Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

Popped into Priorslee Lake early afternoon on Christmas Eve, where the highlights were 2 Caspian Gulls, a third-winter and a second winter along with three Great Black-backed Gulls (much scarcer in Shropshire now the landfill sites have all closed).   A walk round the Wyke – Benthall loop on Christmas Day afternoon produced a few birds around Benthall Pools including a pair of Stonechat (scarce here), a Jack Snipe with 9 Snipe and 4 Teal.

Caspian Gull

NORTH RONALDSAY - 15th December

A much better day with lighter, southerly based winds and some good spells of sunshine; a fine selection of wintering birds were found across the island during the day which included 9 Herons, 273 Wigeon, 169 Teal, the Green-winged Teal still, 3 Hen Harriers, single Merlin and Peregrine again, a lone Knot on the rocks off Torness, 161 Purple Sandpipers, a Woodcock in Holland, 12 Bar-tailed Godwits, a Black-headed Gull (scarce in the winter), 8 Skylarks, 17 Rock Pipits, 3 Robins, 3 Fieldfare, 3 Song Thrush, 60 Redwing, 75 Twite remaining in the Obs sacrificial crop and 25 Snow Buntings.

Purple Sandpipers

Fulmars

NORTH RONALDSAY - 14th December

A little bit of bonus winter coverage for you!   Breezy with frequent showers but there were some decent spells to get out in the field; the birds seen were generally a continuation of the last blog entry and included 2 Herons, a single Pink-footed Goose with 420 Greylag Geese, 143 Wigeon, 8 Gadwall, 127 Teal, the drake Green-winged Teal still on Gretchen, 88 Mallard, 11 Shoveler, 35 Long-tailed Duck, 3 Goldeneye, 3 Hen Harriers, single Merlin and Peregrine, 95 Redshank, 191 Turnstone, 2 Skylarks, a Meadow Pipit, 3 Fieldfare, a Song Thrush, 65 Redwing and 13 Twite.

Goldeneye

Rock Pipit

FUERTEVENTURA - 10th December

Back out to the El Cotillo Plains first thing on our final morning where we got what we came for with great views of two Houbara Bustards including a male in full, ludicrous display mode, running across the plains all fluffed up and a female sneaking off, trying to avoid him at all costs and awesome views of three Cream-coloured Coursers running around close to and across the road, oblivious to the car; a big flock of 100+ Lesser Short-toed Larks were also of note.   

We then went back to the big goat farm where a few Black-bellied Sandgrouse were grubbing around while 4 Egyptian Vultures also fed in the enclosure and then on to Los Molinos Reservoir again where it was much calmer and warmer than the last visit allowing us to have a better look.   Birds here included 272+ Ruddy Shelduck, a female Garganey with 4 Teal, 2 Mallard, 32 Coot, 2 Snipe and a few Greenshank, Common Sandpipers and Black-winged Stilt with a couple of Buzzards circling round before visiting a couple of other small pools and finally getting Moorhen on the trip list.

Displaying Houbara Bustard

Cream-coloured Coursers

Spectacled Warbler

Lesser Short-toed Lark

Buzzard

 

FUERTEVENTURA - 9th December

A little walk round Las Playitas first thing produced the only Tufted Duck for the trip on a pool on a golf course along with a Spoonbill, 2 Common Sandpipers and a Black-winged Stilt while three Trumpeter Finches flew along the seafront, dodging in and out of the joggers.   

A look along the coast at Caleta de Fuste then produced the 10 Spoonbills again with Grey Plover, Whimbrel, Turnstone, Greenshank and Sandwich Terns before we pulled off the road at the airport to get good views of 12 Plain Swifts low over the trees – we’d seen then from the car on several occasions but we just wanted a better look to confirm what they really were.   Another look at the south end of Costa Calma at lunchtime gave increased numbers of c12 Blackcaps, a Garden Warbler, a Yellow-browed Warbler, better views of Red-vented Bulbuls and of course plenty of Hoopoes before driving off west to explore the mountains and west coast.   

A walk along Barranco de Ajui produced several Sardinian Warblers (the only ones of the trip) together with Spectacled Warblers, a few Trumpeter Finches, two pairs of Barbary Partridges and plenty of Southern Grey Shrikes; the mountain roads were then impressive but without many birds except at a layby overlooking Barranco de las Penitas where some very confiding Ravens (slightly smaller and different sounding then ours), Spanish Sparrows and Berthelot’s Pipits literally fed out of our hands.

Ruddy Shelduck

Golf Course

Red-vented Bulbul

Spanish Sparrows

Berthelot's Pipit

FUERTEVENTURA - 8th December

Went back down to Jandia Golf Course first thing and while the birds were pretty similar to last time there’s a high concentration of stuff so it was good birding; the Eastern Yellow Wagtail showed for longer, albeit distantly along with Meadow Pipits, White Wagtails etc. while our only Atlantic Canaries of the trip (male and female) were also of note along with 10 Trumpeter Finches and the usual Shrikes, Chiffchaffs, Chats etc.   

We then had a look in Morro Jable Harbour where the (underwhelming) highlight was a female COMMON SCOTER deep in the harbour (apparently only the second record for Fuerteventura!) along with many Yellow-legged Gulls and Sandwich Terns while some massive Stingrays were drifting around the harbour with big shoals of other fish.   The Red Kite from a few days ago floated over the town (that’s a first, a second and a third for Fuerteventura seen within a few hours!) before we drove the long way out to Faro de Jandia (the SW point of the island), it was very dry and rocky with not many birds with the exception of a first winter Black-headed Gull by the Lighthouse!   

Back in the town we bumped into a noisy, fun flock of Monk Parakeets while Spectacled Warblers showed well in the narrow strip of saltmarsh.

Record shots of the Eastern Yellow Wagtail

Fuerteventura Stonechat

Southern Grey Shrike

Crippling views of the mega Common Scoter!

Berthelot's Pipit

Spectacled Warbler

Monk Parakeets

Popped back into Risco del Pasco where there were at least three colour ringed Kentish Plovers, not sure where they are from but probably Lanzarote.