FUERTEVENTURA - 4th December

Flew from Bristol Airport to arrive on Fuerteventura at lunchtime; the birding started straight away with an Egyptian Vulture and two Buzzards (gingery, long-winged B. b. insularum race) over the car-hire bays.   We drove south to our accommodation with a few bits seen from the car including several Southern Grey Shrikes, Ravens and Collared Doves added to the list and while waiting to get into our apartment there was a Whimbrel on the beach and a few Yellow-legged Gulls floating around our base of Las Playitas.   

In the afternoon we drove south to Costa Calma (a long band of trees running through the town) where birds included at least two wintering Yellow-browed Warblers, several Chiffchaffs, loads of Hoopoes, the odd Laughing Dove with billions of Collared Doves, lots of Spanish Sparrows, a few Greenfinches, Goldfinches and Linnets, several flocks of Siskins (a bit surprising – we weren’t really expecting them to be here in such numbers), a Kestrel busy decapitating a Spanish Sparrow, several Red-vented Bulbuls (introduced), a Song Thrush, several Cattle Egrets and a bizarre Common Sandpiper strolling around under the pine trees. 

Kestrel with freshly caught Spanish Sparrow (all the Kestrels we saw were incredibly richly coloured underneath, especially obvious on males but also on females like this one)

Hoppoes were everywhere!