Exploring Fuerteventura And More

It was very windy today, limiting my birding to topping up the feeders at Out Rawcliffe where despite the strong gusts I found a number of birds close to my ringing spot: 32 Goldfinch, 60+ Chaffinch and 8 Reed Buntings being a good sign that birds are coming back after my absence. Also about the site were 800 Woodpigeon, 350 Lapwing and at least 2500 Pink-footed Goose. I left the geese in peace, not wanting to put them to flight into the path of shooters on the next farm. On my way off the farm one of the local Kestrels hung into the wind above the track, living up to its old English name of Windhover.

 Common Kestrel

Common Kestrel

In the absence of more local news and to fill out today’s post I put together more images from the recent holiday in the Canary Islands, Spain.

Although holding a certain attraction, the beaches of Fuerteventura weren’t the sole interest in our recent holiday. A hire car for a few days gave a chance to explore the island although at approximately 650 square miles there’s a lot of ground to cover, and a pure white car isn’t the best colour for approaching cautious birds.

Remember to "Click the pics" for a close-up tour of the birds and the island.

Exploring Fuerteventura

Over the Plains Fuerteventura

The plains above Costa Calma and La Pared hold Houbara Bustards, Cream-coloured Coursers and Stone Curlew, but in a couple of tries we didn’t have much luck apart from 3 distant Stone Curlew and brief views of a running Courser. 

Cream-coloured Courser

There were lots of Lesser Short-toed Larks on the dry, open plains with small gangs of Linnets and occasional Southern Grey Shrikes. The Linnets are very unapproachable, as are the Goldfinches that can be glimpsed in greener parts of the island. 

Linnet

Southern Grey Shrike

Lesser Short-toed Lark

We journeyed through the centre of the island through the village of Betancuria and on to the highest parts of the island at 600 meters, giving a spectacular outlook on the landscape below and distant views of an Egyptian Vulture. This species is apparently now rare on the island as they are elsewhere in its range and we had just two sightings of the vulture in two weeks. 

Egyptian Vulture

Exploring Fuerteventura

Exploring Fuerteventura

A walk exploring the outskirts and the village of Betancuria provided Sardinian Warbler, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Kestrel, African Blue Tit, Spectacled Warbler and Trumpeter Finch. The latter three were all new birds for me with the wary Trumpeter Finch a particular favourite, due to its slightly comical appearance. 

Betancuria - Fuerteventura

Betancuria - Fuereventura

Trumpeter Finch

Trumpeter Finch

A few Spectacled Warblers were in song, and I guess the breeding season is quite early in these parts. 

Spectacled Warbler

The so named Canary Islands Stonechat is actually found on Fuerteventura only where it is said to be best found in the dried up river beds, the barrancos, dotted around the island. I found them in a couple of locations where houses ran down to the beach, one time finding one feeding on the tide wrack with Berthelot’s Pipits, until I disturbed it whereupon it flew chat-like to the nearby fence. To me they appeared much like a very dark-headed Whinchat rather than a Stonechat. 

Berthelot's Pipit

Berthelot's Pipit

Berthelot's Pipit

Canary Islands Stonechat - By Frank Vassen [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

 

Exploring Fuerteventura

More from Fuerteventura soon, and hopefully a little local birding and ringing too.

On The Beach Fuerteventura

Another Bird Blog is doing its best to get back to normal with a visit to the feeding station in the hope of a spot of ringing soon. The usual birds were around the site including 2 Kestrels, 14 Corn Bunting, 1 Little Owl and 50+ Tree Sparrows, but after my absense for 2 weeks and little topping up of the feeders, there wasn't too much activity around them. Nonetheless, 10+ Reed Bunting, 6/8 Goldfinch, 10+ Chaffinch bodes well for later in the week when the wind eventually subsides.

No such problems with the weather in Fuerteventura where the light for photography was often perfect, so for today’s post there are images from the recent holiday of 12th-26th January. 

Beach walks proved a good way to work off breakfast and although birds were fairly scarce in the face of processions of tourists exercising their often flaccid limbs, there was always something to marvel at. Read on and remember to "click the pics" for a close encounter.

On The Beach Fuereventura

Costa Calma is a large bay approximately 1.5 km long. Southwards it is possible to walk along the beach to Morro Jable for approximately 21 km. The stretch of beach from Costa Calm and then south to Jandia is reckoned to be amongst the most beautiful in the world, with large swathes of pristine sand exposed at times of low tide where just the occasional black rocks extend into the beach. It’s at such locations that you realise how the scurrying Sanderling probably obtained its name with the often employed “clockwork toy” description springing to mind. Kentish Plovers could usually be found running across the sand, with dozens of Sandwich Terns loitering on the distant tideline or feeding offshore where a Gannet or two might also be seen. 

Sanderling

On The Beach Fuerteventura

Kentish Plover

Sandwich Tern

 Sandwich Tern

The retreating tides leave pools of clear salt water where the occasional fish and smaller items are left behind for the scavengers and opportunists, mainly herons and egrets. Being accustomed to passing tourists the birds aren’t too concerned when people stop for snapshots, and if someone gets a little close the birds just fly a few yards out of harm’s way. 

Little Egret

Little Egret

Little Egret

Little Egret

Little Egret

Little Egret

Little Egret

Little Egret

The perfect sand beaches are not the result of sand being blown across from the Sahara Desert (as some Guidebooks claim) but are in fact composed of broken shells and other remains from marine organisms. Fuerteventura can get very windy, though normally it is possible to find a sheltered beach somewhere along the east coast 

On The Beach Fuerteventura

Grey Herons aren’t too common, with just occasional birds seen. 

Grey Heron

Grey Heron

There’s a word of warning to the squeamish and to bird watchers carrying binoculars and cameras. Nude sunbathing is very popular on Fuerteventura, some might even say legendary, so if those Sanderlings are running along under people’s feet, take care where you point the camera and that any blowing sand doesn’t stick to moving parts. 

Sanderling

On The Beach Fuerteventura

More bare facts and related bird news from Another Bird Blog fairly soon. Today we are linking with Stewart in Australia who knows a thing or two about sandy beaches.

Where Did Two Weeks Go?

Back home after 14 days in the unbroken sun of Fuerteventura, and it’s a large bag of dirty washing for Sue and 800 images on the SD card for me. Yes, it’s a tedious, thankless task, but someone has to show willing so as to keep Another Bird Blog updated. Many thanks to all those who logged in during the holiday, I will be visiting you all soon to return the complement and catch up with your blogs, and in the next few days my priority is also to catch up with friends and family. 

After a check of the many images from the last two weeks I lumped together a quick post by way of an introduction to Fuerteventura, the birds and the scenery which they and the many tourists inhabit. This post details birds in the immediate area of our stay in Costa Calma, so named I think with reverence to the relatively sheltered nature of this resort from the prevailing winds. This relative calm is due in no small part to the easterly geographical location and to the long belt of pine trees which give a degree of protection from the often strong prevailing wind systems.

It’s peculiar how the same bird species occur in the vicinity of many holiday places we visit, with Fuerteventura providing a similar hotel list to other places we know whereby sparrows, pigeons, gulls, kestrels and a few wader species are to the fore. Don't forget folks, click on the pics for a better view.

Costa Calma, Fuerteventura

Costa Calma, Fuerteventura

Sanderlings and Turnstones were ever present on the sandy and partly rocky shore. Turnstones can be fairly confiding here in the UK, but on Fuerteventura they are even more so and are approachable to within a few metres. 

Sanderling

Turnstone

After taking photographs of a Sanderling I noticed only upon examining the images later that the bird had a British ring on its right leg. With only a couple of shots I couldn’t get enough detail to send the record in to the BTO so as to find out where it had been ringed, so in the following days looked for the Sanderling but couldn’t relocate it. 

Sanderling

An unusual hotel bird proved to be Raven, a pair of birds from the locality paying infrequent visits to the shore to steal monkey nuts from under the noses of the Barbary Ground Squirrels. Almost every tourist I saw paid more attention to feeding the “cute” squirrels whilst ignoring the long-distance-migrant shore birds at their feet, the closeness of the huge Ravens, the feeding terns along the shore or the handsome Yellow-legged Gulls. 

Sandwich Tern

Raven

Barbary Ground Squirrel

Yellow-legged Gull

Costa Calma, Fuerteventura

It was the quiet parts of the hotel grounds where I found the Spanish Sparrows, the pair of Hoopoes, the resident Kestrel and the White Wagtail, one of the latter in particular which followed the gardener’s watering hosepipe so as to locate the resultant insects. There were Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs about the grounds but they kept out of sight in the strong sunshine of most days.

Kestrel

Kestrel

Spanish Sparrow

White Wagtail

Hoopoes mostly have that hair-gelled look, a sleeked back crest held in abeyance until some fool with a camera interrupts a feed and causes a moment of anxiety when the feathers fan out. 

 Hoopoe

Hoopoe

Hoopoe

As very birder knows, there’s a price to pay for a spot of birding, brownie points to be earned and then banked for another day with bins and camera. Here in Costa Calma it’s the “African” market where bartering is the order of the day followed by a glass or two of wine reflecting on the fading light and planning the day to come. 

Costa Calma, Fuerteventura

Anyone For a Massage?

Costa Calma, Fuerteventura

There’s local news soon from Another Bird Blog plus more pictures from Fuerteventura. In the meantime the blog is linking to Weekly Top Shot  and Anni .

Where Are You?

Hello everyone, and this is just a short post designed to let readers know where I am should they be concerned that Another Bird Blog is defunct. 

No it’s just taking a break from wet and windswept Lancashire by spending time on the lovely warm and sunny island of Fuerteventura, just 60 miles from the coast of Morocco. This picture of Fuerteventura was taken from outer space by NASA, and not by me from a Boeing 757. 

Fuerteventura

Fuerteventura is the oldest Canary Island, formed about 70 million years ago as a result of volcanic activity. The geographical position of Fuerteventura means that for many tens of thousands of years sand from the Sahara has been deposited on Fuerteventura's shores, resulting in 125 miles of some of the world's best beaches. I volunteered to check out a few beaches for waders. While you don’t see too many species from a static sunbed, I managed to clock up Kentish Plover, Ringed Plover, Turnstone, Sanderling, Whimbrel, Grey Plover, Redshank, Greenshank, Bar-tailed Godwit and Curlew. Lots of Sandwich Terns buzzing along the shoreline too. 

Ringed Plover

 

Fuerteventura

Since most of the island is semi-desert, many of the more notable bird species found here are semi-desert species such as the Houbara Bustard, Stone Curlew and Cream-coloured Courser. There is one endemic species, the Canary Island Chat, which is found in some of the gullies around the island. Hopefully I’ll see this Stonechat relative in the next few days. Egyptian Vultures can be seen in remote parts of the island while Kestrels and Southern Grey Shrikes are very common. 

Southern Grey Shrike

There seems to be plenty of Hoopoes about, sometimes in gangs of three and four, with a number of Trumpeter Finches and Lesser Short-toed Lark seen. 

Hoopoe

All of the mammals found on Fuerteventura were either introduced deliberately or accidentally with the exception of bats. Of note is the Barbary Ground Squirrel, something of a tourist attraction at many of the miradors around the island, where the squirrels eat out of tourists’ hands. 

Barbary Ground Squirrel

Other mammals found on the island include Barbary Hedgehogs, Rabbits, Mice and Shrews as well as feral populations of Donkeys and Goats. Look out for the goats damaging your hire car though as they attack their own refelection in a shiny, well-waxed door.

There are no snakes on the island but there are plenty of geckos and an endemic race of Atlantic Lizard. It is possible that some Turtles still breed here on some of the more remote beaches and several species of Turtles are seen regularly in the waters around the island. 

Fuerteventura

Back in a day or two, in the meantime keep logging in to see how Another Bird Blog survives the heat of the midday sun.

For all regular readers, please continue to post comments and I'll reply asap.  I've asked the house-sitter to just log in and publish comments without trying to update the blog in any other way, so fingers crossed nothing goes awry.