Fuerteventura, Tenerife and Santa Pola; 3 months mostly with no car (1 Viewer)

[wolfbirder]

Well a good but hard first day on Fuerteventura…. 2 Houbara Bustards and a cracking Cream- coloured Courser on Tindaya plain over 3 hours this afternoon but bloody hard work! 2 Red- billed Tropicbirds seen well in the scope about 300 metres off shore but was just in right place at the right time, as I didn’t see them again over next hour.

If timing was right there, it was 3 minutes wrong at Calete Fuste where a tropicbird has been visiting the pool behind Centro Commercio Atlantic according to Ebird, though the last time was a few weeks ago. It seems to rest here late afternoon, I arrived bang on 5pm and 2 Spanish lads showed me video down to 20 metres of the same bird that has visited this afternoon for at least an hour after a long hard but productive day, a bit of a sickener! Missing it by 3 minutes. But I shouldn’t moan, I’ve been lucky to see 6 tropicbirds on Fuerteventura now over my 2 visits.

Ferry to Tenerife in the morning, so I can’t go back, but if anyone is on Fuerteventura or fancies a cheap trip via Ryan Air, I think you have a great chance. But I honestly don’t know if it is daily or not.

 

[cheshirebirder]

Well a good but hard first day on Fuerteventura…. 2 Houbara Bustards and a cracking Cream- coloured Courser on Tindaya plain over 3 hours this afternoon but bloody hard work! 2 Red- billed Tropicbirds seen well in the scope about 300 metres off shore but was just in right place at the right time, as I didn’t see them again over next hour.

If timing was right there, it was 3 minutes wrong at Calete Fuste where a tropicbird has been visiting the pool behind Centro Commercio Atlantic according to Ebird, though the last time was a few weeks ago. It seems to rest here late afternoon, I arrived bang on 5pm and 2 Spanish lads showed me video down to 20 metres of the same bird that has visited this afternoon for at least an hour after a long hard but productive day, a bit of a sickener! Missing it by 3 minutes. But I shouldn’t moan, I’ve been lucky to see 6 tropicbirds on Fuerteventura now over my 2 visits.

Ferry to Tenerife in the morning, so I can’t go back, but if anyone is on Fuerteventura or fancies a cheap trip via Ryan Air, I think you have a great chance. But I honestly don’t know if it is daily or not.

Nick , I know the Tindaya plain from previous visits and the tracks you drive to see the bustards etc. Is getting right down to the coast similar or do you need something like a 4x4 ?

 

[wolfbirder]

Nick , I know the Tindaya plain from previous visits and the tracks you drive to see the bustards etc. Is getting right down to the coast similar or do you need something like a 4x4 ?

I did it in a rented Fiat 500, but you must take the right option down to the coast which is a blackish, someone broken, tarmac / asphalt road from Tindaya village to La Huesilla which is 2 houses on googlemaps ( one derelict one habituated) - in fact the last few hundred metres degenerate to a Sandy but driveable track. When I say drivable you must use own discretion.

That takes you to the coast and from la Huesilla I walk right along the coastal path for half a mile. But the seas are very quiet.

Tindaya village is a confusing web of tracks that lead out in all directions out onto Tindaya Plain. If you want to get to the coast from there, study the roads in advance carefully otherwise it’s easy to get lost and miss the appropriate road. Advance careful and thorough planning is everything here.

 

[cheshirebirder]

I did it in a rented Fiat 500, but you must take the right option down to the coast which is a blackish, someone broken, tarmac / asphalt road from Tindaya village to La Huesilla which is 2 houses on googlemaps ( one derelict one habituated) - in fact the last few hundred metres degenerate to a Sandy but driveable track. When I say drivable you must use own discretion.

That takes you to the coast and from la Huesilla I walk right along the coastal path for half a mile. But the seas are very quiet.

Tindaya village is a confusing web of tracks that lead out in all directions out onto Tindaya Plain. If you want to get to the coast from there, study the roads in advance carefully otherwise it’s easy to get lost and miss the appropriate road. Advance careful and thorough planning is everything here.

Thanks,Nick. Not to be done if rain Is likely then ( and it does chuck it down sometimes )

 

[KenM]

I’m at Fuerteventura tomorrow hoping for tropicbirds then ferry to Tenerife for 5 days. Is the SP Plover still present?

Wish you luck with the RBTB Nick!….and I won’t be jealous if you score….😩😩😩😩👍

 

[wolfbirder]

Wish you luck with the RBTB Nick!….and I won’t be jealous if you score….😩😩😩😩👍

I do seem to have luck with this species Ken -.

Lot of hard work though.

 

[wolfbirder]

Thanks,Nick. Not to be done if rain Is likely then ( and it does chuck it down sometimes )

You could just park up where the tarmac ends, but I suppose yes if rain is forecast the sandy track could turn to sludge. But I get the impression that rain is rare here on this part of Fuerteventura.

An alternative way to chance upon the Tropicbirds is to drive out from El Cotillo and park overlooking the magnificent Esquinzo beach which is a surfers paradise. I have seen the tropicbirds from the headland there but they are away to the left and about half a mile away at most, so you’d need a scope.

Between 2-3pm may be the best time. But I can only base that on my several visits.

 

[wolfbirder]

The Red- billed Tropicbird I missed yesterday at Calette de Fuste by 3 minutes was back there very briefly circling twice around the small pool on the seaward side of Central Commercio Atlantic shopping centre this morning at 7.45am, before heading out to sea. Views down to 20 metres.

That’s 3 I have seen this trip, but got 4 on my April 2018 trip.

Waiting for ferry to Tenerife via Grand Canarias. Departs 11am, looks a great day for seawatching but I expect 99% of it to be empty sea.

 

[James Lowther]

You could just park up where the tarmac ends, but I suppose yes if rain is forecast the sandy track could turn to sludge. But I get the impression that rain is rare here on this part of Fuerteventura.

An alternative way to chance upon the Tropicbirds is to drive out from El Cotillo and park overlooking the magnificent Esquinzo beach which is a surfers paradise. I have seen the tropicbirds from the headland there but they are away to the left and about half a mile away at most, so you’d need a scope.

Between 2-3pm may be the best time. But I can only base that on my several visits.

If I recall correctly the (rutted) concrete road ends pretty close to the buildings anyway. Turning at this point was quite tricky though. This is the main road through tindaya that heads past the goat farm towards the “crossroads” mentioned in many trip reports.
James
P.s. it rained when I was there in November! Not enough to aff3ct driving conditions though..

 

[wolfbirder]

Seawatching on the Armos ferry between Fuerteventura (Puerto del Rosario) and Grand Canaria was quiet- just 40 Corys, 40 Gannets, adult LT Skua, Arctic Skua, a few terns and gulls, and a single Swift species (prob Common). At Grand Canaria watched a Barbary Falcon creating havoc amongst the local Feral Pigeons around the docks. Changed to a faster ferry to Tenerife but was too dark sadly.