10-14 Jan - An excellent short break with Celtic Bird Tours, with over 110 species seen despite some foggy conditions at times. The drive from the airport to our hotel was very productive, with a stop at Almaraz reservoir giving an impressive start including Osprey, a male Little Bittern, Purple Gallinule and both Marsh and Hen Harriers. Warm midday sun and a few wild flowers emerging were very welcome in early January....White Storks were widespread and back at their nest sites in the villages (7,8), and one of the highlights at Monfrague NP (9) was a flock of 130+ moving north on migration (11). Other highlights here and at Rio Almonte were Griffon (13,14) and a few enormous Black Vultures (15), 2 Spanish Imperial Eagles (12), a Golden and a Bonelli's Eagle, to make a 3-Eagle Day!Choughs were around the Castillo (16). The steppes near Santa Marta and near Belen (4-6) held an amazing flock of 43 Great Bustards (5), together with Black-bellied Sandgrouse and thousands of larks, including Calandras. A few Little Bustards were also seen. The Sierra Brava reservoir produced vast flocks of dabbling duck, especially Shoveler (as well as the 8th record of Common Gull for Extremadura) and the rice fields around Madrigalejo (17) contained hundreds of Common Cranes (18,19), together with Black-shouldered Kites, Marsh and Hen Harriers, a couple of Bluethroats (20) in the ditches, and flocks of Spanish Sparrows (21). The mountains of eastern Extremadura gave amazing views of the Sierras (22-26), as well as a couple of flocks of wintering Alpine Accentors (25) and a few Blue Rock Thrushes (27) and Crag Martins (28). Other specialities seen or heard included Rock Bunting, Azure-winged Magpie, Southern Grey Shrikes, many Hoopoes, wintering warblers especially Blackcaps, and flocks of Lapwings and Golden Plover all over the steppes. A perfect January location.
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