wolfbirder
Well-known member
Most of you will probably think I am stupid, 4 hours Ryan Air 'sardine' flight each way, one night on the island birding and then back home again.
Well, having had a 4 night trip to Eastern Turkey, and "allowed" my better half to go to New York with her sister and parents for 5 nights, I reckoned I was due a night!
And when I realised I could fly from East Midlands to Tenerife South for £130 return, leaving on Saturday 26th at 10.35am arriving about 3pm, then return on the 1940 flight back on Sunday 27th arriving home at midnight, the trip was on.
Possibilities being 6 endemics - Blue Chaffinch (a bird I really wanted to see), Plain Swift, Canary Islands Chiffchaff, Canary Islands Kinglet (aka Goldcrest), and both Bolle's and Laurel Pigeons - all would be lifers and new to my WP list.
Sadly, I realised I had no time for investigating coastal spots to seawatch, nor to take a ferry to La Gomera for shearwaters and petrels. None are guaranteed these days anyway, Cory's of course but not the Little Shearwater's that I would like to have seen.
As usual I was overly optimistic, just finding 4 of the 6 in my days birding. Car hire cost £39 (pre-paid voucher with Hertz) (I have an separate annual excess policy of my own), and the car only used 23 euros of petrol !! It was a superb highly economical VW Up, a car I have never driven. Ideal for my driving which totalled about 200 miles. Tenerife has good roads in the main, but I must have driven 500 hair pin bends as I drove northward up and around El Teide and then around the western half of the island.
Great care must be taken driving on Tenerife, or you will hit a barrier or even worse, its not the place to bird-watch whilst driving, although with just 20 species seen, that was never a real problem!
My one nights accommodation was up in the mountains at Vilaflor, at the superb but very quiet and scenic Hotel Spa Villalba. A birding mate of mine Steve (aka The Snapper) had previously recommended this superb hotel on this site, with great birds in it's own grounds. If your other half likes Spa hotels and is happy to read a book while you go birding, I can also recommend this hotel for a quiet surprise trip for a few nights. The accommodation was not the cheapest, booked via Booking.com, about £70 B & B, but overall the trip cost me just under £300 - flights, car hire, hotel, petrol.
It was overcast when I arrived at Tenerife South Airport mid-afternoon on 26th July, ironically cooler than the stiflingly hot UK I left behind, much to the discerning looks of my fellow holidaying Ryan Air passengers, but that suited me fine. The motorway TF1 is adjacent to the airport and easy to link to and from. I was soon off the motorway heading up into the mountains to Vilaflor, and frustratingly into the dense cloud base which covered the town in a misty fog. Plain Swifts were everywhere on the way up, maybe a few hundred of them. Also many Feral Pigeons/Rock Doves and a couple of pale Collared Doves, but nothing more enticing.
I located my well-signposted hotel which is off the TF21 at the top end of town, and half a mile from it. As I approached, a Kestrel was perched on a post nearby. After checking in, dumping my bag, and bagging a dump (dodgy McDonalds near the airport!!), I was off and out, checking the trees in the gulley at the back of the hotel, and I immediately heard a powerful call belonging to Blue Chaffinch. In the murky conditions, I watched 5 of these handsome birds walking along branches, at least 2 were males.
Leaving the hotel, and moving on, I climbed further up the TF21 for several miles in my car, and after just ten minutes emerged above the cloud base into the beautiful sunshine. Looking back, the view was tremendous, with the top of the cloud-base laid out like a giant, 'fluffy' carpet expanding across to the horizon. Just ten miles from my hotel, but around fifty hairpins later, a huge "Las Lajas" sign welcomes visitors to this popular family picnic site, to the left of the road. Large numbers of locals use the large picnic tables and BBQ grills, but they simply ignore western birders having undoubtedly become accustomed to them. Just drive along the straight, bumpy track for about 200 metres as far as you can, and park up just before a hardcore 5 -A-side football pitch with goalposts carved from tree branches. Just before and to the left of the pitch is an obvious small stone hut, and within ten metres of that is a small tree that birds seem to be very attracted to. Undoubtedly the best times to visit are early morning (not crack of dawn necessarily) or early to mid evening, as the birds are more active then.
I joined two other birders sat in the shaded porch of the stone hut and quietly watched birds come down to the small, inconspicuous carved out, concrete bowl that is filled with water, at the foot of this particular small tree. I spent a very enjoyable hour between 6-7pm here, enjoying superb views of 5 more Blue Chaffinches (including 2 males), 5 'squabbling' 'local race' Great Spotted Woodpeckers (2 female, 2 juv, 1 male), and a juvenile Canary, all that periodically came down for a drink. Great stuff!
I returned to the hotel and was in bed by 9pm, waking early on the 27th July for breakfast included in the rate, starting at 7.30am. Coffee, scrambled egg on toast, local jams, fruit and yogurts were enjoyed as I sat on the 'chilly' veranda, too early and too cold for any bird activity or for anyone else.
I was soon on the road, and by 8am I was again at the same spot at Las Lajas picnic site, watching birds come down to drink at the base of the same tree, the one that is about half the size of nearly all the others. This morning, I only saw 2 Blue Chaffinches and 1 female Great Spotted Woodpecker, but birds were 'swarming' up and down the small tree - about 10 Canary Islands Chiffchaffs, and several Canaries and African Blue Tits. Strange that the Chiffchaff's and Blue Tits had been virtually absent here the previous night.
I had to move on, and upward, along the TF21 towards El Teide National Park, the huge volcano 'towering' above the expansive molten landscape, and sandstone 'spaghetti-western-type' crags. The scenery on this quite beautiful morning was magnificent, but the arrival of the first tourist coaches reminded me I had to stop parking up at viewpoints and crack on, especially as birds were virtually non-existant, with only a couple more Canary Islands Chiffchaffs, 2 Bertholot Pipits, and 2 Southern Grey Shrikes on show.
Having passed El Teide, I weaved my way down towards the northern coast at Port De La Cruz, stopping briefly at a viewpoint within the Corona Forestal (forest) near Aguamansa where I enjoyed superb views of a dozen Plain Swifts skimming low over the heather as they fed. Despite seeing a few hundred of these over the 2 days, it was not easy to obtain quality views of this rather 'drab-looking' hirundine, so I was pleased. But time was passing on, and progress on the winding roads was slow at times, and I arrived at the viewpoint at La Grimona on the northern coast way too late in the day - 11.30am! Looking up the slope, I could see Buzzard, Kestrel and Rock Doves, but I was struggling without a scope (having just traveled light). It was not the easiest or most pleasant place to bird-watch either. It is accessed immediately after the 2nd tunnel travelling westward only, from Port De La Cruz on the TF5 dual carriageway. After twenty minutes here I had seen nothing special, but just as I was about to move on, I caught site of a large pigeon flying to the right, and with 'all-brown' wings it was clearly a Laurel Pigeon, but sadly it disappeared all too quickly. But I was lucky to have seen that to be honest.
An alternative to La Grimona, after the birds have left their roost site there, is 'Mirador de Lance', accessed back towards Port de La Cruz and before reaching it take the exit for Los Realejos off the TF5 dual-carriageway, then head up hill through this town and take the sign for La Guancha on the TF342. Unfortunately, once at the viewpoint I could see no pigeons looking down from here, so I carried on westward along the northern side of the island on the TF342 via hairpin bend after hairpin bend. This road connected the villages of Icod el Alto, La Guancha, La Mancha, Icod de los Vinos, and then I was onto the adjoining TF82 through the villages of Genoves, San Juan del Reparo, El Tanque, and eventually a good one and a half hours later I arrived at the village of Erjos. Certainly not the quickest route! Just west of Erjos village, the TF82 rises and then looks down onto Erjos Pools. I had to double back to connect to the rough track that I realised lead down to them. In the heat of a mid afternoon there was not much to see predictably. A few Canaries and Linnets, 2 juvenile Turtle Doves 'flushed', and another Canary Islands Chiffchaff. On the pools just a Coot with a youngster, and a Moorhen with young, as well as a farmhouse duck! A few Buzzards and Kestrels were patrolling the hillsides but the only pigeons perched up on dead tree branches were Rock Doves/Feral Pigeons. A bit disappointing, but I could have spent a bit longer here, but time again was of an essence.
I then connected to the TF375 and by Arguayo I saw 5 Ravens in flight, and after Arguayo I soon connected onto the TF38 back in the direction of the El Teide National Park, but having partially circumnavigated the north-western edge of the island, I was now approaching it from a western perspective, instead of from the south as I had done earlier in the day from Vilaflor. Sounds all very confusing, but only important if you want to track my route. Along the TF38, heading upward towards El Teide National Park, is Zona Recreativo de Chio (Chio picnic site) on your right, another extremely popular picnic and BBQ site with local families, especially on a sunny, Sunday afternoon! I only spent half an hour here, 'glimpsing' Canary Islands Chiffchaff, Great Spotted Woodpecker, , and then as a family packed up and departed from one of the large benches, at least 5 Blue Chaffinches descended from the trees to pick off any scraps underneath the bench. At least 2 were adult males, and views from five metres were excellent, although as others have remarked it is uncanny how they seem to like to stay in the shadows. Still, I had certainly had my fill of this attractive species with its blue plumage and its shiny, steely-blue bill. 6 Ravens were nearby.
It was time to head back towards the airport, driving with great care along the descending, narrow, winding roads between Vilaflor and the airport (Tenerife South), with Plain Swifts and Rock Doves/Feral Pigeons all around, plus a couple of pale-looking Collared Doves. I briefly checked out Golf del Sur near the airport, but without going in and viewing from the road I only added Hoopoe.
I handed the car back in to Hertz at about 5.30pm, and checked in, the flight was twenty minutes late in departure, but I arrived home at midnight, and was in bed by 2am this morning. Knackered.
Just 20 species had been seen, too few to even both listing separately. My main target bird was in all honesty quite an easy one - the Blue Chaffinch. And I was really pleased with the great views achieved.
Canary Islands Chiffchaff was also new to me (as a full species) but it hardly gets the pulse racing, in fact I found the local-race (sub-species) Great Spotted Woodpecker's more interesting. They showed superbly at Las Lajos.
I was also really pleased with the views of WP-lifer number 3 - Plain Swift, a bird that is both plain and lives on the plains, as well as the hillsides, in fact all over the island.
My 4th WP lifer was Laurel Pigeon, but I was very disappointed with the brief view, though it was clear what it was. I should have been at La Grimona viewpoint much earlier in the day to see Bolle's and Laurel Pigeon, or even during the evening the previous day, though without scope I may well still have struggled. I was not devastated I must admit, Pigeons just don't do it for me. However rare.
I didn't have a sniff of Canary Islands Kinglet (Canary Islands Goldcrest) anywhere!
Overall I was content rather than 'really pleased' with my lot, with African Blue Tits, Canaries, Southern Grey Shrikes, Hoopoe, Turtle Doves, and a few Bertholot Pipits also thrown in. But Tenerife is another place I can now remove from my must-visit list of WP venues. The total of 20 species seen highlights what an 'orthinological desert' Tenerife is, especially mid-summer.
But I knew that, so no complaints.
A few images from the trip:-
1) Sorry the image is on its side, but it shows the Hotel Spa Villalba at Vilaflor. It is signposted the top end of town off the TF21, infact at the top end is an overflow car park and track that can be taken without going into the hotel. If I had had time I would have investigated it further.
2) Las Lajas picnic site - ten miles approximately uphill from Vilaflor. It is well signposted, and at the top end of the straight access track is a small five-a-side hardcore football pitch. Just to the left of it is this small stone shed or outhouse where you can sit in the shade to view the small tree to the left in this image. At the base of it is a small concrete bowl filled with water. It was very productive morning and evening. There may well be other good spots here too.
3) The approach track once you have turned onto Las Lajas, the small football pitch can just be seen at the top end, with the outhouse in photo 2 to the left in this image.
4) El Teide National Park - a view across the expansive landscape. The 'shadow' is looking hard for non-existent birds.
5) View from Aguamansa viewpoint at Corona Forestal (Forest) on the TF21, heading down towards Port de La Cruz and Los Realejos, with La Grimona viewpoint probably just on the other side of the distant headland. I had superb views of Plain Swift here.
Well, having had a 4 night trip to Eastern Turkey, and "allowed" my better half to go to New York with her sister and parents for 5 nights, I reckoned I was due a night!
And when I realised I could fly from East Midlands to Tenerife South for £130 return, leaving on Saturday 26th at 10.35am arriving about 3pm, then return on the 1940 flight back on Sunday 27th arriving home at midnight, the trip was on.
Possibilities being 6 endemics - Blue Chaffinch (a bird I really wanted to see), Plain Swift, Canary Islands Chiffchaff, Canary Islands Kinglet (aka Goldcrest), and both Bolle's and Laurel Pigeons - all would be lifers and new to my WP list.
Sadly, I realised I had no time for investigating coastal spots to seawatch, nor to take a ferry to La Gomera for shearwaters and petrels. None are guaranteed these days anyway, Cory's of course but not the Little Shearwater's that I would like to have seen.
As usual I was overly optimistic, just finding 4 of the 6 in my days birding. Car hire cost £39 (pre-paid voucher with Hertz) (I have an separate annual excess policy of my own), and the car only used 23 euros of petrol !! It was a superb highly economical VW Up, a car I have never driven. Ideal for my driving which totalled about 200 miles. Tenerife has good roads in the main, but I must have driven 500 hair pin bends as I drove northward up and around El Teide and then around the western half of the island.
Great care must be taken driving on Tenerife, or you will hit a barrier or even worse, its not the place to bird-watch whilst driving, although with just 20 species seen, that was never a real problem!
My one nights accommodation was up in the mountains at Vilaflor, at the superb but very quiet and scenic Hotel Spa Villalba. A birding mate of mine Steve (aka The Snapper) had previously recommended this superb hotel on this site, with great birds in it's own grounds. If your other half likes Spa hotels and is happy to read a book while you go birding, I can also recommend this hotel for a quiet surprise trip for a few nights. The accommodation was not the cheapest, booked via Booking.com, about £70 B & B, but overall the trip cost me just under £300 - flights, car hire, hotel, petrol.
It was overcast when I arrived at Tenerife South Airport mid-afternoon on 26th July, ironically cooler than the stiflingly hot UK I left behind, much to the discerning looks of my fellow holidaying Ryan Air passengers, but that suited me fine. The motorway TF1 is adjacent to the airport and easy to link to and from. I was soon off the motorway heading up into the mountains to Vilaflor, and frustratingly into the dense cloud base which covered the town in a misty fog. Plain Swifts were everywhere on the way up, maybe a few hundred of them. Also many Feral Pigeons/Rock Doves and a couple of pale Collared Doves, but nothing more enticing.
I located my well-signposted hotel which is off the TF21 at the top end of town, and half a mile from it. As I approached, a Kestrel was perched on a post nearby. After checking in, dumping my bag, and bagging a dump (dodgy McDonalds near the airport!!), I was off and out, checking the trees in the gulley at the back of the hotel, and I immediately heard a powerful call belonging to Blue Chaffinch. In the murky conditions, I watched 5 of these handsome birds walking along branches, at least 2 were males.
Leaving the hotel, and moving on, I climbed further up the TF21 for several miles in my car, and after just ten minutes emerged above the cloud base into the beautiful sunshine. Looking back, the view was tremendous, with the top of the cloud-base laid out like a giant, 'fluffy' carpet expanding across to the horizon. Just ten miles from my hotel, but around fifty hairpins later, a huge "Las Lajas" sign welcomes visitors to this popular family picnic site, to the left of the road. Large numbers of locals use the large picnic tables and BBQ grills, but they simply ignore western birders having undoubtedly become accustomed to them. Just drive along the straight, bumpy track for about 200 metres as far as you can, and park up just before a hardcore 5 -A-side football pitch with goalposts carved from tree branches. Just before and to the left of the pitch is an obvious small stone hut, and within ten metres of that is a small tree that birds seem to be very attracted to. Undoubtedly the best times to visit are early morning (not crack of dawn necessarily) or early to mid evening, as the birds are more active then.
I joined two other birders sat in the shaded porch of the stone hut and quietly watched birds come down to the small, inconspicuous carved out, concrete bowl that is filled with water, at the foot of this particular small tree. I spent a very enjoyable hour between 6-7pm here, enjoying superb views of 5 more Blue Chaffinches (including 2 males), 5 'squabbling' 'local race' Great Spotted Woodpeckers (2 female, 2 juv, 1 male), and a juvenile Canary, all that periodically came down for a drink. Great stuff!
I returned to the hotel and was in bed by 9pm, waking early on the 27th July for breakfast included in the rate, starting at 7.30am. Coffee, scrambled egg on toast, local jams, fruit and yogurts were enjoyed as I sat on the 'chilly' veranda, too early and too cold for any bird activity or for anyone else.
I was soon on the road, and by 8am I was again at the same spot at Las Lajas picnic site, watching birds come down to drink at the base of the same tree, the one that is about half the size of nearly all the others. This morning, I only saw 2 Blue Chaffinches and 1 female Great Spotted Woodpecker, but birds were 'swarming' up and down the small tree - about 10 Canary Islands Chiffchaffs, and several Canaries and African Blue Tits. Strange that the Chiffchaff's and Blue Tits had been virtually absent here the previous night.
I had to move on, and upward, along the TF21 towards El Teide National Park, the huge volcano 'towering' above the expansive molten landscape, and sandstone 'spaghetti-western-type' crags. The scenery on this quite beautiful morning was magnificent, but the arrival of the first tourist coaches reminded me I had to stop parking up at viewpoints and crack on, especially as birds were virtually non-existant, with only a couple more Canary Islands Chiffchaffs, 2 Bertholot Pipits, and 2 Southern Grey Shrikes on show.
Having passed El Teide, I weaved my way down towards the northern coast at Port De La Cruz, stopping briefly at a viewpoint within the Corona Forestal (forest) near Aguamansa where I enjoyed superb views of a dozen Plain Swifts skimming low over the heather as they fed. Despite seeing a few hundred of these over the 2 days, it was not easy to obtain quality views of this rather 'drab-looking' hirundine, so I was pleased. But time was passing on, and progress on the winding roads was slow at times, and I arrived at the viewpoint at La Grimona on the northern coast way too late in the day - 11.30am! Looking up the slope, I could see Buzzard, Kestrel and Rock Doves, but I was struggling without a scope (having just traveled light). It was not the easiest or most pleasant place to bird-watch either. It is accessed immediately after the 2nd tunnel travelling westward only, from Port De La Cruz on the TF5 dual carriageway. After twenty minutes here I had seen nothing special, but just as I was about to move on, I caught site of a large pigeon flying to the right, and with 'all-brown' wings it was clearly a Laurel Pigeon, but sadly it disappeared all too quickly. But I was lucky to have seen that to be honest.
An alternative to La Grimona, after the birds have left their roost site there, is 'Mirador de Lance', accessed back towards Port de La Cruz and before reaching it take the exit for Los Realejos off the TF5 dual-carriageway, then head up hill through this town and take the sign for La Guancha on the TF342. Unfortunately, once at the viewpoint I could see no pigeons looking down from here, so I carried on westward along the northern side of the island on the TF342 via hairpin bend after hairpin bend. This road connected the villages of Icod el Alto, La Guancha, La Mancha, Icod de los Vinos, and then I was onto the adjoining TF82 through the villages of Genoves, San Juan del Reparo, El Tanque, and eventually a good one and a half hours later I arrived at the village of Erjos. Certainly not the quickest route! Just west of Erjos village, the TF82 rises and then looks down onto Erjos Pools. I had to double back to connect to the rough track that I realised lead down to them. In the heat of a mid afternoon there was not much to see predictably. A few Canaries and Linnets, 2 juvenile Turtle Doves 'flushed', and another Canary Islands Chiffchaff. On the pools just a Coot with a youngster, and a Moorhen with young, as well as a farmhouse duck! A few Buzzards and Kestrels were patrolling the hillsides but the only pigeons perched up on dead tree branches were Rock Doves/Feral Pigeons. A bit disappointing, but I could have spent a bit longer here, but time again was of an essence.
I then connected to the TF375 and by Arguayo I saw 5 Ravens in flight, and after Arguayo I soon connected onto the TF38 back in the direction of the El Teide National Park, but having partially circumnavigated the north-western edge of the island, I was now approaching it from a western perspective, instead of from the south as I had done earlier in the day from Vilaflor. Sounds all very confusing, but only important if you want to track my route. Along the TF38, heading upward towards El Teide National Park, is Zona Recreativo de Chio (Chio picnic site) on your right, another extremely popular picnic and BBQ site with local families, especially on a sunny, Sunday afternoon! I only spent half an hour here, 'glimpsing' Canary Islands Chiffchaff, Great Spotted Woodpecker, , and then as a family packed up and departed from one of the large benches, at least 5 Blue Chaffinches descended from the trees to pick off any scraps underneath the bench. At least 2 were adult males, and views from five metres were excellent, although as others have remarked it is uncanny how they seem to like to stay in the shadows. Still, I had certainly had my fill of this attractive species with its blue plumage and its shiny, steely-blue bill. 6 Ravens were nearby.
It was time to head back towards the airport, driving with great care along the descending, narrow, winding roads between Vilaflor and the airport (Tenerife South), with Plain Swifts and Rock Doves/Feral Pigeons all around, plus a couple of pale-looking Collared Doves. I briefly checked out Golf del Sur near the airport, but without going in and viewing from the road I only added Hoopoe.
I handed the car back in to Hertz at about 5.30pm, and checked in, the flight was twenty minutes late in departure, but I arrived home at midnight, and was in bed by 2am this morning. Knackered.
Just 20 species had been seen, too few to even both listing separately. My main target bird was in all honesty quite an easy one - the Blue Chaffinch. And I was really pleased with the great views achieved.
Canary Islands Chiffchaff was also new to me (as a full species) but it hardly gets the pulse racing, in fact I found the local-race (sub-species) Great Spotted Woodpecker's more interesting. They showed superbly at Las Lajos.
I was also really pleased with the views of WP-lifer number 3 - Plain Swift, a bird that is both plain and lives on the plains, as well as the hillsides, in fact all over the island.
My 4th WP lifer was Laurel Pigeon, but I was very disappointed with the brief view, though it was clear what it was. I should have been at La Grimona viewpoint much earlier in the day to see Bolle's and Laurel Pigeon, or even during the evening the previous day, though without scope I may well still have struggled. I was not devastated I must admit, Pigeons just don't do it for me. However rare.
I didn't have a sniff of Canary Islands Kinglet (Canary Islands Goldcrest) anywhere!
Overall I was content rather than 'really pleased' with my lot, with African Blue Tits, Canaries, Southern Grey Shrikes, Hoopoe, Turtle Doves, and a few Bertholot Pipits also thrown in. But Tenerife is another place I can now remove from my must-visit list of WP venues. The total of 20 species seen highlights what an 'orthinological desert' Tenerife is, especially mid-summer.
But I knew that, so no complaints.
A few images from the trip:-
1) Sorry the image is on its side, but it shows the Hotel Spa Villalba at Vilaflor. It is signposted the top end of town off the TF21, infact at the top end is an overflow car park and track that can be taken without going into the hotel. If I had had time I would have investigated it further.
2) Las Lajas picnic site - ten miles approximately uphill from Vilaflor. It is well signposted, and at the top end of the straight access track is a small five-a-side hardcore football pitch. Just to the left of it is this small stone shed or outhouse where you can sit in the shade to view the small tree to the left in this image. At the base of it is a small concrete bowl filled with water. It was very productive morning and evening. There may well be other good spots here too.
3) The approach track once you have turned onto Las Lajas, the small football pitch can just be seen at the top end, with the outhouse in photo 2 to the left in this image.
4) El Teide National Park - a view across the expansive landscape. The 'shadow' is looking hard for non-existent birds.
5) View from Aguamansa viewpoint at Corona Forestal (Forest) on the TF21, heading down towards Port de La Cruz and Los Realejos, with La Grimona viewpoint probably just on the other side of the distant headland. I had superb views of Plain Swift here.
Attachments
Last edited:
