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Vacational Trip Reports
Land of the Iberian Lynx, Andalusia.
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<blockquote data-quote="Jos Stratford" data-source="post: 1853528" data-attributes="member: 12449"><p><strong><u>19 May. Coto Donana.</u></strong></p><p></p><p>Dawn on the final day of this trip, the wilds of Coto Donana. The wilds however more resembled the ‘Wild West‘ - the village of El Rocío buzzing with horsemen galloping through sandy streets and horse-drawn carts by the hundred clogging lanes and byways! Quite unknown to me, it was the annual gathering of the El Rocío Pilgrimage, throngs of persons and horse descending in colourful rampage.</p><p></p><p>Fortunately, just down the road, the delightful El Acebuche offered more to my appeal - the visitor centre of the mighty Coto Donana National Park, a destination that really should be on every Spanish itinerary. <strong>Azure-winged Magpies </strong>and <strong>Tree Sparrows </strong>jostled in the car park, <strong>White Storks </strong>and <strong>Spotless Starlings</strong> nested around the reserve centre. Still only 7.00 a.m., but temperatures were already 25 C, the day was going to be a real scorcher! Trails forked out, branching along a meander of a lost river, reeded pools and islands, then beyond to open heath and scrub. <strong>Nightingales</strong> belting out song, <strong>Golden Orioles </strong>adding melody, all was looking good. Relatively little on the pools - several <strong>Glossy Ibis </strong>paddling the shallows, <strong>Red-crested Pochards</strong> further out, a <strong>Little Bittern </strong>winging over the reeds, rather more birds in the woodland and heath - <strong>Short-toed Treecreepers</strong> and <strong>Serins </strong>in the pines, <strong>Hoopoes</strong> and <strong>Bee-eaters </strong>in more open areas and a bevy of little extras as the open heath approached - a <strong>Spectacled Warbler</strong> the highlight, <strong>Woodchat Shrikes</strong> and a <strong>Southern Grey Shrike</strong> also noted. As the sun continued to climb, raptors began to take to the air - amongst <strong>Black Kites</strong>, the first <strong>Red Kite </strong>of the day, plus a <strong>Booted Eagle</strong> and <strong>Short-toed Eagle</strong>. Reptiles also appearing - <strong>Moorish Geckos</strong> sunning on the side of hides, several <strong>Spiny-footed Lizard </strong>on the heath and, in the pools, <strong>Spanish Terrapins</strong>.</p><p></p><p>Nice as all this was, it was hardly the deeming masses of birds that Coto Donana is famed for, heron numbers a mere few <strong>Grey Herons </strong>and occasional passing <strong>Cattle Egret</strong>! I decided to seek out richer pickings, somewhere deeper in the Donana. With much of the reserve restricted access, the best hope seemed to lay a little further to the east - Jose Antonio Valverde Centre. Bumpy dirt roads is a bit of an understatement, the route to this excellent sector of Coto Donana was certainly a bone-shaker, the track at times having pot holes in the pot holes! In between crunching the bottom of the car and hitting the roof, a few most welcome avian distractions - a flock of 180 <strong>Black Kites</strong> on the ground, two more <strong>Red Kites</strong>, a number of <strong>Short-toed Eagles </strong>and, many kilometres later, as the Jose Antonio Valverde Centre finally began to appear on the horizon, increasing numbers of <strong>Black-winged Stilts </strong>and<strong> Avocets </strong>on roadside pools, plus an ever-increasing stream of <strong>Glossy Ibises</strong> heading towards the centre. Brushing dust from everywhere, the temperature now a staggering 36 C, we arrived ..and the centre was closed, a sign helpfully apologising, stating the El Rocío Pilgrimage as reason for the inconvenience! Having endured the track out, I was not to be deterred - popped over the closed gate and had a quick spy o the colony from the blinds adjacent to the centre. Pretty amazing colony, adorning bushes in all directions, draped over pools, hundreds and hundreds of <strong>Glossy Ibises</strong> on nests, stacks of <strong>Cattle Egrets</strong> and many dozen <strong>Night Herons</strong>, <strong>Purple Herons</strong> and assorted extras, including <strong>Spoonbills</strong> and a couple of pairs of <strong>Squacco Herons</strong>. A feast for the eyes, the centre’s tea shop unfortunately also closed, so not or the palate.</p><p></p><p>Retreating to the car, I then moved a couple of hundred metres further to the west, the road crossing an extensive area of marshland and shallow flooded meadow. Brimming with birds, <strong>Glossy Ibises</strong> feeding galore, birds back and fro from the colony non-stop. Also all the other herons and egrets,<strong> Night Herons </strong>especially still very active despite the heat. <strong>Whiskered Terns</strong> hawked, occasional <strong>Gull-billed Terns</strong> also flying by, plus <strong>Little Grebes, Coots </strong>and <strong>Moorhens</strong>. A little distant, a passing <strong>Marsh Harrier</strong> flushed a flock of waders - <strong>Ringed Plovers</strong> and <strong>Dunlins</strong>, a few <strong>Avocet</strong>, but beyond them rose another mega flock of Colla<strong>red Pratincoles</strong>, perhaps 450 in all, an impressive sight as they hawked in unison. Spent a good couple of hours here, simply enjoying the spectacle and the sun, a glorious combination.</p><p></p><p>Eventually, mid-afternoon, thoughts began to turn to the end of the trip, it was time to turn tail and head for Malaga, our flight out of Spain scheduled for late evening. Time to pop into a small reserve on the way back, a colony of 300 or so <strong>White Storks</strong> scattered across a hillside of olive trees, then a race back across Andalusia to drop into Malaga for early evening - squeezed in a quick visit to the Rio Guadalhorce reserve near the airport, adding several more <strong>White-headed Ducks</strong>, plus <strong>Bee-eaters</strong> and, a touch of exotica, a half dozen <strong>Monk Parakeets</strong>.</p><p></p><p>Went to the airport, checked in, trip over …or so I thought!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Jos Stratford, post: 1853528, member: 12449"] [B][U]19 May. Coto Donana.[/U][/B] Dawn on the final day of this trip, the wilds of Coto Donana. The wilds however more resembled the ‘Wild West‘ - the village of El Rocío buzzing with horsemen galloping through sandy streets and horse-drawn carts by the hundred clogging lanes and byways! Quite unknown to me, it was the annual gathering of the El Rocío Pilgrimage, throngs of persons and horse descending in colourful rampage. Fortunately, just down the road, the delightful El Acebuche offered more to my appeal - the visitor centre of the mighty Coto Donana National Park, a destination that really should be on every Spanish itinerary. [B]Azure-winged Magpies [/B]and [B]Tree Sparrows [/B]jostled in the car park, [B]White Storks [/B]and [B]Spotless Starlings[/B] nested around the reserve centre. Still only 7.00 a.m., but temperatures were already 25 C, the day was going to be a real scorcher! Trails forked out, branching along a meander of a lost river, reeded pools and islands, then beyond to open heath and scrub. [B]Nightingales[/B] belting out song, [B]Golden Orioles [/B]adding melody, all was looking good. Relatively little on the pools - several [B]Glossy Ibis [/B]paddling the shallows, [B]Red-crested Pochards[/B] further out, a [B]Little Bittern [/B]winging over the reeds, rather more birds in the woodland and heath - [B]Short-toed Treecreepers[/B] and [B]Serins [/B]in the pines, [B]Hoopoes[/B] and [B]Bee-eaters [/B]in more open areas and a bevy of little extras as the open heath approached - a [B]Spectacled Warbler[/B] the highlight, [B]Woodchat Shrikes[/B] and a [B]Southern Grey Shrike[/B] also noted. As the sun continued to climb, raptors began to take to the air - amongst [B]Black Kites[/B], the first [B]Red Kite [/B]of the day, plus a [B]Booted Eagle[/B] and [B]Short-toed Eagle[/B]. Reptiles also appearing - [B]Moorish Geckos[/B] sunning on the side of hides, several [B]Spiny-footed Lizard [/B]on the heath and, in the pools, [B]Spanish Terrapins[/B]. Nice as all this was, it was hardly the deeming masses of birds that Coto Donana is famed for, heron numbers a mere few [B]Grey Herons [/B]and occasional passing [B]Cattle Egret[/B]! I decided to seek out richer pickings, somewhere deeper in the Donana. With much of the reserve restricted access, the best hope seemed to lay a little further to the east - Jose Antonio Valverde Centre. Bumpy dirt roads is a bit of an understatement, the route to this excellent sector of Coto Donana was certainly a bone-shaker, the track at times having pot holes in the pot holes! In between crunching the bottom of the car and hitting the roof, a few most welcome avian distractions - a flock of 180 [B]Black Kites[/B] on the ground, two more [B]Red Kites[/B], a number of [B]Short-toed Eagles [/B]and, many kilometres later, as the Jose Antonio Valverde Centre finally began to appear on the horizon, increasing numbers of [B]Black-winged Stilts [/B]and[B] Avocets [/B]on roadside pools, plus an ever-increasing stream of [B]Glossy Ibises[/B] heading towards the centre. Brushing dust from everywhere, the temperature now a staggering 36 C, we arrived ..and the centre was closed, a sign helpfully apologising, stating the El Rocío Pilgrimage as reason for the inconvenience! Having endured the track out, I was not to be deterred - popped over the closed gate and had a quick spy o the colony from the blinds adjacent to the centre. Pretty amazing colony, adorning bushes in all directions, draped over pools, hundreds and hundreds of [B]Glossy Ibises[/B] on nests, stacks of [B]Cattle Egrets[/B] and many dozen [B]Night Herons[/B], [B]Purple Herons[/B] and assorted extras, including [B]Spoonbills[/B] and a couple of pairs of [B]Squacco Herons[/B]. A feast for the eyes, the centre’s tea shop unfortunately also closed, so not or the palate. Retreating to the car, I then moved a couple of hundred metres further to the west, the road crossing an extensive area of marshland and shallow flooded meadow. Brimming with birds, [B]Glossy Ibises[/B] feeding galore, birds back and fro from the colony non-stop. Also all the other herons and egrets,[B] Night Herons [/B]especially still very active despite the heat. [B]Whiskered Terns[/B] hawked, occasional [B]Gull-billed Terns[/B] also flying by, plus [B]Little Grebes, Coots [/B]and [B]Moorhens[/B]. A little distant, a passing [B]Marsh Harrier[/B] flushed a flock of waders - [B]Ringed Plovers[/B] and [B]Dunlins[/B], a few [B]Avocet[/B], but beyond them rose another mega flock of Colla[B]red Pratincoles[/B], perhaps 450 in all, an impressive sight as they hawked in unison. Spent a good couple of hours here, simply enjoying the spectacle and the sun, a glorious combination. Eventually, mid-afternoon, thoughts began to turn to the end of the trip, it was time to turn tail and head for Malaga, our flight out of Spain scheduled for late evening. Time to pop into a small reserve on the way back, a colony of 300 or so [B]White Storks[/B] scattered across a hillside of olive trees, then a race back across Andalusia to drop into Malaga for early evening - squeezed in a quick visit to the Rio Guadalhorce reserve near the airport, adding several more [B]White-headed Ducks[/B], plus [B]Bee-eaters[/B] and, a touch of exotica, a half dozen [B]Monk Parakeets[/B]. Went to the airport, checked in, trip over …or so I thought! [/QUOTE]
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