WYKE BIRDING: Berthelot's Pipit

Showing posts with label Berthelot's Pipit. Show all posts

Saturday, 14 December 2019

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.

Friday, 13 December 2019

FUERTEVENTURA - 5th December

Made an early start to get to the El Cotillo Plains (I think that’s what they are called, NW of Tindaya anyway) in the morning where we had great views of some of our target species; highlights included awesome views of at least 4 HOUBARA BUSTARDS right by the road, just wandering around, not really bothered by the car, mediocre views of two fabulous CREAM-COLOURED COURSERS, four distant Black-bellied Sandgrouse in flight, plenty of Berthelot’s Pipits, 10+ Lesser Short-toed Larks, nice views of a couple of Spectacled Warblers and nice but brief views of a big female Barbary Falcon along the cliff edge.

We then drove back SE a bit to the now famous Barranco Rio Cabras but we failed to find the Dwarf Bittern that has been resident here for ages (plenty of time though!) but it was a great site with water, trees and marshy bits down the bottom of a really steep Barranco; birding was good as totals included at least 6 FUERTAVENTURA CHATS (very confiding!), 2+ African Blue Tits, a single White Stork (scarce I think on Fuerteventura – attracted by the nearby landfill site), a Little Ringed Plover, 5 Black-winged Stilts, 2 Green Sandpipers, 3 Spoonbills, Little Egrets, 9+ Egyptian Vultures circling the ridges, better views of the smart Southern Grey Shrikes (of the distinctive, dark, smoky looking L. m. koenigi race), lots of Spectacled Warblers, a White Wagtail, Ruddy Shelducks flying about, Hoopoes, lots of confiding Barbary Ground Squirrels running about the cliffs and a peeled, depredated Algerian Hedgehog.

A little look at Los Molinos Reservoir in the afternoon was quiet (but it was very windy by then) with a few trip ticks though including Grey Heron, Greenshank, Coot, Mallard and Teal.