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Real Birder |
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Spain - Extremadura 30th March to 10th April 2017 |
INTRODUCTION Having spent far too much time over the winter attempting to put a trip to several different African countries together we eventually gave up and decided to bumble around southern Spain in early spring. We are quickly coming to the conclusion that to bird independently in Africa is becoming almost impossible. Too many companies want to inform you what it is you want from a birding trip rather than accept your requirements. There seems to be an unwillingness to produce what many say they will, and that is a bespoke trip. The concept that not having as your priority the racking up of an enormous bird list is an anathema to most of them. We have received some ridiculous prices and when you ask them to provide an itemised bill, they either don’t reply or say it’s not company policy. We don’t have an objection to a company charging 20% on top for their services, after all many holiday companies make a profit on far less, what I do object to is a company charging what they do because they can. We were quoted £18,000, by one award winning British company for 14 days in Botswana; this was sharing a single safari vehicle with 6 others. The accommodation was tented which travelled with us, toilets were rudimentary. Assuming the trip was full, this company was going to receive £72,000 for a glorified camping holiday, staffed in the main by locals. When we asked the company to justify their price they said “Botswana is an expensive destination”! Many specialist trips are vastly overpriced, but, while folk are prepared to pay, these companies are only too happy to keep taking the money: end of rant! We decided to return to Southern Spain where spring arrives early. We would base ourselves at Martin Kelsey’s “Casa Rural El Recuerdo” which we last visited in November 2012. This would be for the first 6 days, after which we would go where the fancy took us. Options were south to Coto Donana for the wealth of breeding egrets, herons, Spoonbills and flamingos etc. Another option could be to return north to Villafafila and bird the lagoons and plains where the largest concentrations of Great Bustards in Spain occur. We stumbled on this area over 30 years ago when we were doing a trip of the Picos. Very poor accommodation forced us to leave the Picos early so we headed south for warmer climes. Getting There
DIARY and DAILY REVIEW Day 1 Day 2 As the sun doesn’t really rise before 08-00 we had time for a leisurely breakfast of cereals and toast. The weather was overcast and cold, with the temperature gauge in the car registering a meagre 12°C. Having had a full day travelling the previous day we decided to bird locally. Our first port of call was the Belen Plains, a twenty minute drive from our accommodation Both Corn Bunting and Crested Lark were abundant, small flocks of Spanish Sparrow, Goldfinch and Linnet were encountered at regular intervals along with the occasional Calandra, Thekla and Crested Larks. Raptors were also much in evidence with both Red & Black Kites, both Kestrels, Buzzard and Griffin Vultures holding our attention. A lone male Great Bustard was seen displaying in the distance, too far for meaningful photography. With the temperatures reaching the giddy heights of 15 degrees by noon we slowly retraced our steps stopping for a coffee and tapas at a bar just outside Trujillo. With the sun eventually breaking through we visited the Santa Marta track which was a major disappointment: it appears they are turning it into a 6 lane highway. Here we spent a very disappointing afternoon, returning to our accommodation at 18-00hrs: another very disappointing evening meal concluded our second day. Day 3
Day 4 Having birded the plains for the past few days we took Martin’s advice and birded around Jaraicejo, an area of differing habitats, from large open plains covered with Spanish Broom to wooded valley bottoms and high passes with panoramic 360 degree vistas stretching to the horizon. Our first stop was the plains noted for a large population of Subalpine Warblers, from here we visited a viewing point where we got shots of a Three-toed Treecreeper but little else. A walk down a wooded hillside also proved unproductive with only both Great and Blue Tits seen along with several Chaffinches. Our last stop for the day was a picnic area adjacent to an ancient and defunct bridge over a small river. Our stay here was brief as there were more wasp sounding motocross bikes than there were birds. Day 5
With hypothermia now a real possibility we decided to call it quits and console ourselves with a late lunch in the central square in Trujillo. Retracing our steps we stopped at the Monroy road where we spent an hour looking for both bustards and sandgrouse without success. We parked in the outskirts of Trujillo and walked in. A couple of plates chosen from the Spanish Menu were shared together with a side of chips and bread. Having had the pleasure of several meals in this wonderful square over the years, we were perplexed at the dearth of Lesser Kestrels and both Common and Pallid Swifts whose calls and screeches accompanied previous visits. Day 6 An hour’s drive north up the motorway saw us at the Embalse de Almaraz-Arrocampo reserve. This reserve is situated in a shallow valley surrounded by hills and snow-capped mountains, it is reached via a high modern bridge spanning the river that leads from the reserve. From this vantage point the whole reserve is visible and on the day we arrived was enveloped in an eerie almost apocalyptic mist. We both looked at each other, enquiring is this normal? With other road users going about their business without any apparent concern we decided life as we know it wasn’t going to end and proceeded Arrocampo is a nature reserve created by the requirements of the adjacent atomic power station for water to cool its reactors. The wetland created has been turned into reed fringed shallow pools holding typical wetland species for early spring. Bittern breed on the reserve, although they were uncooperative, as do Purple Heron, Purple Swamphen, Black-winged Stilt, Savi’s Warbler, Zitting Cisticola and Black-shouldered Kite amongst the more common species. Savi’s Warbler were much more cooperative and a species required for our photographic bird library. A Little Owl with a cataract in one eye garnered a sympathetic response. Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11
SUMMARY The holiday was not the most successful we have ever had, we dipped out on the majority of the birds we wanted to photograph. This was due to poor preparation on our part and sheer bad luck. The Santa Marta de Magasca track has always proved very productive in the past with sandgrouse, and both bustards seen previously. This time the track was a major construction site with a new road being built right through to Monroy rendering birding impossible. Although it wasn’t wall-to-wall sunshine the weather was kind with some sunny warm days and no rain, a blessing as we spent the second half of our holiday high in the Gredos Mountains. MOANS, GROANS AND MEMORABLE MOMENTS Moan - The standard of food during this holiday, especially at the Parador. Any vegetable accompaniment was generally cold and we had the worst soup we have ever been served. We ordered a Sweet Chestnut pudding the one night and a cheesecake the next night only to be served the same pudding! Apple tart and ice cream served hot one night and then cold the second. A beef burger again served barely warm accompanied by cold chips, we could go on. No wonder the car-park was full and the restaurant was empty. Groan - Our flight to Madrid with Iberia: the flight was full so our hand luggage was labelled to be stowed under the seat - unfortunately we had to spend the 2hr flight with rucksacks placed between our feet. The cost of our flight was £248 return per person. This was a flight with no food or inflight entertainment, the only concession was a few kilos more luggage. Iberia/B.A. short-haul are now budget airlines in all but name: how much profit do these companies think is acceptable? Moan - The lurgy we are convinced we contracted on the outbound flight and from which we are still suffering 2 weeks later. A course of antibiotics has been necessary to conquer this particular bug. Again, reducing the cabin airflow saves money, but does absolutely nothing for customer comfort or, more importantly, health. Groan - Our abject failure in obtaining photos of many of our target birds. Moan - Although Wi-Fi was apparently available throughout the Parador it was almost non-existent in the bedrooms. One receptionist said she would get the engineer to tweak the bandwidth in our room. Another receptionist said there was nothing that could be done! Memorable Moments
The Black Kites that came down to feed on carrion just feet from us in the hide at Almanzur Hostel. The breathtaking location and views from the Parador de Gredos. Many thanks to Martin for his help in securing our accommodation on leaving his hostel. Martin always finds time to answer queries or partake in information no matter how busy he is. Our Bird List was very modest at just 98 species; no lifers were seen with just 1 new bird photo added to our photographic bird library, although several improved photos of existing birds were also added. Pat & Judy Hayes |
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