Monegros April 2017 (1 Viewer)

Monegros 2017

I don't know why but I got in my head that I had to return to the Monegros again this spring. Actually, not strictly true as I was inspired by Stephens 'how to find birds' guide on Birdforum.

Having missed the chance to go with the family for a few days I decided to do an overnighter. Its probably a little far for a day return.

I guessed about 4 1/2 hours journey, via the col d'portalet, which was on the light side particularly when I went wrong at Huesca (distracted by the hoards of Griffon Vultures) and then again on the road Sarinena - my first destination.

The journey was pretty un-eventful but I clocked an Egyptian Vulture just on the Spanish side. I tried to stop but this road is not the place to pull over! At Sabinanigo a Lammergeier - again difficult to pull off the road but at times you have to make exceptions. It does mean that the bird was a little too far away to do justice to any photo!

Sarinena was a little dissappointing but whilst completely lost en route (somewhere round Granen) I uncovered a great little resevoir near Marcen. Great Reed Warbler, Cettis, Hobby etc. The hide at Sarinena was closed and there are too many reeds now to get anywhere close to the water. Clocked a Purple Heron and Bee-eater but I decided not to spend any more time here.

Off to Bujaraloz! I had turned the sat nav on now.

Setting off in a southerly direction...

I thought I clocked a car full of birdwatchers so slowed down and I was calculating what they may have stopped for. Anyway, I heard a Cirl Bunting which I can't remember having in this area before. I managed to get off the road and saw the first Thekla of the trip. At the junction for Valfarta I had another Thekla and first Speccy Warbler of the trip. It was too far to contemplate a photo. I forgotten how ridiculous the Bujaraloz road system was - give ways and stops and then go no stop arrgh...

I stopped on the wrong side of the road by the little pool to clock Wood Sand, Greenshank, Redshank, BW Stilt but I wasn't here for those. I blasted out onto the Laguna tracks. Sadly, it began to rain which even with 4x4 makes the tracks pretty tricky. A couple of times I thought the car would give out. In the low cloud I found it difficult to find my bearings let alone any birds.

Finally, I found a familiar sight - the high point but scanning from here revealed nothing. In between showers I worked back down and found a small colony of Lesser Kestrels, 18 of them, and a fly by male Monties Harrier. It was only 19.30 but the light was poor.

I headed back to town and then on to Candasnos. Stopping at the small lake on the edge of town. It really is an oasis. There were at least 10 Marsh Harriers, all the common hirondelles, 3 Night Heron, Reed Warbler, Cettis Warbler, Greet Reed Warbler and a couple (pair?) of Purple Heron plus a squealing Water Rail.

Time was fading so I thought I would look for something to eat. Nothing drew me in at Candasnos so I headed back to Bujaraloz (I do like planning) and the 'Espanol'. I had a really cheap egg, bacon and potato, beer coffee and thought about my lodgings for the evening. Sharing the boot with the dog!

6 hours in no targets...

Lovely read Rosbifs, as usual............

Cheers Wolfman...

Now then lodgings. I sort of planned to sleep out on the steppe and wake up with the Larks but in reality it didn't feel right. I went to check out my route in the morning based on a possible Little Bustard site. The site turned out to be, as I suspected, one of my favorite Monegros places. I then thought about the Ballobar Duponts site but was put off by close proximity to a couple of houses - I didn't want to frighten anyone and certainly didn't want the local police coming to question me in the night so I settled on the lorry park and Candasnos.

At 5am I was back on the Steppes and listening for a Duponts. And listening and listening and thinking coffee croissant. Sod this, a quick 20 min dirt track drive to the nearest service station for a coffee won the day but I couldn't bring myself to buy their croissants. I was back though just after 6am and an hour before daylight so about right. Sadly, the weather didn't agree and it started to rain. There were a number of Larks calling and a Stone Curlew but no Duponts!

I quickly headed to the Little Bustard site to get there for first light. I parked at the first opportunity and wished it to stop raining. A quail was calling and then could that be it? A Little Bustard calling. However, hard I tried I could not see the bird even though it felt about 10 metres away. At 7.30 it stopped raining.

I decided I could wait all day and not see the bird so drove onto the plateau. I put up a roosting Monties Harrier - if only I could drive slower. This plateau was where I had found 400 Pin Tails one October. Today it threw up Stone Curlew and then a band of I thought 5 BB Sandgrouse. The 5 turned out to be 4, 2 and 3 Black Bellies. I got another Hoopoe and the usual singing chorus.

Again I deplaced to Ermita San Gregorio (or something similar) determined to pick up another Bustard and perhaps a Duponts - there is so much terrain and habitat. Crisscrossing the main road and following various dirt tracks I stopped dead by a calling Little Bustard in the middle of the road at about 50 metres - awesome. I slowly opened the car door and poked the lens out. The bird stayed. Now my dilemma was to leave without disturbing him. Not possible when I started the engine again he was off. What a beauty!

I scooted back round to the Duponts site. Its now 9am and I'm behind schedule. Worse still the Duponts aren't calling. I explored further up the track and had to make do with Grey Shrike, Tawny Pipits, Short Toed Lark and some mud - lots of it.

Back to Bujaraloz for some breakfast - same bar. 11.15 and a 'local' ham sandwich for breakfast.

I now had about 3 hours left for birding and was against the clock with only 2 targets hit!

Back to the dirt tracks and wanted to hit the Lesser Kestrels. I turned off too early and had to adl....What the...Here we go...that's what I'm talking about...

Majestic (and no words required)

Now in one swoop I had nailed the morning! Both Bustards by midday but two targets left the Duponts and the Pin Tails.

I watched the bird for a while initially alarmed by me he began to settle and feed and this gave me time to think. El Planeron or back to the Ontinena Ballobar 'triangle'. Time meant I could only really head to the latter.

I stopped to snap the Lesser Kestrels again and saw the same Monties Harrier. At Candasnos I went via the plateau above the town. This had been really productive in previous years. Had some sort of track stadium. But this had all been flattened (or I couldn't find it at least). You get the full picture of the irrigation problems here. Yes there are some wild fields and given time I'm sure they would hold LB's but I didn't have time. There used to be a massive area of scrub and gorse which again was gone. Progress?

Anyway, after snapping a Booted Eagle I was back at Ballobar. I spent the next hour walking along the track next to some likely terrain - the best I had seen - but to no avail.

Time to go.

En route to Huesca and in about 15 km of road works I was nicely speeding when a policeman came up behind me - 80km/h in a 60km/h - oh balls. However, he was happy to pass me and just flash his lights before disappearing. I passed him at the next service station. Then another 10km on he came up behind me again this time 110KM/h in a 90KM/h limit. Surely he would stop me this time but no he overtook and continued. I digress.

As I approached Portalet it began to snow. The temperature dropped to minus as I hit the border and the mountains were white again. One more tick? A Rock Thrush maybe but to my surprise 3 Black Storks sheltering in the snow and looking pretty pissed!!

I made it home to the kids party (friends) by 19.30 pretty tired and in need of a beer or two...Regrets a few...

Oops forgot to attach the Little Bustard photo,,,,

Were you in Monegros on Friday 21st? We might have just missed each other. Having said that I didn't see any other birders in 9 days in Spain!

foresttwitcher said:

Were you in Monegros on Friday 21st? We might have just missed each other. Having said that I didn't see any other birders in 9 days in Spain!

Click to expand...

No I got to Bujaraloz about 17h30 on the Tuesday (24th) and left Ontinena at 14h on the Wednesday!

How did you guys get on - did you include El Planeron into your trip? I knew that was a cert (xx????) for the Duponts but wanted to find a 'new' area for me.

I always felt on my first visit that I didn't spend enough time here - El Planeron - Sastago - Ontinena in 6 hours! Nowhere near enough.....That said the easy stuff is almost everywhere Black Eared Wheatears, the Larks (apart from Duponts), Lesser Kestrels pockets of other birds Speccy Warbler etc..

I didn't even try for the Black Wheatear, Penduline Tits or Blue Rock Thrush - in hindsight those were my regrets. Sastago was only another 10km...

Ah, by that time I (travelling alone) was down in Castilla-La Mancha.

Yes, started my first full day at day-break at El Planeron - as for a cert, I'll keep you in suspense as a trip report will follow when I have caught up with the backlog of work I came back to!