My son Peter and I have just got back from an excellent weekend bird watching in the Donana National Park region of South Eastern Spain. We booked the expert guidance of John Butler (www.donanabirdtours.com) who not only guided us for the two days but also went out of his way to book us into the excellent La Aldea camp site at E l Rocio where we stayed in a comfortable two person air conditions wooden cabin.
Each days tour started at 8:45 am and we did not get back to base until 6:0pm each evening. We covered an extensive area of the Donana National Park with regular stops at key birding points.
Anyway what did we see; well in all we got about 150 ticks over the two days which given that it is the height of summer with an 18 month drought was exceptional.
Day 1 Donana – Savilia Region
El Rocio to Villamanrique
Started well with Peter spotting a Golden Orial flying over we stopped and had a good look round WoW we got Hoopoe (4) Sardinian Warbler Azure winged Magpie, Woodchat Shrike, Crested Lark. In Villamanriuqe we got good views of Storks Nesting on mass and a flock of Spotless Starling.
Moving on towards Dehesa de Pilas John stopped the van and within seconds had found us two family groups of Pin Tailed Sand Grouse and I got my first ever Male Montagu's Harrier also seen were Bee-eaters, Black Kites, a Short-toed Eagle, Grey Herons and Cattle.
Next stop were the rice fields of the Cortijo de Madrigales, having been a fan of Sammy up at Tichwell we were amazed to see and hear! hundreds of Black Winged Stilt, John stopped the van by the only Green bush for about two miles and it was full of Black-Crowned Night Herons we moved up the rosd a bit to a small water pumping station and were once more amazed by the views of Gull-billed Tern, Litle Egret and Purple Heron, Spoonbill and a distant Osprey.
About 11:30 and we were up to about 40 species! We crossed the Puente de Vaqueros and drove along the eastern side of the Entremuros. Not too many birds to be found, due to the very dry conditions, but 7 more Montagu's Harriers, Green Sandpiper, Kestrel and large groups of Bee Eater.
Last stop before an excellent lunch provided by John was at the The next local were the "reedbeds” of the Entremuros, We got a Little Bittern that took flight from deep in the reeds and crossed our path, in total we saw 4 plus Purple Swamp-hen, a Great White Egret, Squacco Heron, Glossy Ibis, Black-winged Stilt, Collared Pratincole, Whiskered Tern, Common Sandpiper, Little-Ringed and Kentish Plovers, Reed and Great Reed Warbler, 2 Little Owls, a Southern Grey Shrike and an obliging Common Waxbill. Lunch time in the shade of Eucalyptus trees brought us a large flock of Bee-Eaters once more as well as a colony of Spanish Sparrow.
By 2:00 pm the temperature must have been hitting 40C and we noticed a drop off in bird life but we still managed to work our way through Brazo del Este area were we saw many of the same species we had seen earlier in the day as well as a large nesting colony of Whiskered Tern which in true Tern fashion got really cranky when you got too close. On open water we also got Great Crested and Litle Grebes andCommon Pochard in the reeds again we got more firsts for me Zitting Cisticola and Penduline Tit as well as Common Buzzard, Lapwing, Goldfinch, Coot and Moorhen. By the time we got back we had got a list of 70 species.
Day 2 Huelva’s coastal regions
I really did not think Bird watching was supposed to make you ache but I could hardly hold my bins first thing in the morning.
Any way from El Rocio we headed towards the ancient Castle at Niebla for views of the Lesser Kestrals that nest in the walls. On the way we stopped just past El Rocinio where John had found nesting Red Rumped Swallow earlier in the spring, We got them now a small family group of 5, Red Legged Partridge was spotted by Peter as were more Montagu's Harriers, Barn Swallow, Sand and House Martin, Pallid Swift, Hoopoe, Bee_Eater, Buzzard and Common Kestral, Raven, White Stork and my Bird of the morning a short Toed Eagle that was sitting on top of a pylon we managed to drive within a couple of hundred yards of it before it took off and gave us good views in flight.
At the Castle we got great views of two Lesser Kestrals on of which was only about 5 meters away unfortunately the majority of the family groups had dispersed into the country side. Niebla was very quiet being a Sunday morning and all that could be heard were Common and Pallid Swift as they flew the early morning thermals over the town.
From Niebla we moved on to the Coastal Port of Huelva seeing Montagu’s Harrier and Black Kite and hundreds of white Stork nesting along the electrical pylons as we drove along the A49.
We stopped at the Laguna El Portil here we got Mallard, Gadwall, Pochard, Coot, Moorhen, Kingfisher, little and Cattle Egret, Egyption Goose, Hoopoe, Common Waxbill, Zitting Cisticola, Great Reed Warbler Black Headed Gull, Yellow Legged gull Lesser Black backed gull, Black-winged Stilt and Serin.
We then moved further along the coast to Rio Piedras, near Cartaya, we saw Redshanks, Whimbrels, Dunlins, Little Terns, Cormorants, Woodchat and Southern Grey Shrikes and a Squacco Heron. Another shady spot was then found for our second excellent lunch provided one again by John, this was a picnic area of Stone Pines where during lunch we saw Sardinian Warblers, Iberian Magpies and a Booted Eagle flew right over us.
The heat was really up again after lunch but we got a second breath and hit the Salt Pans and Odiel marshes. What an area this turned out to be over the Salt pans we were confused by a number of Pink! Gulls which it turned out were being colored by the salt water. We got Spoon bill, Little Bittern, Little Ringed Plover, Black winged Stilt, Little Egret in the pans and as we entered the marshes we got ever increasing numbers of waders, Black-tailed Godwits Red Shank, , Greenshanks, Ringed, Little-ringed.
We then went out along the Coastal road and onto the man-made causeway (the Espigón) opposite Huelva harbor where John spotted a Great Spotted Cuckoo cross the road in front of us. We stopped just in time to get a decent view of it as it flew out on to the sand dunes. We waited around to see if it would return our way but unfortunately it did not but while waiting we did get our only two Turtle Doves of the trip. Continuing out to the end of the harbor we found a spectacular roost of Gulls, Terns Plovers and Sandpipers, using our scopes we got Audouin's Gull, Yellow Legged Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Black Headed Gull, Sandwich Tern, Black Tern, Whiskered Tern, Little Tern, Curlew Sandpiper, Kentish Plover and Little Ringed Plover. On turning round and heading back to Huelva we got a solitary Ruddy Turnstone and once out on the marshes again a very good view of a male Marsh harrier.
Our final destination of the day was to the Laguna Primera de Palos, what a place this turned out to be right next to a Petro-Chemicals plant here John spotted two Red-knobbed Coots only 40 meters from our vantage point. They were very obliging giving us very good views of there distinctive foreheads. We also got good views of a Purple Swamp-hen, Glossy Ibis and Whiskered Terns.
The final drive back to the camp site at El Rocio and chance to get a pair of Collared Pranticol, and a few more little Egret and White Stork.
What can I say yet another superb day! Peter totted up our list at 156 species for the two days, of which over 50% were lifers.
In Peter’s words ‘This has been the best Holiday Ever’.
Would we come again? Certainly, John reckons the best times to visit are autumn and spring when the migration is on and any thing can crop up. Winter on the Mashes is also very good with huge numbers of waders and duck including Spanish White and Marbled being commonly seen.
Each days tour started at 8:45 am and we did not get back to base until 6:0pm each evening. We covered an extensive area of the Donana National Park with regular stops at key birding points.
Anyway what did we see; well in all we got about 150 ticks over the two days which given that it is the height of summer with an 18 month drought was exceptional.
Day 1 Donana – Savilia Region
El Rocio to Villamanrique
Started well with Peter spotting a Golden Orial flying over we stopped and had a good look round WoW we got Hoopoe (4) Sardinian Warbler Azure winged Magpie, Woodchat Shrike, Crested Lark. In Villamanriuqe we got good views of Storks Nesting on mass and a flock of Spotless Starling.
Moving on towards Dehesa de Pilas John stopped the van and within seconds had found us two family groups of Pin Tailed Sand Grouse and I got my first ever Male Montagu's Harrier also seen were Bee-eaters, Black Kites, a Short-toed Eagle, Grey Herons and Cattle.
Next stop were the rice fields of the Cortijo de Madrigales, having been a fan of Sammy up at Tichwell we were amazed to see and hear! hundreds of Black Winged Stilt, John stopped the van by the only Green bush for about two miles and it was full of Black-Crowned Night Herons we moved up the rosd a bit to a small water pumping station and were once more amazed by the views of Gull-billed Tern, Litle Egret and Purple Heron, Spoonbill and a distant Osprey.
About 11:30 and we were up to about 40 species! We crossed the Puente de Vaqueros and drove along the eastern side of the Entremuros. Not too many birds to be found, due to the very dry conditions, but 7 more Montagu's Harriers, Green Sandpiper, Kestrel and large groups of Bee Eater.
Last stop before an excellent lunch provided by John was at the The next local were the "reedbeds” of the Entremuros, We got a Little Bittern that took flight from deep in the reeds and crossed our path, in total we saw 4 plus Purple Swamp-hen, a Great White Egret, Squacco Heron, Glossy Ibis, Black-winged Stilt, Collared Pratincole, Whiskered Tern, Common Sandpiper, Little-Ringed and Kentish Plovers, Reed and Great Reed Warbler, 2 Little Owls, a Southern Grey Shrike and an obliging Common Waxbill. Lunch time in the shade of Eucalyptus trees brought us a large flock of Bee-Eaters once more as well as a colony of Spanish Sparrow.
By 2:00 pm the temperature must have been hitting 40C and we noticed a drop off in bird life but we still managed to work our way through Brazo del Este area were we saw many of the same species we had seen earlier in the day as well as a large nesting colony of Whiskered Tern which in true Tern fashion got really cranky when you got too close. On open water we also got Great Crested and Litle Grebes andCommon Pochard in the reeds again we got more firsts for me Zitting Cisticola and Penduline Tit as well as Common Buzzard, Lapwing, Goldfinch, Coot and Moorhen. By the time we got back we had got a list of 70 species.
Day 2 Huelva’s coastal regions
I really did not think Bird watching was supposed to make you ache but I could hardly hold my bins first thing in the morning.
Any way from El Rocio we headed towards the ancient Castle at Niebla for views of the Lesser Kestrals that nest in the walls. On the way we stopped just past El Rocinio where John had found nesting Red Rumped Swallow earlier in the spring, We got them now a small family group of 5, Red Legged Partridge was spotted by Peter as were more Montagu's Harriers, Barn Swallow, Sand and House Martin, Pallid Swift, Hoopoe, Bee_Eater, Buzzard and Common Kestral, Raven, White Stork and my Bird of the morning a short Toed Eagle that was sitting on top of a pylon we managed to drive within a couple of hundred yards of it before it took off and gave us good views in flight.
At the Castle we got great views of two Lesser Kestrals on of which was only about 5 meters away unfortunately the majority of the family groups had dispersed into the country side. Niebla was very quiet being a Sunday morning and all that could be heard were Common and Pallid Swift as they flew the early morning thermals over the town.
From Niebla we moved on to the Coastal Port of Huelva seeing Montagu’s Harrier and Black Kite and hundreds of white Stork nesting along the electrical pylons as we drove along the A49.
We stopped at the Laguna El Portil here we got Mallard, Gadwall, Pochard, Coot, Moorhen, Kingfisher, little and Cattle Egret, Egyption Goose, Hoopoe, Common Waxbill, Zitting Cisticola, Great Reed Warbler Black Headed Gull, Yellow Legged gull Lesser Black backed gull, Black-winged Stilt and Serin.
We then moved further along the coast to Rio Piedras, near Cartaya, we saw Redshanks, Whimbrels, Dunlins, Little Terns, Cormorants, Woodchat and Southern Grey Shrikes and a Squacco Heron. Another shady spot was then found for our second excellent lunch provided one again by John, this was a picnic area of Stone Pines where during lunch we saw Sardinian Warblers, Iberian Magpies and a Booted Eagle flew right over us.
The heat was really up again after lunch but we got a second breath and hit the Salt Pans and Odiel marshes. What an area this turned out to be over the Salt pans we were confused by a number of Pink! Gulls which it turned out were being colored by the salt water. We got Spoon bill, Little Bittern, Little Ringed Plover, Black winged Stilt, Little Egret in the pans and as we entered the marshes we got ever increasing numbers of waders, Black-tailed Godwits Red Shank, , Greenshanks, Ringed, Little-ringed.
We then went out along the Coastal road and onto the man-made causeway (the Espigón) opposite Huelva harbor where John spotted a Great Spotted Cuckoo cross the road in front of us. We stopped just in time to get a decent view of it as it flew out on to the sand dunes. We waited around to see if it would return our way but unfortunately it did not but while waiting we did get our only two Turtle Doves of the trip. Continuing out to the end of the harbor we found a spectacular roost of Gulls, Terns Plovers and Sandpipers, using our scopes we got Audouin's Gull, Yellow Legged Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Black Headed Gull, Sandwich Tern, Black Tern, Whiskered Tern, Little Tern, Curlew Sandpiper, Kentish Plover and Little Ringed Plover. On turning round and heading back to Huelva we got a solitary Ruddy Turnstone and once out on the marshes again a very good view of a male Marsh harrier.
Our final destination of the day was to the Laguna Primera de Palos, what a place this turned out to be right next to a Petro-Chemicals plant here John spotted two Red-knobbed Coots only 40 meters from our vantage point. They were very obliging giving us very good views of there distinctive foreheads. We also got good views of a Purple Swamp-hen, Glossy Ibis and Whiskered Terns.
The final drive back to the camp site at El Rocio and chance to get a pair of Collared Pranticol, and a few more little Egret and White Stork.
What can I say yet another superb day! Peter totted up our list at 156 species for the two days, of which over 50% were lifers.
In Peter’s words ‘This has been the best Holiday Ever’.
Would we come again? Certainly, John reckons the best times to visit are autumn and spring when the migration is on and any thing can crop up. Winter on the Mashes is also very good with huge numbers of waders and duck including Spanish White and Marbled being commonly seen.
