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| Plains of Extramadura |
After our trip to Senegal on the way home Paul, Bridget, Clare and I started discussing our next trip and it was decided to re visit Extramadura, my previous visit was in 2015.
Paul and Bridget booked their flights from Gatwick, Clare and I from Stansted the flight times suited me better from Stansted.
Wednesday 15th April I drove to Stansted and checked into the Radisson Blue Hotel.
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| Hotel Bar |
After supper I met up with Clare and we checked our bags in at the twilight check-in.
Thursday 16th, at 4.00 am I went to the terminal and went through security without any delays grabbed a coffee and waited for the 6.00 am Ryan Air flight to Madrid. Boarding was swift and we departed more a less on time arriving around 9.30 Madrid time. Paul and Bridgets flight arrived the same time however they were through and collected their bags first, I was held up as there was a problem with my passport and providing finger prints. Eventually we all met up at the Alamo car rental (where I saw my first ever Monk Parakeets) collected our Opel Frontera and headed south west out of Madrid. After about an hour we stopped at a service station purchased a baguette (Bocadillo in Spanish) and continued our journey for another hour stopping at a nature reserve on the outskirts of a town Saucedilla known as Embalse de Arrocampo.
Mid afternoon was probably not the best time of the day to be there but we got a taste of Extramadura birding by seeing numerous Barn and Red-rumped Swallows, Purple Heron, Zitting Cisticolas, Iberian Grey Shrike, Sardinian, Savi's and Cetti's Warblers and White Storks amoung others.
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| Purple Heron |
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| White Stork on electricity pylon |
After an hour or so we continued our journey for another 30 minutes arriving in Trujillo our base for the next 5 nights. Before checking into our hotel we went to the Bull Ring to see the Lesser Kestrels, also Pallid Swifts and Crag Martins which were present all over Trujillo
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| The Bull Ring |
We then made our way to the main square, and checked in to the Eurostars Palacio Santa Marta just off the main square in the centre of town.
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| Palacio Santa Marta |
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| Single bedroom |
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| The en suite |
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View from the room
Covered over swimming pool! Not open until June |
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| Breakfast Room |
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| Inside the hotel |
With a restriction on parking in the square after 8pm, the car was moved to a side street for overnight.
In the evening we met up at 7 pm and went into the Town Square for dinner to find that food wasn't served until 8 but we found a restaurant that served drinks until our order was taken so a couple of beers were had and then dinner. I had the local dish of fried breadcrumbs with egg and chorizo followed by grilled pork steak.
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| Migas - fried breadcrumb with egg |
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| Pork Steak |
Friday 17th Breakfast was served at 7.00 and we set off at 8.00 for the Monfrague National Park choosing today rather than at the weekend when it would be busy. About an hours drive and we parked up at bottom of the track to the Monfague Castle.
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| Track to the castle |
I almost made it to the top but my legs went a bit wobbly and I left the others to it, I meanwhile enjoyed the view and started the decent.
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| The view from almost the top . |
As I walked back I came across a Blue Rock Thrush which I had missed earlier, It gradually worked its way nearer to me finally landing on some wires giving me my best ever view.
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| Blue Rock Thrush |
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| Blue Rock Thrush and Black Redstart |
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| Blue Rock Thrush |
Also seen were several Serins, a Woodchat Shrike, Red-legged Partridges, a Short-toed Treecreeper and on reaching the car park we heard a call that Paul didn't recognise . Merlin identified it as a Western Orphean Warbler eventually we got some views but not long enough for a photo. (A lifer for me)
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| Serin |
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| Woodchat Shrike |
Our next stop was at one of the several view points in the park.
Here we watched the numerous Griffon Vultures and the occasional Black Vulture and an Egyptian Vulture. A Rock Bunting was seen briefly.
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| Griffon Vulture |
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| Griffon Vulture |
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| Griffon Vulture |
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| Griffon Vultures |
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| Griffon and Black Vulture |
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| Black Vulture |
Also seen were a pair of Black Storks, Crag Martins and another Blue Rock Thrush and another Black Redstart.
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| Black Storks |
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| Crag Martin |
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| Black Redstart |
Lunch was had at a bar in the village of Villareal de San Carlos, the afternoon was spent looking from other viewpoints within the park seeing much the same except at one bridge where there were masses of House Martins and a couple of Alpine Swifts.
Returning back to the hotel for a shower we had dinner in Trujillo but at a different restaurant to last night out of the main square.
Saturday 18th, breakfast was not served until 8.00 am as it was the weekend, so we left at 9.00 and went to the plains at La Cumbre. This being the area where we saw both Bustards last time. We managed good but distant views of Great Bustards but the Little ones eluded us. Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Thekla and Calandra Larks, were seen along with a Ring-tailed Montagues Harrier.
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| Calandra Lark |
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| Montague's Harrier |
We headed further west towards Caceres stopping for lunch in the village of El Naranjo where we tried the local delicacy of Pigs Ears (never again) and then onto Embalse de Gaudiloba where we walked the wood below the dam hearing numerous Nightingales, seeing several Iberian Magpies a couple fly over Spotted Cuckoos an Iberian Grey Shrike and a Thekla Lark.
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| Thekla Lark |
By now it was up into the high 20's so we started our way back via a quiet road seeing a few Bee-eaters and a couple of Rollers. A short cut along a dirt road found us a colony of Lesser Kestrels where we had to make a U turn due to the condition of the track. Our last stop was at the bridge over the Rio Almonte where we had a brief view of a Golden Eagle and watched Crag Martins and Red-rumped Swallows feeding and nesting.
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| Nesting Crag Martins |
Back at the hotel in time for a shower, and then dinner in the busy Trujillo square.
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| Trujillo Square at night |
Sunday 19th, Feeling very tired after 3 long days of birding, I decided to dip out today and stay around the town. Paul Bridget and Clare went off to Embalse de Alange for the day. So I had a leisurely breakfast and then walked up to the castle to explore.
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| A view from the castle |
I wandered around and then down a path in the shade of the castle where there were many common birds including Blackbirds, Tits, Green and Goldfinches also Crag Martins, Serins, Spotless Starlings, House and Spanish Sparrows. A Warbler was being very elusive and not singing or calling but I managed a few poor pics to show Paul for identification - his thought more likely to be a Wood Warbler.
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| Crag Martin |
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| Serin |
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| Spotless Starling |
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| Spotless Starling |
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| Mystery Warbler |
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| Mystery Warbler |
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| Mystery Warbler possible Wood Warbler. |
Lunch time I returned to the bar just up the hill from the hotel where it was hard to find a seat in the shade as many locals were having lunch. A beer and then a couple of glasses of wine with a Cheese and Ham Bocadillo was enough to send me back to the hotel for an afternoon nap.
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| Bocadillo |
Late afternoon after my nap I wandered the streets, visited a couple of museums and met up with the others for a pre-shower drink. The evening we walked up the hill to the bar again for a pre-dinner drink before going back into the square for dinner.
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| Up the hill! |
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| The Bar up the hill! |
Monday 20th, Breakfast was back to 7.00 am so we left at 8.00 and headed south to an area I had not been before at Campo Lugar. Our main target here was Little Bustard as they had been reported here recently however despite searching the whole morning we couldn't find any. However we weren't without birds seeing Black-bellied Sand Grouse, White Storks, Black and Griffon Vultures, a pair of Little Owls, Bee-eaters, Hoopoes, Rollers, Calandra Larks, and Lesser Kestrels amoung others.
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| Lesser Kestrel |
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| Roller (the best I could manage) |
For lunch and the rest of the afternoon we headed to Merida, eventually finding some where to park next to the football stadium it was a short walk to the ruins of the Roman Theatre and Amphitheatre. After lunch in a busy restaurant (having had a Spanish Omelette) we entered the site.
The birding highlight here was the Bee-eaters nesting in a sandy bank of an area that has not been excavated yet.
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| Bee-eater nest hole |
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| Bee-eater |
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| Bee-eater |
Also seen around the site were Red-rumped Swallows, Serin, Spotless Starlings and flyover Glossy Ibis and White Stork.
Arriving back at the hotel in time for a shower etc. we planned to try a different restaurant for our final dinner in Trujillo. Being a Monday this and several restaurants in the square were closed so we opted for the same restaurant as last night as the food there was good.
Tuesday 21st With our bags packed and breakfast had, we checked out of the hotel just after 8.00am and headed back to the plains at La Cumbre, our last chance for a Little Bustard. We managed good scope views of 5 Great Bustards and I got a brief view of a Little Bustard in flight at the start of the dirt track. After a while we moved further up the track stopping where there were other birders and Paul got straight on to another Little Bustard which soon after took flight.
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| Little Bustard |
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| Little Bustard in flight |
Also seen were a pair of Black-bellied Sandgrouse and several Calandra Larks
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| Calandra Lark |
Moving on we still had time to stop again at Saucedilla where we saw a Great Spotted Cuckoo in flight, Savi's Warbler, Cetti's Warbler, Clare and Bridget saw a Little Bittern but star of the show was a Purple Swamphen standing at the top of some reeds.
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| Purple Swamphen |
It was a 2 hour drive back to Madrid Airport arriving at 2 pm. A swift hand over of the hire car and Clare and I said our farewells to Paul and Bridget as they headed for their flight to Gatwick from terminal 4. We had plenty of time for something to eat as our flight was at 17.05. Boarding was slow and late taking off but we arrived on time. My bag was one of the first to come off so I was in the car on my way by 7 pm and home at 9 pm
A lovely break with good company and a pleasure to be in just one hotel after Senegal. A big thank you to Paul for spotting the birds. I had two lifers The Monk Parakeets and the Western Orphean Warbler.
