbo it will be. This term was given in the 1970's by Catalan birders - the Spanish bread producer Bimbo had albums with collectible stickers.

Yesterday we had our day off. Early morning we went birding in the mountains south of Oliva de Merida. Our main aim was, again, Cirl Bunting and Western Orphean Warbler. And again we failed. We heard one warbler and Re'a glimpsed it, but no sign of bunting. The hunt continues...

Hundreds of vultures roosted on the cliffs above. When they took off it was quite impressive.

In the afternoon we met up with Marc at Alange. We dipped on a Pec that had been found on the Embalse a day earlier, but at last scored with my bimbo White-rumped Swift. Two birds were seen well flying high above the castle. They kept their distance so no photos, but I was very pleased to see them. Thanks Marc!

Some other birds and butterflies from recent days:

This unfortunate broken-winged Gadwall, stuck in a small pond, will surely feed young foxes or Marsh Harriers soon:

Thekla Larks - almost bored of them now...

Small Copper

Meadow Brown (or Brown Meadow? 😉)

Small White

We continue to work in Extremadura - only 10 more days to go.

Steppe up!

We are very lucky to work here in Castro Verde. This is the most beautiful and biodiversity-rich steppe region in this part of Iberia, or maybe in entire Iberia? Or in the world? Anyway it's fantastic here. We walk for many hours every day, and the reward is great birding and lovely landscapes. Here is a selection of some recent photos I took. I don't photograph that much because I have to work... but still I get some decent photo opps. Not like shooting from a hide or even a car, but I can't complain. As you may notice, in this part of the world it is possible to photo birds on a fence or in flight.

I will actually begin with the less spectacular group of birds, but they are ever-present and such good birds: larks. Commonest species is Calandra Lark, a magnificent mimic and one helluva lark. It's display flight is quite spectacular. They are found in good densities here, in pastures. In recent days, numbers of Short-toed Larks increased considerably too, and they are seen singing and displaying in good numbers in legume fields and dry pastures. Thekla Larks are found in the scrub-covered sections of the park. Theklas are birder's birds - notice the stubby, pointed bill, heavy breast streaking, general warm brown tones, and overall stocky structure.

Thekla Lark

This is how I see most Calandra Larks:

On the deck they are quite skittish

Greater Short-toed Larks are pretty mobile too, but sometimes they do settle down

Little Bustard is one of the focal species of my research this season. Contra to Great Bustards that are well-monitored, little is known on the conservation status of Little Bustard in Iberia. In some parts of Castro Verde they are still found in good densities, for instance today we had about  40 singing males in an area outside the park. The males are heard singing mainly early in the morning, but are usually well hidden in the tall grass and hard to see well. Occasionally we get a showy bird - this macho showed off by a main track as we drove in at first light. These photos have been heavily edited to compensate for the bad light, and are not as sharp as I would want them to be. The males give their fart-call while whip-lashing their heads back. This movement is so quick, so with my slow camera and low light I couldn't get a photo of the head all the way back. What a bird!

 I took this short video - sorry about the noisy soundtrack (no external mic):

We see many Great Bustards - Castro Verde is their stronghold in southwest Iberia. However I usually keep my distance from them not to disturb them, though sometimes I get some close encounters and flybys:

Moult score 29

The adult males are some gigantic beasts

Even here is Castro Verde life is not always sweet for steppe birds. Fences are a real hazard, especially for a heavy bird like Great Bustard. I found the remains of a dead bustard that colided with a fence on one of my transects:

Black-bellied Sandgrouse are another symbol of the Iberian steppes. They are most often seen in flight, so we count them mainly in transects and not in point-counts. They are always located by their distinctive bubbling flight call. They do favour dry pastures and legume fields where they may be seen on the ground from a safe distance.

Rocky outcrops hold scattered pairs of Western Black-eared Wheatears. Here are both morphs, the black-throated:

I find the white-throated morph much more attractive:

Yellow Wagtails are seen in small numbers in wetlands and creeks. Most are Iberian Yellow Wagtails. However, I am not sure which subspecies these are - at least the top bird looks more like flava, with a yellow throat and pale ear coverts and lores. Both were breeding, seen carrying food to nests. Quite a good local breeding record apparently.

When the temperatures rise, raptors usually take off and are seen in relatively good numbers and diversity (compared to UK...). We search for rueppell's among the commoner vultures - no success yet.

Black Vulture and Eurasian Griffon

Red Kites have not been found breeding here yet, but they certainly seem to be in the business:

Some more random birds:

Hoopoe 

Great Spotted Cuckoo

Spanish Sparrows

Just some nice opium-producers 

In contrast to the abundance of breeding birds, I am amazed by how few migrants we see. There are many breeding summer visitors, true (Lesser Kestrels, Bee-eaters, Nightingales etc.) but true migrants are extremely few and far between. Over the last week of walking, we had only one Tree Pipit, two Grasshopper Warblers, and one Northern Wheatear (in the Algarve).

On Thursday we move to work in northern Alentejo. Sadly, I expect to find there agro-steppe habitats in less-pristine state, and fewer associated birds. Stay posted!

Nice day in Extremadura

Spent a nice day birding and working in Extremadura (the perfect combination?). I met up with two local birders from Merida, Carlos and Angel, with whom I will be doing fieldwork later on in spring. They courteously took me around in the morning to some nice sites south of Merida. We first checked an agro-steppe site - Finca Palacio Kemado. It was very cold but pretty good with 6 Little Bustards, several Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Black-winged Kite, many Calandra Larks and few Short-toed Larks, and in nearby open woods we had some early migrants. Highlight for me was a Western Orphean Warbler, and we also had Cuckoo and Whitethroat.

Our next stop was the mountains near Matachel and Hornachos Mts. We kept our eyes up to the sky most of the time as this is a good area for raptors. We had Golden and Bonelli's Eagles, and about 15 Black Vultures, but we didn't find the hoped-for Spanish Imperial Eagle. We had a few Lesser Kestrels as well.

Black Vulture

Pretty scruffy

Thekla Lark

Lots of eagle-food around - Red-legged Partridge

After saying goodbye to the guys, I followed their advice and headed over to Castilla Alange, to look for Black Wheatear. I hiked up the rocky hill to the castle, and walked and searched all over the place, but no bloody wheatear was to be seen. There were some other typical mountain species - 1 Alpine Accentor, 1 Rock Bunting, some Blue Rock Thrushes, Rock Sparrows and Crag Martins. 

Blue Rock Thrush

 

When I reached back down there was again some good raptor action low overhead. Nice to see an adult male Bonelli's Eagle with a 2cy female (his daughter from last year?).

Bonelli's Eagle - adult male

With Crag Martin

Bonelli's Eagle - 2cy female. Interesting how immaculate the plumage is, no wear at all.

And then they interacted a bit - the juvenile chased after the adult: 

 Very close size comparison

Eurasian Griffon

Castilla Alange

How I missed flowering almond trees