Birdwatching and wildlife tours in Spain
Birdwatching report Doñana
I have had the pleasure of guiding Keith and Liz during 11 days in the South of Spain. We have visited Doñana, Sierra de Andújar and Cazorla from June, 23rd to July, 2nd. In this trip report, I will just comment the visit to the Coto de Doñana. Welcome to this birdwatching report Doñana.
Day 1. Seville-Rocio Marshes (Birdwatching report Doñana)
At 9:00 I am picking Keith and Lee from their Hotel in the city center of Seville. Around 10:10 we arrive to el Rocio, a beautiful town which hasn’t lost any of his pure Spanish taste. I really recommend to go round this town.
Despite the low rainfall in this area during the last spring, the Rocio marshes and la Rocina still have a reasonable level of water. As we get to the Marshes of el Rocio and scan them, we see lots of Greater Flamingos, Spoonbills, Black tailed Godwits which have already started their post breeding migration, Black-winged Stilts, Black Kites, Shelducks, White Storks, Collared Pratincoles, Avocets, Booted Eagles, Griffon Vultures, Greylags, Reed Warblers, Little and Cattle Egrets and Spotless Starlings. We also enjoy for a while a family of Purple Swamp-hens feeding in the reeds.
After that, we grab some fruit for lunch and move to la Rocina. There, as we go from hide to hide following the boardwalk we find Short-toed Treecreeper, Melodious Warblers, Nightingales, Azure-winged Magpies, Stonechats and Woodchat Shrikes, many of them juveniles. From the hides, we see Glossy Ibis, Little Ringed Plover, Common Waxbills, Tree Sparrows, finches and a Red Deer.
Later we visit the other closeby visitor center, el Palacio del Acebrón which is accessible from La Rocina. There we find Bee-eaters, Hoopoes and Crested, Great and Long-tailed Tits, Iberian Grey Shrike and a Spotted Flycatcher. As we approach to the “closed” boarding walk, the weather worsened and starts raining so we decide go back to the Hotel.
We have dinner in the square in front of our Hotel. As the sunset, the sky is covered by Pratincoles and baths (Pipistrelle and Mouse-eared Bats). A great spectacle we all enjoy!
Day 2. JAV Visitor Center (The hearth of Doñana)
Today we will visit the North part of Doñana. In order to do it, we have to drive for 30 km along tracks surrounded with farmlands and ditches. As we drive we watch Purple Herons, Yellow Wagtails, Zitting Cisticola and Marsh Harrier. Our first stop is in a breeding colony of Spanish Sparrows, where Liz is delighted watching these ‘cheeky’ birds and a close nest of White Storks with three young. There, we are taken by surprise when a flock of 120-150 Collared Pratincoles is seen. Probably the biggest flock I have ever seen!
After that, we continue driving and spot a pair of Red-rumped Swallow, Gull-billed Terns, a flock of nearly 100 Calandra Larks, and few Short-toed Larks. Suddenly, I spot a distinctive raptor approaching, a Black-winged Kite! a few minutes later another appears. What a great bird!
The next stop is a an area where good numbers of Lesser Kestrels can be seen. We stay there for 30 minutes watching beautiful juveniles and adults. While Liz and Keith are enjoying a close view of them, I find a good number of Barn Owl pellets in a nearby building. Will they be around? Then, we continue driving and just before we get to JAV visitor center Liz finds a Barn Owl in a post. We stop the car just few meters away and get cracking views of this wonderful bird. Amazingly, Keith finds another Barn Owl hiding in a tamarisk just next to the first owl. What a moment! We stay more than 20 minutes taking photos and watching both birds.
Later, we stop for lunch and a coffee in the visitor center. We watch the egrets-ibis-herons colony and find a pair of Night Heron, Little Bittern, Little Grebe and Gadwalls. After that, we continue driving to the Dehesa de Abajo finding another Barn Owl (3 in total), Red Kite, a Green Sandpiper, a pair of Great Reed Warbler and a Short-toed Eagle. In the rice fields near the Dehesa, we find a Squacco Heron.
As we drive back to the Hotel after such a superb day, we see a Little Owl perch in a fence.
Day 3. Marismas de Odiel (Waders and Ospreys)
This coastal marsy reserve offers an interesting variety of species all year round thanks to the tides. A quick visit to the back of the visitor center reveals Little Terns, Kentish and Little Ringed Plovers and Black-tailed Godwit. Then, as we drive to the end of the docks, we find 3 Ospreys perched. Close to them, a female Hen Harrier bombs a Marsh Harrier which is resting on a Salicornia. A nice sighting! After that, we continue driving and as I heard the calling of Curlews I pull over. I set and focus the scope and we find Oystercatchers, Spoonbills, Common Redshank and a solitary Little Stint. We are surprised by the huge number of crab fish in the mud. On the dunes, Kentish Plovers and Crested Larks fly around.
After lunch we visit the lagoon of Portil. I look out for White-headed Duck but unfortunately there is none. However, we watch Red-crested and Common Pochard, a limping Greenshank, Spotted Redshank, Black-winged Stilts and Black-necked Grebe. We also find a Red-eared Terrapin basking in the shore. It is an American invasive species which is causing lot of trouble to the natives species.
The sun is intense and with 32ºC, we decide to change plans, so we move towards Doñana and stop to look for chameleons. It takes me around 25 minutes to find one in the middle of the bush, hiding from the sun. They are gorgeous!
If you are interested in joining our birding Doñana tour, please do not hesitate to contact us. We hope you enjoyed the the birdwatching report to Doñana.
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