Extremadura & Gredos Mountains

Naturetrek Tour Report 16 May - 23 May 2019

European Honey Buzzard Little Owl

Ortolan Bunting Rock Bunting

Report & images compiled by Robert Manzano-Rubio

Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf's Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ UK T: +44 (0)1962 733051 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk

Tour Report Extremadura & Gredos Mountains

Tour participants: Robert Manzano-Rubio with five Naturetrek clients

Summary

Five participants from the North Northumberland Bird Club and one leader embarked on a eight-day tour to Extremadura and Gredos Mountains. The first half would be dedicated to explore the plains around Trujillo: Little and Great Bustard, Spanish Imperial Eagle, Black Stork, Lesser Kestrel, Eurasian Roller, Cinereous and Egyptian Vulture, Bonelli’s Eagle, Short-toed Snake Eagle and Black-bellied Sandgrouse. Half a day was taken to look for woodland birds in Madroñera Pyrenean Oak forest, where Hawfinches were in full activity. Our basement at Las Canteras was spot-on, where Little Owls, Red-necked Nightjars, Eurasian Stone-curlews, Booted Eagles, Calandra Larks and Great Spotted Cuckoos could be encountered. A transitional journey from the dry steppes towards Gredos Mountains on our transfer day gave us Spectacled and Dartford Warbler, Thekla’s Lark at Jaraicejo and Gull-billed Tern, Savi’s Warbler, Eurasian and Little Bittern, Night Heron and Black-winged Kite at Arrocampo reservoir, amongst others. Gredos Mountains would be our destination for the second half of the trip, having Hoyos del Espino as the basement from where we did daily excursions to explore the northern side of the mountains: Common Rock-thrush, Ortolan and Rock Bunting, Bonelli’s Warbler, Crested Tit, Firecrest, Iberian Pied Flycatcher and Honey Buzzards in breeding habitat. Weather was ideal, with sunny and breezy days and unusually chilly temperatures for much of our time.

Day 1 Thursday 16th May

After landing in Madrid Airport and meeting Rob in the arrivals hall we collected our minibus and headed off West towards Extremadura. Soon we were surrounded by dry plains with scattered vineyards, olive tree fields and sparse Holm Oak trees where we started seeing the first Black Kites soaring over the road in search of any road-killed animal.

A coffee stop in Talavera de la Reina gave us the first Spanish Sparrows mixed with House Sparrows using an active White Stork nest as a nesting structure and Moorish Geckos outside the bar. Soon we crossed the region’s border and Extremadura welcomed us with the its characteristic granitic boulders dominating the landscape and more Black Kites drifting over.

After a very long day we finally made it and reached Las Canteras, a beautiful rural house right in the middle of the steppes. A very windy evening didn't stop us from enjoying the White Stork colony nesting in a ruined building opposite the dinner room and a very briefly-seen pair of Great Spotted Cuckoos in the hotel’s garden!

Day 2 Friday 17th May

Having a full day ahead, our first destination would be Monfragüe National Park, a must-visit hill covered in Holm Oak forest, Gum Cistus scrub and many other Mediterranean plant communities and holding a truly exceptional diversity of birds of prey.

For the well-rested ones, the day started with an early morning walk and sighting what it would later be the most common ‘little brown job’ of the tour: Corn Buntings! After a delicious buffet breakfast at the hotel enjoying

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Extremadura & Gredos Mountains Tour Report

wonderful views of the surrounding steppes, we cracked on. Having the necessity of getting our food resources for the day, we first headed south to Trujillo in search of a supermarket. An urban park holding an interesting community of wetland birds in the town’s outskirts would be a good place to wait for Rob’s shopping and we could well prove it: Common Ringed Plover, Little Ringed Plover, nesting Black-winged Stilt and Eurasian Coot could be seen here.

Holm Oak dehesa woodland would dominate the landscape along our way to Monfragüe before we made a stop by Almonte River, a pretty deep valley river with rushes, reeds and Mediterranean scrub growing along the shoreline with a few Narrow-leaved Ash trees scattered. In this Natura 2000 site, we could enjoy a rich passerine diversity: a pair of Stonechat carrying food for their young, ‘hoopoing’ Eurasian Hoopoes, Common Chaffinch, Sand Martin, Crag Martin, Mistle Thrush, White Wagtail, Common Nightingale, Goldfinch, zitting Zitting Cisticola, Common Whitethroat, European Bee-eater flying in our back, a single Great Reed Warbler picked up by Rob and a briefly heard Melodious Warbler singing somewhere in the opposite bushes. Scanning through the trees a Spotted Flycatcher was found perching in one of them!

It was time then to head to Monfragüe. Our first stop would be at Peña Falcón, an enormous quartzite crag next to Tagus River from we were expecting to get close-up views of soaring vultures. What we certainly didn’t expecting was the strong cold wind flowing along the valley. True British weather! However, this didn’t stop us from getting the magnificent Griffon Vultures soaring overhead and landing in their nests as well as Booted Eagle, Short-toed Snake Eagle, Egyptian Vulture and even a first-calendar year Bonelli’s Eagle! The stork-spotter Fiona quickly got us excellent views through her scope of a Black Stork nest with two adults in it, which later on would be seen flying and showing well their characteristic black neck and underwing coverts. Also Peregrine Falcon and Cinereous Vulture showed up. The closer rock tops were frequently used by a singing male Black Redstart and a cracking Blue Rock-thrush with a recently fledged juvenile!

Our stomachs started roaring so it was time to find shelter from the wind and get some lunch. The chosen place was La Fuente del Francés, from where we had distant views of one flying adult Bonelli’s Eagle first which would be later seen perched on a distant branch. Hawfinches pix!-ing spotted by Rob were too quick to be enjoyed by the whole group.

Later on, the well-deserved hot coffee we had at Villareal de San Carlos was a good opportunity to have a short break before moving into our next destination: Portilla del Tiétar. Here we got even closer to soaring Griffon Vultures and ridiculous views of Egyptian Vulture and Black Stork (with a fluffy chick) nests opposite the river!

We ended this raptor day with a delicious meal including filling pisto (a traditional Spanish vegetable mix) and tasty Sea Bass. Little Owl and Red-necked Nightjar would be later heard, finishing this first day full of birds.

Day 3 Saturday 18th May

A full steppe day we had ahead, being Santa Marta de Magasca and Cáceres plains our target. We left the hotel with again chilly temperatures and stopped first at a platform situated at only a few minutes far from Trujillo.

Tour Report Extremadura & Gredos Mountains

The platform allowed us to scan the grasslands in our front and the dehesa woodland in our back. Here we had good views of Spanish Sparrow, Crested Lark, Iberian Grey and Woodchat Shrikes. We moved on into dirt-track further north which allowed us to truly enter the steppes. Driving slowly, we would carefully check every single unusual thing standing out in the long grass. And it didn’t take long for our bustard- spotter Winnie shouting six male Great Bustards! They were gathered in a single flock, suggesting the breeding season has been over for them and leaving the females taking care of the chicks. A pale morph Booted Eagle skimmed the grass showing very well and a single Little Bustard would be added to our list. A gentle walk surrounded by buzzing Calandra Larks allowed us to spot a stunning Spanish Imperial Eagle popping up several times from its suspected nesting tree.

We headed on to Santa Marta de Magasca for a quick coffee before reaching our lunch place at Tamuja River where Iberian Pond Frogs in full chorus, Spanish Pond Terrapins, Kingfisher and Grey and White Wagtail would delight our picnic. Our next destination was Cáceres plains, another major protected area surrounding the city of Cáceres. The site doesn’t ever let us down as this is probably the most reliable site for European Roller. Here we could watch several birds of this beauty, some of them making use of the artificial nest-boxes placed on the telegraph poles and joined by a pair of Lesser Kestrels and a few Jackdaws. A flock of thirty Black Kites feeding on a swarm of green grasshoppers added a true spectacle for us. Our last spot for the day gave us four cracking Black-belllied Sandgrouse on ground and Greater Short-toed Larks.

This second full day in Extremadura ended with another exquisite dinner in which the Spanish Oyster Plant Scolymus hispanicus -locally known as cardillo- was the star of the meal.

Day 4 Sunday 19th May

Last full day in Extremadura, it was time to visit the Pyrenean Oak Quercus pyrenaica forest at Madroñera, hoping to increase our woodland bird species. The more early-rising members came back for breakfast with two heard Eurasian Stone Curlew for their personal lists. It was 9 o’clock so we headed out. We didn’t get far from the hotel when Rob stopped the van: a Rock Sparrow heard by a little gully, a potential nesting habitat for this unique bird, restricted in Europe to the Mediterranean basin. The group managed to pick it up by ear in the end so we carried on leaving some Calandra Larks buzzing and Iberian Grey Shrikes behind and stopping at Madroñera for a fuel and wine top up.

The plan for the morning was to explore the woodland, walking along the main road at a gentle pace. Almost immediately after we jumped out from the minibus to start the itinerary a Woodlark greeted us with its characteristic lulu-lulu-lulu… song. Walking up the hill the first Golden Orioles were heard and briefly seen, like a yellow flash quickly disappearing amongst the trees after being mobbed by a noisy Eurasian Jay. Other birds were also present: Woodlarks, Hawfinches, Sardinian Warblers, two Nuthatches, two Bonelli’s Warblers and many youngsters of Blue Tits begging for food. Most of the Spanish Lavender was over but this didn’t stop butterflies from showing up, getting Cleopatra, Western Dapple White and Common Blue onto our list. A Black Stork glided low behind the treeline and Common Cuckoo and Great Spotted Woodpecker called from the far background. Further up the hill, Hawfinches appeared several times along the route but their torpedo-like flight was too fast for our eyes to enjoy close views of them. We finally managed to find a juvenile begging for food

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Extremadura & Gredos Mountains Tour Report

from a young oak tree, with several more heard simultaneously. Certainly this woodland could well be called the Hawfinch woodland! Having walked 2/3 of the route, Rob made his way back to get the van and suddenly, an adult Spanish Imperial Eagle decided to pop up from nowhere! Even though the eagle was gone by the time he finished his 100 meters flat run -and carrying the heavy telescope- to alert the group, he would later find out they actually managed to see it!

A single Black Redstart, Thekla’s Lark and more Golden Orioles would be the last birds to get before driving down to our lunch site at Garciaz River. Down here, we had lunch with Melodious Warbler, Cetti’s Warbler, European Stonechat, calling Short-toed Snake Eagles and Booted Eagle mobbing a Common Buzzard.

The afternoon would be spent exploring the medieval streets of Trujillo and having a deserved drink at Plaza Major after visiting a colony of Lesser Kestrel. A delicious paella de mar dinner with Red-necked Nightjar, Eurasian Stone Curlew and the silhouette of a Little Owl against the warm sunset light made the perfect end of what it would be our last full day in Extremadura.

Day 5 Monday 20th May

The fifth day of the tour would be the transfer day. With a rather long drive ahead, we planned to do several stops along the road to experience the habitat change in this transitional route, starting from the lowland dry steppes around Trujillo, driving across Cork Oak woodland in the southern side of Gredos Mountains and reaching 1395m at Puerto del Pico surrounded by rocky and scrubby slopes and driving down the northern side of Gredos across Scots Pine forests and wet meadows.

Having packed up and loaded up our vehicle, we said goodbye to our host Francisco and his charming mother Pilar to start our journey. The first stop would be at Jaraicejo scrub to look for more warblers. The site was the place to look for special Dartford and Spectacled Warblers - and we found them. It took us a while but we finally managed to see two stunning Spectacled Warblers displaying and, more briefly, Dartford Warblers. Thekla’s Lark was also present, and Rob took the chance to explain the subtle differences between this and Crested Lark. A short walk along a quiet Cork Oak woodland gave us Golden Oriole.

We then drove up north to get to Arrocampo Reservoir, a man-made water body to cool down the Almaraz nuclear power station, stopping first at the bird-hide number four. Here is where we found a high diversity of herons: Night, Purple and Grey Herons and Great, Cattle and Little Egrets. All in one single place! We also managed to find the Eurasian Spoonbill nests, Gull-billed Tern, Great Reed Warbler and Zitting Cisticola zitting and finally sitting! Briefly heard were Common Waxbill, Penduline Tit and Savi’s Warbler.

We continued our exploration of the reservoir reaching the Information Centre where we would have our picnic lunch. Setting the picnic was a good time for the group to wonder off and came back with Western Swamphen and the rare Eurasian Bittern on their lists! We completed our exploration of the reservoir visiting the three more bird-hides enjoying more Great Reed Warblers, Purple Herons, Western Swamphens, Savi’s Warblers and even three juvenile Penduline Tits!

Tour Report Extremadura & Gredos Mountains

The surrounding grasslands of Arrocampo is the place to look for the beautiful Black-winged Kite. A white mark on a dead tree pretending to be a bird and spotted by Winnie was worth a look as a few minutes later we heard the magic word. Black-winged Kite! Rob shouted out and pointed out a pure white raptor perched on top of a Holm Oak tree right in front of us. Superb!

Our next stop would be at Cuevas del Valle, a little town at 1000 meters high in the Gredos hillside to stretch our legs and to have a deserved coffee by a beautiful stream where a just a few minutes ago a local guy just spotted a Dipper! Our scanning was not successful but we had, in exchange, a Grey Wagtail singing from the top of a TV antenna and a cracking male Black Redstart.

Driving further up we stopped at Puerto del Pico to stare at the magnificent scenery we just left behind. Here we had a funny Great Tit defending its territory from itself as it could see its reflection in our van’s windows! The cold wind made us ran back to the minibus to complete our long but rich journey driving down the northern hillside of Gredos with yellow-flowered scrub surrounding us.

We arrived at Milano Real hotel in time for an evening drink.

Day 6 Tuesday 21st May

We had the first full day in Gredos ahead and a landscape different from the Extremadura to discover: the ‘piorno’ (the Spanish name for Spanish Gold Broom) scrub growing at 2000 meters high. The best way to discover the land of the Iberian Bluethroat would be on foot, starting our one-mile hike from the famous Plataforma the Gredos carpark and reaching Plano de las Pozas where a little stream and the rocky mountains in our background would serve as the perfect site to have our lunch. So hiking boots fitted and walking sticks ready, we left the hotel.

Soon after arriving at the carpark –with only a few cars parked we deduced the mountains would be pretty much for ourselves- first birds already appeared: a beautiful Ortolan Bunting delighted us greatly with its melodic song perched in one of the many massive boulders present in the area and showing its characteristic greenish-grey head contrasting with the chestnut belly and yellowish moustache. Rock Buntings and Northern Wheatears were also present as well as a stunning male Common Rock Thrush! Scanning the valley sides we soon found one of the stars of Gredos: the Spanish Ibex. One young was foraging across the slope and two adults were resting on top of a rock. Being an endemic subspecies to Gredos and Batuecas Mountains, the Gredos population suffered a strong decline reaching 10 individuals in 1905, when the area became protected. Later on we would realise how close they can get to you! Lizards are also worth a look, and a photographer quickly showed us a cracking male of the endemic Cyren’s Rock Lizard, with its bright green and black colouration. What a beauty!

We started our hike at a gentle pace, enjoying the pristine alpine landscape and the delightful songs of birds. More Northern Wheatears, Water Pipits, Black Redstarts and acrobatic Spanish Ibex were seen before we reached the plateau. Here we added Skylark to our tour list, with a few males singing over the grassland.

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Extremadura & Gredos Mountains Tour Report

A little stream would serve as a basecamp for our lunch and from which the most hikers could continue the walk up. A herd of +20 young Spanish Ibex lead by females came down to drink at a ridiculous distance before most of us started our way back. Rob’s and Leslie’s hard job scanning the broom scrub while waiting for Liz didn’t result in any Iberian Bluethroats. Our way back resulted in an Iberian Water Frog and a Viperine Water Snake found by pure chance down at the carpark.

Having exhausted most of our energies in the mountains, the plan in the afternoon was to briefly visit Tormes River and its surrounding Scots Pine forest in search of woodland birds. Here the first Goldcrest for the tour could be heard as well as Bonelli’s Warbler and Nuthatch.

Day 7 Wednesday 22nd May

Our last full day would be spent exploring the lowlands of Sierra de Gredos in search of woodland birds and other wildlife. After another full fruity breakfast and postcard shopping in a rather tiny local shop, we headed out towards the well-known Bonelli’s Wood, near Hoyocasero. It’s in this woodland dominated by deciduous Pyrennean Oak that Bonelli’s Warbler reaches incredibly high densities. The group would later understand the reason of its name!

The first Bonelli’s Warblers were quickly heard just after we jumped out from the vehicle. After a few meters, we managed to see the distinctive white belly of these ‘pale big Chiffchaffs’, hopping from branch to branch and singing desperately. Winnie even had an adult feeding the young! The warblers were not alone in this patch of woodland: a few Golden Orioles were singing tunefully and just the usual yellow flash amongst the trees could be seen. Also Nuthatch, Crested Tits, Griffon and Black Vultures soaring overhead and a good mix of butterflies taking advantage of the higher temperatures joined us along the route: Queen of Spain Fritillary, Knapweed Fritillary, Green-underside Blue, Berger’s Clouded Yellow and Spanish Festoon amongst others. The walk crossed a patchwork of little fruit orchards and continued along the northern side of the valley. Mature Scots Pines were growing in this colder area and it is here were we were expecting to find Iberian Pied Flycatcher - and we found it! A singing male was quickly picked by Rob as we approached the pines. It took us a few minutes to find it perching in one of the very high branches. We took our time so everybody could have a good look at it and appreciate the white patch on its forehead, larger than its European cousin and being a distinctive feature of this subspecies. A funny Red Squirrel playing as being frozen did not manage to become unspoiled by Leslie’s eagle eye. A few meters up the hill, a glade allowed us to can the sky for any potential raptor, spotting Black Kite and Booted Eagle. Suddenly, four Honey Buzzards came from nowhere and starting circling overhead at an extremely short height, allowing us to notice the plumage differences between male and female and delighted us with the closest views some of us had ever had of a Honey Buzzard! Later on, a pair of distant Eurasian Hobby appeared in the sky, and before we finished our circular route with a third bird joined them.

We had our last lunch by a pretty picnic area surrounded by Peonies and more Bonelli’s Warblers. The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring Cerro Gallinero and in search of more Crested Tits along Tormes River. The first area, Cerro Gallinero, consisted of scrubby slopes with boulders, a habitat potentially good for more rock thrushes and wheatears. We were not lucky with these, but we added Western Orphean Warbler and Rock Bunting to our day list.

Tour Report Extremadura & Gredos Mountains

We later explored Tormes River, which gave us more Firecrests, a juvenile Goldcrest, Great Spotted Woodpecker visiting its nests and singing Chiffchaff. Excellent views of two Ocellated Lizards sunbathing on top of a stone wall with a pale Red Fox would make an end of our last full day.

Day 8 Thursday 23rd May

The end of this rich tour sadly arrived. Nonetheless, the late flight departure time would allow us to do several stops during the two-hour drive back to Madrid.

Breakfast finished and all packed, we headed on towards the Parador, a stone-built hotel surrounded by taiga-like Scots Pine woodland. Soon after we parked more Black Redstarts and Coal Tits welcomed us. Scanning through the hotels garden we managed to spot a Eurasian Nuthatch having a drink from a puddle while the song of a Common Cuckoo delighted us once more. High-pitched Crested Tits and Firecrests calling from the pine’s top were, again, too shy to show. The short walk through the woods in search of these little fellas provided us two Iberian Pied Flycatchers, excellent views of up to four Red Squirrels running up and down the trees and a ridiculously tame Bonelli’s Warbler singing in front of us.

The journey back to Madrid could have not been more productive. In addition, a five-minute stop by a deep gorge holding Blue Rock Thrush, nesting Griffon Vultures, Black Redstart, Rock Bunting, Crag martin and Red- rumped Swallow reminded us of Monfragüe. Two Common Cuckoos, Black and Red Kites, Corn Buntings and an Iberian Grey Shrike were spotted on route. . We arrived to Madrid airport in time for our lunch after saying goodbye to the local-based Rob and ending an extremely productive holiday time.

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Extremadura & Gredos Mountains Tour Report

Species Lists

Birds (✓ = recorded but not counted; H = heard only, * = observed by tour leaders only)

May Common name Scientific name 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 1 Greylag Goose Anser anser ?3 2 Mallard Anas platyrhynchos ✓ ✓ ✓ H 3 Red-legged Partridge Alectoris rufa 2 1 1 2 2 4 Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis 2 2 5 Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia 10 6 Black Stork Ciconia nigra 3+1J 1 7 White Stork Ciconia ciconia ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 1 ✓ 8 Eurasian Bittern Botaurus stellaris 1 9 Western Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis 1 1 ✓ 10 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea 3 ✓ 11 Purple Heron Ardea purpurea 10 12 Great Egret Ardea alba 3 13 Little Egret Egretta garzetta 4 14 Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo 30 15 Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus 1 16 Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus 4 17 European Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus 4 18 Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 19 Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus 1 6 2 2 20 Short-toed Snake Eagle Circaetus gallicus 4 1 2 2 21 Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus 1 3 4 4 2 1 2 1 22 Spanish Imperial Eagle Aquila adalberti 1 1* 23 Bonelli's Eagle Aquila fasciata 2 24 Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus 1 25 Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis ?1 26 Western Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus 5 27 Red Kite Milvus milvus 2 3 2 28 Black Kite Milvus migrans ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 2 5 ✓ 29 Common Buzzard Buteo buteo 3 2 2 ✓ 30 Great Bustard Otis tarda 6 31 Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax 1 32 Western Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio 3 33 Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus ✓ ✓ 34 Eurasian Coot Fulica atra ✓ ✓ 35 Eurasian Stone-curlew Burhinus oedicnemus H1 H2 36 Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus 1 6 37 Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius 1 38 Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula 5 39 Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica 5 40 Black-bellied Sandgrouse Pterocles orientalis 4 41 Rock Dove Columba livia ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 42 Common Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 43 Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 2 ✓ 44 Great Spotted Cuckoo Clamator glandarius 2 45 Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus 1 3 H1 6 3 46 Little Owl Athene noctua 1 1

Tour Report Extremadura & Gredos Mountains

May Common name Scientific name 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 47 Red-necked Nightjar Caprimulgus ruficollis H1 48 Alpine Swift Tachymarptis melba ?1 ? 49 Common Swift Apus apus ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 50 Pallid Swift Apus pallidus 1 2 2 51 European Roller Coracias garrulus 5 52 Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis 2 1 53 European Bee-eater Merops apiaster ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ H 54 Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ H1 H1 55 Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major H1 2 56 Iberian Green Woodpecker Picus sharpei H2 57 Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni 4 10 58 Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus 1 1 59 Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo 3 60 Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus 2 61 Southern Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis 1 2 2 3 8 1 1 62 Woodchat Shrike Lanius senator 1 3 5 1 63 Eurasian Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus 1 6 H2 4 64 Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius 2 3 H1 4 65 Iberian Magpie Cyanopica cooki ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 66 Eurasian Magpie Pica pica ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 67 Western Jackdaw Coloeus monedula 1 4 ✓ ✓ ✓ 68 Carrion Crow Corvus corone 2 5 69 Northern Raven Corvus corax 2 1 1 3 1 70 Coal Tit Periparus ater H2 ✓ ✓ ✓ 71 European Crested Tit Lophophanes cristatus H1 H4 H2 72 Eurasian Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 73 Great Tit Parus major ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 74 Eurasian Penduline Tit Remiz pendulinus 4 75 Woodlark Lullula arborea 3 1 76 Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis 10+nest 77 Thekla Lark Galerida theklae 1 4 78 Crested Lark Galerida cristata ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ?1 79 Greater Short-toed Lark Calandrella brachydactyla 2 80 Calandra Lark Melanocorypha calandra ✓ 6 81 Sand Martin Riparia riparia 1 2 82 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 83 Eurasian Crag Martin Ptyonoprogne rupestris ✓ 6 ✓ 5 ✓ 84 Common House Martin Delichon urbicum ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 85 Red-rumped Swallow Cecropis daurica ✓ 5 2 2 ✓ 86 Cetti's Warbler Cettia cetti H1 H1 ✓ 87 Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus H H ✓ 88 Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita H1 89 Western Bonelli's Warbler Phylloscopus bonelli 2 H2 20 ✓ 90 Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus H1* 3 91 Eurasian Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus 3 92 Melodious Warbler Hippolais polyglotta H1 1 1 3 93 Savi's Warbler Locustella luscinioides H2 94 Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis 1 1 1 2 95 Eurasian Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla H2 H1 H1 ✓ ✓ ✓ 96 Garden Warbler Sylvia borin 1 H1 97 Common Whitethroat Sylvia communis H1 H1 2 ✓

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Extremadura & Gredos Mountains Tour Report

May Common name Scientific name 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 98 Western Orphean Warbler Sylvia hortensis H3 1 99 Dartford Warbler Sylvia undata 1 100 Spectacled Warbler Sylvia conspicillata 2 101 Subalpine Warbler Sylvia cantillans H1* 102 Sardinian Warbler Sylvia melanocephala H1* 1 5 ✓ 103 Common Firecrest Regulus ignicapilla H* H H 104 Goldcrest Regulus regulus H1 1J 105 Eurasian Wren Troglodytes troglodytes H1 H1 1 H ✓ 106 Eurasian Nuthatch Sitta europaea 2 3 107 Short-toed Treecreeper Certhia brachydactyla H1 H1 H ✓ 108 Spotless Starling Sturnus unicolor ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 109 Common Blackbird Turdus merula ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 110 Song Thrush Turdus philomelos H1 111 Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus 1 1 1 5 112 Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata 1 113 European Robin Erithacus rubecula 1 1 ✓ 114 Common Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos H3 H1* 1 1 ✓ 115 European Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca subsp. Iberiae 1 2 116 Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros 1 1 1 6 3 3 117 Common Rock Thrush Monticola saxatilis 3 118 Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius 3+1J 1 119 European Stonechat Saxicola rubicola ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 120 Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe 10 1 121 Black-eared Wheatear Oenanthe hispanica 1* 122 House Sparrow Passer domesticus ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 123 Spanish Sparrow Passer hispaniolensis ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 124 Rock Sparrow Petronia petronia H2 125 Common Waxbill Estrilda astrild 4 126 Dunnock Prunella modularis ✓ 127 Spanish Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava iberiae 8 1 128 Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea 2 2 1 1 1 129 White Wagtail Motacilla alba 2 1 1 1 3 130 Water Pipit Anthus spinoletta 6 131 Common Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 132 Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes 5 15 133 European Greenfinch Chloris chloris 2 134 Common Linnet Linaria cannabina 1 ✓ ✓ 135 European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 136 European Serin Serinus serinus ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 137 Corn Bunting Emberiza calandra ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 138 Rock Bunting Emberiza cia H1* 10 4 1 139 Ortolan Bunting Emberiza hortulana 10 140 Cirl Bunting Emberiza cirlus ?1*

Mammals

1 Red Squirrel Sciurus vulgaris 1 4 2 Red Fox Vulpes vulpes 1 3 Red Deer Cervus elaphus 3 4 Beech Marten Martes foina 1(D) 1(D)

Tour Report Extremadura & Gredos Mountains

May Common name Scientific name 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 5 Spanish Ibex Capra pyrenaica 60 6 Mongoose Herpestes 1 7 Roe Deer Capreolus capreolus 2

Reptiles and amphibians

1 Viperine Water Snake Natrix maura 1 2 Common Wall Lizard Podarcis muralis ? ? 3 Large Psammodromus Psammodromus algirus ? 2* 1 4 Ocelated Lizard Lacerta lepida 1 1* 3 5 Moorish Gecko Tarentola mauritanica 2 2 5 6 Iberian Pond Frog Pelophylax perezi H ✓ H H ✓ 7 Spanish Pond Terrapin Mauremys leprosa ✓ 8 Common Toad Bufo bufo 1 9 Stripe-less Tree Frog Hyla meridionalis 1 H1 10 Cyren's Rock Lizard Iberolacerta cyreni 1 11 Iberian Water Frog Rana iberica 1 1

Butterflies

1 Spanish Festoon Zerynthia rumina ✓ 2 Clouded Yellow Colias crocea ✓ ✓ 3 Large White Pieris brassicae ✓ ✓ 4 Small White Pieris rapae ✓ ✓ ✓ 5 Orange-tip Anthocharis cardamines ✓ 6 Provence Orange-tip Anthocharis euphenoides ✓ ✓ 7 Western Dapple White Euchloe simplonia ✓* 8 Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas ✓ ✓ ✓ 9 Brown Argus Aricia agestis ✓ 10 Common Blue Polyommatus icarus ✓ 11 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta ✓ 12 Small Tortoiseshell Aglais urticae ✓ ✓ 13 Queen of Spain Fritillary Issoria lathonia ✓ ✓ ✓ 14 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria ✓ 15 Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina ✓ ✓ 16 Small Heath Coenonympha pamphilus ✓ ✓ 17 False Grayling Arethusana arethusa ✓ 18 Cleopatra Gonepteryx cleopatra ✓ 19 Large Tortoishell Nymphalis polychloros ✓ 20 Berger's Clouded Yellow Colias alfacariensis ✓ 21 Knapweed Fritillary Melitaea phoebe ✓ 22 Wall Brown Lasiommata megera ✓ 23 Spanish Gatekeeper Pyronia bathseba ✓ 24 Green-underside Blue Glaucopsyche alexis ✓

Others

1 Cinnabar Moth Tyria jacobaeae ✓ 2 7-spot Ladybird Coccinella septempunctata ✓ 3 Broad-bodied Chaser Libellula depressa ✓ 4 An Oil Beetle Meloe sp. ✓

Extremadura & Gredos Mountains Tour Report

Plants of Note

Scientific Name Common Name Day recorded

Class Gymnosperms Pinaceae Pine family Pinus sylvestris Scots Pine 6

Cupressaceae Cypress family Juniperus communis Common Juniper 7

Class Angiosperms Order Dicotyledons Fagaceae Oak family Quercus suber Cork Oak 5 Quercus rotundifolia 1 Quercus pyrenaica Pyrenean Oak 4

Aristolochiaceae Birthwort family Aristolochia paucinervis 7

Caryophyllaceae Pink family Arenaria montana Mountain Sandwort 7 Aquilegia vulgaris Columbine 7

Paeoniaceae Peony family Paeonia officinalis ssp. humilis 7 Paeonia broteri 7

Papaveraceae Poppy family Papaver rhoeas Common Poppy 4

Leguminosae Pea family Spartium junceum Spanish Broom 3 Cytisus multiflorus White Broom 6 Cytisus striatus Yellow Broom 5 Cytisus oromediterraneus Spanish Gold Broom 6

Malvaceae Mallow family Malva sylvestris Common Mallow 4

Cistaceae Rockrose family Cistus ladanifer Gum Cistus 2

Cactaceae Cactus family Opuntia ficus-indica Prickly Pear 5

Umbelliferae Carrot family Ferula communis Giant Fennel 4 Daucus carota 4 Thapsia villosa Villous deadly carrot 4

Ericaceae Heath family Arbutus unedo Strawberry Tree 2

Tour Report Extremadura & Gredos Mountains

Scientific Name Common Name Day recorded

Erica arborea 2

Oleaceae Olive family Fraxinus angustifolia Narrow-leaved Ash 2 Olea europaea Olive 2

Boraginaceae Borage family Echium plantagineum Purple Bugloss 2

Labiatae Mint family Lavandula stoechas French Lavender 2

Compositae Daisy family Scolymus hispanicus Spanish Oyster Plant 3

Order Monocotyledons Liliaceae Lily family Asphodelus albus White Asphodel 2 Gladiolus italicus Field Gladiolus 4 Scilla verna Spring Squill 7 Ornithogalum umbellatum Star Of Bethlehem 7

Amaryllidaceae Daffodil family Narcissus bulbocodium Var. nivalis Hoop Petticoat Narcissus 7

Orchidaceae Orchid family Orchis mascula Early Purple Orchid 7

Hypericaceae St. John's Wort family Hypericum perforatum Common Saint John's Wort 4 Saint John's Wort family Hypericum perforatum Common Saint John's Wort 4

Ocellated Lizard