Extremadura (1 Viewer)

Hi

I'm going to Extremadura next weekend for a few days, and I was hoping someone out there might be able to give me some up to date info on a few key species:

Orphean Warbler - is Arroyo de la Vid in Monfrague still a good site for this?

Eagle Owl - still breeding at Portilla del Tietar?

Spanish Eagle - are the lookouts at Miradors de la Bascula and de la Higuerilla still good? Any publicly-known nest sites?

Red-necked Nightjar - is the road between Villareal and Mirador de la Bascula still considered the best site?

Black Wheatear - I was planning on visiting Campillo de Deleitosa for this - is there anywhere currently reliable nearer Monfrague?

Little and Great Bustard - is the steppe area around Santa Marta de Magasca currently the best area for these birds? Any particular hotspots?

Thanks for your help / Gracias por su ayuda!

Hola Senor Gruff

A while since i was there but
Spanish Imp Eagle: on the c911 heading east watched from the white hut (might not be there now though!) Adult and juv. Also seen a few times at Tietar Cliffs further down same road. Eagle Owl here too.

Had Black Wheatear a few times on the track that goes east on south of main bridge (just before Castillo section of road) Rocky sides of reservoir edge best

Had RN Nightjars at the campsite on C524 on north edge of park

Gt Bustards: big group on Rio Salor plain.... take rough track west just south of Valdesalor. Drive over train line but be careful! and continue as far as you dare! Large group were on north side

Little Bustards: I found the plains on road NE of Belen excellent. Also area around where Rio Ayuela crosses the N523.

Good luck
adios

I'm going to Extremadura next weekend for a few days, and I was hoping someone out there might be able to give me some up to date info on a few key species:

Orphean Warbler - is Arroyo de la Vid in Monfrague still a good site for this? Don't know never saw or heard them in Monfrague

Eagle Owl - still breeding at Portilla del Tietar? Yes

Spanish Eagle - are the lookouts at Miradors de la Bascula and de la Higuerilla still good? Any publicly-known nest sites? In Monfrague best place for us was Portilla del Tietar, both adult and young birds

Red-necked Nightjar - is the road between Villareal and Mirador de la Bascula still considered the best site? One was seen (not by us) in the field opposite the Hotel Caraval in Torrejon del Rubio, early May

Black Wheatear - I was planning on visiting Campillo de Deleitosa for this - is there anywhere currently reliable nearer Monfrague? Seen distantly on Pena Falcon

Little and Great Bustard - is the steppe area around Santa Marta de Magasca currently the best area for these birds? Any particular hotspots?
Saw both Great and Little Bustard together on the Belen Plain about 4Km out of village on left as the road rises to a large hump. Carry on to White Stork colony, also on left (another 3 Km) for possibly Bald Ibis that could still be around.

Good luck

I'm going to Extremadura next weekend for a few days, and I was hoping someone out there might be able to give me some up to date info on a few key species:

Click to expand...

Hi Gruff.

Don't forget that I will be on tour up there on Friday evening and on Saturday and Sunday, staying at Hotel Carvajal in Torrejon. Hope to run into you.

S.Imp Eagles. Still breeding about 100 metres to the right from Portillo de Tietar. Look in the trees on opposite bank from viewpoint.
Also breeding on large electricity pylon between kms 41 and 42 on the road from Caceres to Torrejon el Rubio.

Eagle Owl. Adults and owlets seen very recently at Portillo de Tietar. Slightly left of viewpoint. However, the young were flying and the family may have adandoned the site by now.

Bustards. Try Santa Magascar plains. It has always come up trumps for me, for both Great and Little B's and BB Sandgrouse.

Try an early morning visit to Arroyo de la Vid or up at the Castle for White-rumped Swifts.

Black Wheatears usually around Portillo de Tietar. I have had luck in the past near the Black storks nest site.

No up-to-date info on Orpheans or RN Nightjars. I will be looking for them myself.

Regards from Doñana.

John.

Wow, that's what I call a quick response!! Thanks very much to you all.

Hope to run into you over the weelend John - we're also hoping to stay at the Carvajal - my friend is supposed to be contacting them tomorrow.

We've decided to forget about going down to Donana (time's too short), and to spend 2 full days in the Monfrague / Trujillo area. Depending on how we get on, we may then spend a morning looking for Dupont's near Sepulveda, before finishing off in the Sierra de Guadarrama for Citril Finch etc.

Anyway, hopefully we will meet up somewhere, and exchange news. We'll probably be doing the steppes first, then Monfrague, while I believe you will be doing this in reverse, so we should have some useful info for each other!

Cheers, and thanks again to you all for the great info.

Best viewes to Spanish Imperial eagles nest from the road at Portilla de Tietar, with one juv. always feeded by the adults around 4 p.m. with rabbits. Between Portilla de Tietaer and La Bascula there is a new mirador on the right overlooking Tietar river. From here you can see two nests: Short-towed eagle on the same riverside, and a black vultures nest on the other side, just the top of the tree with the nest is visible on the middle of the second slope.
At Belen steppes there is a colony with storks at 8.7 km behind trhe village of Belen, look here for the IBIS!!!!

All seen at Extremadura in May 2005!


Regards from Germany, Robert

...and not to forget the bonelli's eagles nest in an eucalyptus forest, visible from the road to Plasencia. Where the CC 911 hits the EX 208, go on this road for 100 meters towards Plasencia and scan the eucalytpus trees on the right hand side! Far away, difficult when windy and/or hot...

For anyone who might be interested, I've knocked up a report on my trip to Extremadura, which can be found at http://www.surfbirds.com/trip_report.php?id=700.

Thanks again to everyone who helped leading up to this trip.

Cheers.