The Canary Islands, Fuerteventura & Tenerife. (1 Viewer)

[Jos Stratford]

Tenerife. 25 December.


Christmas Day ... a gloomy start to the morning, cloud hanging low, yuk!

Fortunately the rain had let up, so back to the Las Grimonas viewpoint I went, hopefully a Laurel Pigeon left by Santa. Paced up and down the road for about half an hour, scanned every tree for my present, but all seemed in avail. Plenty of Rock Doves, a Canary Island Chiffchaff giving a half-decent attempt at Christmas carols, but as for my doves of desire, nothing.

Some German birders arrived, took a two-minute look, then departed. Dampness oozed from the trees, slopes even higher were just murk. I began to wander back towards my car, a coffee back at the accommodation seeming a good idea. A final quick scan. 'Hmm, what's that?' A partly concealed blob on a branch! A most pigeon-like blob. And then the blob shuffled along the branch into full view ...a pale tail emerged and there sat my Laurel Pigeon! I put the scope on the bird, quite a neat thing for a pigeon, yellow and pink bill, red eye, prominent whitish end to the tail. And as I studied the bird, in flew another and sat by it.


Adjacent to the road, in a bank of vegetation including Prickly Pear, a Barbary Partridge flushed with a surprise. Ah, almost poetic...

On the second day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
Two Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree​

Naturally, Laurel Pigeons are so much more preferable to Turtle Doves! What a nice way to spend Christmas morning. With that I departed, time for coffee.


Being a bit of a wuss when it comes to rain, the obvious direction to travel for the remainder of the day was up, directly up. Towering behind Orotina, and vanishing into the thick cloud, were the slopes of Pico del Teide, the vast volcano that rises to 3700 metres. At the higher altitudes, the slopes bedecked in pine forest and then ultimately turning into a wild moonscape, it would almost certainly be above the cloud, a sunny day thus ensured. Not only that, but the forests are also home to the endemic Blue Chaffinch, the number one bird for me on Tenerife.

Off we went, up a serpentine road into the cloud ...and as we went up, so went the temperature down! 16 C in Orotina, 10 C at the base of the cloud, a mere 2 C as we hit 2000 metres! And then like a miracle, we emerged above the cloud, bright blue skies above, a sea of cloud below. Splendid.

After an amble through the stunning crater zone, the only birds noted being Berthelot's Pipits, we made for the Las Layas picnic area, a pleasantly attractive area in an area of open pine on the southern slopes. Almost immediately, flocks of Atlantic Canaries feeding around the picnic tables and the first Blue Chaffinches sitting in adjacent pines. New birds both, and what smart birds they are, especially the Blue Chaffinches. After wandering around for a while, adding the endemic race of Great Spotted Woodpecker and several African Blue Tits, I then settled down by one of the taps in the picnic site. Whilst provided for visiting tourists, they are also excellent for getting good views of all the resident birds, a steady procession of Blue Chaffinches popping in to drink, occasional other species too.

After another little walk, adding only Tenerfie Kinglet, we then went back up to the crater for coffee in a small cafe, the stay slightly extended due to very photogenic Berthelot's Pipits just adjacent. From there, we headed towards the west, a stop in the Chio picnic area resulting in even higher numbers of Blue Chaffinches.

Seeing that the clouds were clearing lower down, we then descended to have a quick look at the Erjos area, a region known for its laurel forests. Not very impressive on our visit however, the entire valley in the immediate vicinity of the pools had been burnt out in bush fires during the summer and essentially there were no trees visible! Had a quick look at the pools themselves, the grand sum of birds being three Teal, six Coots and two Moorhens, then decided to head back to Orotina, a mean chilly wind beginning to whip through the valleys.

Christmas Day over, Laural Pigeon, Blue Chaffinch and Atlantic Canary all new species for me, Santa was kind.

 

[Jos Stratford]

Christmas gifts...

 

[MarkHows]

Looking like a very tempting destination from your report

Mark

 

[foresttwitcher]

Yup, they do, don't they ? Seems to be often reported, wonder if this is distinctive enough to be a (sub-)specific feature ?

I've seen Madeira Firecrest doing the same Treecreeper 'thing' but also seeming to fill other feeding niches such as picking items off leaves as Goldcrest plus flycatching type sorties & even poking through leaf-litter on the ground.

 

[Phil Andrews]

Looking to spend some time in Fueteventura in late Feb so the above has been a great help :t:

 

[Barred Wobbler]

Hi Jos.

Bad news about Erjos.

I'm off to Tenerife on Friday and I had high hopes for the ponds after my visit in 2010.

Regarding Fuerteventura chats. I had them on territory around the parking area next to the dam at Los Molinos in early 2011 and again in 2012.

I find the Fimapaire valley east of La Oliva particularly good for them, especially at the first corner on the right next to the smallholding where the track forks and also along the track to the left that runs right down to the FV2 main road (if they've repaired the washout that was preventing a clear run for the past two years). This track is also great for trumpeter finch and at its eastern end cream-coloured courser and stone curlew.

Los Molinos was also host to good numbers of black-bellied sandgrouse last year - a good-sized flock was flying up from the spur valley on the other side of the reservoir. Some of the flock are in the photo below. I saw them on a couple of visits.

Winter's almost hopeless for shearwaters. The Corys are just getting back from the south Atlantic in January, but by late February/ early March they are there in good numbers.

I say hopeless, but that's relative. In 2010 (January) I had little shearwater from my Tenerife hotel room on two consecutive mornings and last year (February) at Caleta de Fuste on Fuerte I was scanning the almost empty sea from the apartment while my wife was getting ready for dinner and after a distant gannet and a single Cory's passed a shearwater at middle distance came into view and spent the next three minutes astounding me. Fea's Petrel.

 

[Jos Stratford]

Bad news about Erjos.

Apparently, if you walk into the next valley or something (according to another Bird Forum thread), the forests are not affected.

However, certainly the pool area is now basically barren slopes - albeit fairly green barren slopes! Lots of grass, etc growing after recent rain.

 

[Jos Stratford]

Tenerife. 26 December.


Only really one thing left to do, try to get better views of the Bolle's Pigeons. So it was, early morning back to the forested slopes of Les Mercedes. I travelled via Tejne ponds, the detour merely adding a few Moorhens and Coots, plus a single Common Sandpiper, Ringed Plover and Snipe.

At Les Mercedes, the first stop was again the El Llano de los Viejos picnic area, Chaffinches and African Blue Tits immediately found, plus a Tenerife Kinglet again working a mossy trunk in the fashion of a Treecreeper. A long walk resulted in exactly the same views of Bolle's Pigeon as on the first visit - a single flying up through the canopy, then sitting in deep foliage. Hmm, had to be an easier way, I thought.

Returning to the car, I drove up to the viewpoint at Mirador Pico dos Ingles. This seemed a much better option, a vista over a vast area of canopy, dead trees protruding to give ample perching sites for wayward pigeons. And it took all of ten mintes to locate one, a Bolle's Pigeon sitting out in the morning sun midway down the slope. Fifteen minutes of watching and off it flew, across the canopy and into a valley beyond. Unseen till that moment, a second bird followed just behind.

With success on Bolle's Pigeons, so I had seen all the birds that were on my target list for the Canary islands. To celebrate, I popped into a McDonald's just outside Santa Cruz, then headed to the south of the island to see if I could find any of the established exotics that breed on Tenerife. Had a quick look round Amarillo and Del Sur golf courses, the highlights being six Spoonbills on a pool just north of the former, then popped into the busy resort town of Los Galletas. Just inland of the coast, the Ten Bel area is an unlikely looking destination for the birder - a fairly rundown playground behind a shopping complex! Its saving grace is the abundance of palms and other greenery ...and it is in these that various parrots can often be found. A lot of squawking emanating from the palms as I got out of the car! It did not take long the culprits - a whole flock of Monk Parakeets feeding on the dates, a few Ring-necked Parakeets zooming over for good measure. Both long-established in the Canaries, these species are very much to be expected in this area, but the next is rather harder to find - in an adjacent tree, a Senegal Parrot also peered down! This latter parrot also breeds, but the population is currently fairly low I believe.

With my fill of exotics and the south of the island, far less attractive than the north, we then headed back for Orotina, a 'short cut' taking right over the top of Teite for more stunning views of the volcano.

 

[Barred Wobbler]

Apparently, if you walk into the next valley or something (according to another Bird Forum thread), the forests are not affected.

However, certainly the pool area is now basically barren slopes - albeit fairly green barren slopes! Lots of grass, etc growing after recent rain.

I was hoping to stake out the pools in the hope of getting shots of pigeons coming in to drink. I found a dripping tap next to the entrance track last time I was there and got close photos of passerines, chiffchaff, chaffinch, etc (also a couple of barbary partidge standing on the stone wall), and it wasn't until I got back to the UK that I found out that the pools were a known watering spot for the pigeons.

I saw both pigeons last time, but no pics. I was hoping for better this trip. Might not happen.

 

[dandsblair]

Hadn't really considered the Canaries but certainly looks worth at least a weeks trip

 

[temmie]

I still consider the Canaries as one of the worst birding destinations. Hardly any species and you have seen all in 1-2 days. But it is about the cheapest option to have perfect weather in mid-winter Europe, so I have been there a couple of times and will most likely return ;-)

 

[Jos Stratford]

I still consider the Canaries as one of the worst birding destinations. Hardly any species and you have seen all in 1-2 days.

For a well-travelled birder who has never been there, there is however probably no other place in Europe that would get ten new species in a single week

In fact, despite reasonably extensive travels, I think the last new species in Europe for me was about three years ago (and thinking about it, some of my more exotic trips of late have been less productive if measured purely in terms of new species - for example, a month in South Africa got me about five new species, a month in Iran just two!).

But agreed, all can be seen in a couple of days on each island - hence my plan to spend only three days on Fuerteventura and similar on Tenerife, before departing for mainland Spain.

 

[davercox]

For a well-travelled birder who has never been there, there is however probably no other place in Europe that would get ten new species in a single week

Hm, but are the Canaries in Europe though ?
I know politically they're part of Spain, but so are Ceuta and Melilla ...

 

[dantheman]

I still consider the Canaries as one of the worst birding destinations. Hardly any species and you have seen all in 1-2 days. But it is about the cheapest option to have perfect weather in mid-winter Europe, so I have been there a couple of times and will most likely return ;-)

Obviously it's not that bad if you keep going back? ...

Actually it's great from the perspective that if you've seen the endemics/main specialities you can just bird - there's plenty of subspecies to get if you so desire (eg the Sparrowhawk/Woodcock etc, apart from the all races of Tit etc), and plenty of potential to discover overwintering yank vagrants/early migrants etc.

Cracking place (although agree the south of Teneriffe, for example, sadly not as good as once was, still potential though).

 

[Jos Stratford]

Hm, but are the Canaries in Europe though ?
I know politically they're part of Spain, but so are Ceuta and Melilla ...

Okay, Western Palearctic No other place in the WP that would get me that number either :t:

 

[dantheman]

And nice report Jos.

(Looks like there haven't been too many posted from this location recently).

Whether it's Europe or not, it's definitely Western Palearctic ...

 

[jurek]

Okay, Western Palearctic No other place in the WP that would get me that number either :t:

Not even Mauritania or Ahaggar in S Algeria? Real potential for new WP species!

(Let's see if I can make Jos travel there )

 

[Jos Stratford]

Tenerife. 27 December.

Final day on the canaries, and a most pleasant one at that. After a brief stop at the La Grimonas viewpoint, again spotting a Laurel Pigeon, my destination for this morning was Punta de Teno, a stunning rocky peninsula on the island's far north-west. Just beyond Buenavista, there are very prominent signs in several languages warning that the road is closed - massive signs in fact, situated every ten metres or so. The Tenerife authorities believe the risk of rock fall is large and the signs are effectively to deflect legal responsibility, but the road does remain open. And stunning it is, calved into precipitous rockface, complete with tunnels and magnificent views, plus a very nice Barbary Falcon soaring over the road just adjacent to the tunnel. At the road's end, a semi-arid plain extends couple of kilometres to a lighthouse, a world of prickly pear cactus, stony flats and small plots of low intensity agriculture.

In this most picturesque of landscapes, not bad birding too - in an hour or so of wanderings, quite a few Barbary Partridge, numerous Corn Buntings, several Spectacled Warblers, a small flock of Rock Sparrows and six Lesser Short-toed Larks too. Also numerous Atlantic Canaries, a Canary Island Chiffchaff and assorted other birds, such as Linnet and Blackbird.

Time however was marching on, I had a late afternoon flight to catch fromthe south of Tenerife, so then took the small TF-436 road that winds over the Teno Mountains via the village of Masca. Surely one of the most dramatic roads on the Canaries, this was a most pleasant drive to finish the trip off, even though it added only a Sardinian Warbler to the trip list, plus a very approachable Raven.

Final port of call was a return to Las Galletas, only found Ring-necked Parakeets on this visit, so instead went down to the seafront for a coffee on the prominade to pass the last hour or so.

At 4.30 p.m., we lifted off, farewell to the Canaries, a total of just 78 species seen, but ten new species in that total, including all the endemics and semi-endemics. Three hours later we landed in Barcelona, ready for the next leg of the trip.

 

[Jos Stratford]

Last day snaps, first Raven picture taken with a 50 mm lens :t:

 

[MKinHK]

It takes an unusual person to be more sanguine about rockfall than rainfall!

Perhaps I should get out more, but Jos's unidentified mystery companions always remind me of Gerald Durrell's childhood tutor - Richard Krafelsky who enriched lessons with accounts of stirring adventures, which always occurred in the company of "a lady", who likewise, always remained unidentified.

Given the amount of food, hotels, hire cars and (rockfall zones aside) general lack of borderline certifiable risk-taking on this trip, my money's on Jos being a dutiful grandson, accompanying his granny for some winter sunshine - to the only place in Europe with ten unticked endemics on offer!

Another fine report Jos

Cheers
Mike