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.