Nearly a year ago, I was contacted by Dave Read (who runs Lanius Bird Tours), asking if I would be willing to help co-lead a trip to southern Spain, in search of Iberian Lynx. I didn't need too much persuading, and having been there a year ago, was confident that I'd be able to help deliver the goods.
And so, in mid-January, myself, Dave and six guests headed off to Andalucia. Arriving in Malaga, we picked up our minivan and then had an enjoyable couple of hours birding the Desembocadura del Guadalhorce, a nice little wetland reserve just a stone's-throw from the airport. The main lagoon here, in the south-eastern part of the site, held most of the bird interest, with 4 White-headed Ducks, several Black-necked Grebes, 3 young Greater Flamingos, a few Black-winged Stilts, and hoards of flycatching Chiffchaffs, as well as other bits and pieces such as Audouin's and Med Gulls, Greenshank, Water Pipit, Southern Grey Shrike, Monk Parakeet and Zitting Cisticola. But best were two very confiding Booted Eagles perched up in a tree. A quick look at the sea was productive, with 12 Kentish Plovers on the beach and 5 Gannet, 2 Balearic Shearwaters and 2 Bonxies offshore.
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| The entrance to the Desembocadura de Guadalhorce |
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| White-headed Duck, showing well |
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| Great views of Booted Eagle |
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| The most productive lagoon |
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| Birding on the beach |
It was then on to the town of Andujar, and just beyond, reaching our accommodation at the Complejo Turistico Los Pinos in the Sierra de Andujar. We arrived after dark, and after a freshen up, enjoyed the first of several excellent rustic Spanish meals in the hotel restaurant, along with several other wildlife groups. A calling Tawny Owl wrapped the day up.
The beauty of Los Pinos is that it is on the way up to the main Lynx viewing area, so we were up and out in good time the following morning, settling in for our first session on the La Lancha track. Of course, we grilled various people for news of recent sightings - a Lynx had been seen the day before, and the previous week a mating pair had shown extremely well over several days... So we were hopeful. However, our morning's scanning was fruitless, with interest coming from a good selection of birds including several Griffon and Black Vultures, at least 3 Spanish Imperial Eagles, a couple of Little Owls, an Iberian Woodpecker, a few parties of Crag Martins, one or two Firecrests, a Southern Grey Shrike, several Dartford and Sardinian Warblers and 2 Chough. In addition, there were two distant Mouflon, plenty of Red and Fallow Deer, and reasonable numbers of Rabbits (noticeably more than last year).
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| Los Pinos at dawn |
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| Prime Lynx habitat |
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| Some of our group in action |
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| Black Vulture |
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| 2 Spanish Imperial Eagles and attendant Magpies |
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| Dartford Warbler |
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| A rather distant Mouflon |
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| Red Deer stag |
We broke for lunch, heading slightly further up the track and stopping above the Embalse de Jandular. We couldn't find any Spanish Ibex, but there were a couple of Short-toed Treecreepers in the eucalyptus trees, a few Siskin flying around, and several Hawfinches. On to the dam, we located 2 Blue Rock Thrushes, 2 Rock Buntings and a Golden Eagle over the hill on the opposite side of the reservoir.
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| The Spanish Ibex area, below the Embalse de Jandular |
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| Water levels 20m below full levels in the reservoir... |
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| Hawfinch |
It was then back to the La Lancha track, where we remained until the later afternoon. Again, no Lynx, but this is a beautiful place to spend time not seeing what you're looking for. Deciding to pack up late afternoon and head back to Los Pinos, we were just leaving the area when it became apparent that a small group were getting quite excited about something... I jumped out and ran over - they were onto a Lynx! However, I struggled to get onto it; when I did, it was closer than I was looking. I saw it for a split second, turned to the others to start getting them onto it, and when I turned back it had vanished. And despite waiting another 40 minutes or so, it didn't reappear. It had presumably dipped into a bush or under a rock. So, a slightly frustrating first day for all concerned!
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| Around 25 people looking for an invisible Lynx |
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| The sun going down on our first full day |
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| The last few |
We were back out on the La Lancha track the next day for another try. Again, the morning was fruitless, save for the same selection of mammals and bird as yesterday, with the addition of 2 Crested Tits plus a very close Spanish Imperial Eagle overhead. Again we spent lunch above the Embalse de Jandular, this time locating 3 male Spanish Ibex, and then another 3 females from the dam.
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| There's a Lynx out there somewhere... |
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| A ropey shot of a super bird |
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| Spanish Ibex - nice looking beasts |
Returning to the track, I was beginning to feel the pressure - and I wasn't sure that any of us would stomach a third day looking! However, our luck changed - we happened to be stood near a group of photographers who were positioned on a small mound, and the shout went up from them - Lynx! After a bit of a panic, we worked out where they were looking, and over the next hour or so we all enjoyed excellent views of this animal, as it worked its way down the valley, dipping in and out of sight and getting gradually more distant. Superb.
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| Iberian Lynx! |
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| A fairly small animal in a big landscape |
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| Working it's way down the valley |
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| What an animal |
And when I say 'we all' enjoyed excellent views, there were probably around 100 people lined up. I was slightly taken aback by some of the comments I got when I posted a picture of this on Twitter, with several along the lines of 'that looks awful'. I guess none of them have ever been to a twitch to see a rare bird (yeah right). Being a Saturday, it was (inevitably) busier than the day before, as I think a lot of Spaniards had come up from the coast, or down from Madrid. Plus, the sighting had a concentrating effect, with everyone previously having been strung out over maybe 2km of track. And actually, it wasn't awful at all, with various nationalities united by in their excitement at watching a brilliant animal, and it was heartening to see that maybe three-quarters were Spaniards. But I guess some people expect exclusivity - and if that's what you're after, don't visit this area at a weekend during the peak Lynx period.
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| Shock! People enjoying wildlife |
Buoyed up by our success, we headed back to Los Pinos, encountering a sounder of 8 Wild Boar, before celebrating with several beers in the bar.
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| Boar enjoying the late afternoon sun |
Our third full day began before dawn on the bridge below the dam at the Embalse de Encinarejo. An Eagle Owl called somewhere off to the south, and Dunnock and Wren were new, but our main quarry, the Otters, didn't show. Apparently these have been very tricky this year.
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| Looking down river below the Embalse de Encinarejo |
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| No Otters today. And look at all those people, shock! |
We cut our losses and drove north for an hour and a half to reach the Campo de Calatrava for late morning, an area I 'discovered' last year. We spent a couple of hours driving the tracks that cross this agricultural area either side of lunch. The birding was good, with 100+ Great Bustards (mainly wary, but one party allowing closer approach), c.80 Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, 6 Black-bellied Sandgrouse, c.200 White Storks flying NW, 2 winter plumaged Dotterel (something of a surprise), c.20 Golden Plover and a few Lapwing, plenty of Calandra and Crested Larks, several Marsh Harriers and Buzzards, and a big numbers of Chough, including a group of around 100 that came together at one point, circling overhead. Little Bustards were notable by there absence, but a Granada Hare provided some mammalian interest.
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| The drive north |
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| Our group on the Campo de Calatrava |
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| Big skies |
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| Distant bustards |
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| A big group of Chough |
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| Great Bustards in flight |
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| One of two Dotterel |
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| Some closer Great Bustards |
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| Fantastic birds |
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| Black-bellied Sandgrouse, heading off |
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| Calandra Lark |
Lunch was spent by the Laguna del Prado on the eastern side of Pozuelo de Calatrava. This held small numbers of Shelduck, Teal, Shoveler and Mallard, plus 2 Black-winged Stilts and a Black-tailed Godwit. Two parties of Cranes, totalling 130 birds, circled over north.
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| Laguna del Prado |
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| Circling Cranes |
We detoured on the way home to the Castillo de Calatrava, a site that Dave had found online. The walls of the castle and the surrounding crags and slopes produced a good range of birds, including several Rock Sparrows and Thekla Larks, a Black Wheatear, 1 or 2 Black Redstarts, at least 4 Blue Rock Thrushes and 15 or so Crag Martins.
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| Castillo de Calatrava (this is the 'new' castle) |
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| The track up |
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| Rock Sparrow on the ramparts |
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| The best I could manage of the Black Wheatear |
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| Blue Rock Thrush |
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| Thekla Lark |
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| The view from the top |
Our last day came round too soon, but there was still time for a bit more birding before our flight home. En route to Malaga, we stopped at Fuente de Piedra for a couple of hours. The lagoon had more water in it than last year, and as a result there were plenty of Flamingos - around 1500 were counted a few days previously. Single Red Kite, Snipe and Common Sandpiper, 5 Red-crested Pochard, 2 Stone-curlew and a Wryneck (which only I saw) were new for the trip, as were 3 Ravens we saw whilst driving (a surprisingly scarce species around these parts).
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| The eastern end of Fuente de Piedra, viewed from the visitor centre |
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| One of the lagoons by the visitor centre |
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| More water than last year |
And so concluded a very enjoyable trip. This really is a first class short winter birding and mammaling trip - I would happily go back again next year given the chance!
Mammal list:
- Iberian Lynx Lynx pardinus - 1 seen on 19/1 for a moment on the La Lancha track, and probably the same animal seen very well the following day
- Spanish Ibex Capra pyrenaica - 6 below the dam at the Embalse del Jandula
- Mouflon Ovis musimon - 2 from the La Lancha track
- Red Deer Cervus elaphus – frequent in the Sierra de Andujar
- Fallow Deer Dama dama – frequent in the Sierra de Andujar
- Wild Boar Sus scrofa – 8 on the La Lancha track
- European Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus – daily in reasonable numbers
- Granada Hare Lepus granatensis - one on the Campo de Calatrava
Bird list (with comments on notable species):
- Shelduck Tadorna tadorna
- Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
- Shoveler Anas clypeata
- Gadwall Anas strepera
- Teal Anas crecca
- Common Pochard Aythya farina
- Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina
- White-headed Duck Oxyura leucocephala – 4 at Desembocadura del Guadalhorce in Malaga
- Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis
- Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis
- Balearic Shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus
- Gannet Morus bassanus
- Red-legged Partridge Alectoris rufa
- Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo
- Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
- Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
- Little Egret Egretta garzetta
- White Stork Ciconia ciconia
- Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus
- Red Kite Milvus milvus
- Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus
- Black Vulture Aegypius monachus – several from the La Lancha track
- Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus
- Buzzard Buteo buteo
- Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus - 2 at Desembocadura del Guadalhorce in Malaga
- Spanish Imperial Eagle Aquila adalberti – at least 3 adults on the La Lancha track in the Sierra de Andujar
- Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos – 1 just north of the dam at the Embalse del Jandula in the Sierra de Andujar
- Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus
- Kestrel Falco tinnunculus
- Monk Parakeet Myiopsitta monachus
- Moorhen Gallinula chloropus
- Coot Fulica atra
- Crane Grus grus
- Great Bustard Otis tarda – 100+ at the Campo de Calatrava
- Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus
- Stone-curlew Burhinus oedicnemus
- Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus
- Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva
- Lapwing Vanellus vanellus
- Dotterel Charadrius morinellus – 2 on the Campo de Calatrava
- Greenshank Tringa nebularia
- Sanderling Calidris alba
- Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucus
- Snipe Gallinagi gallinago
- Great Skua Stercorarius skua
- Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis
- Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus
- Audouin's Gull Ichthyaetus audouinii - 1 at Desembocadura del Guadalhorce in Malaga
- Mediterranean Gull Ichthyaetus melanocephalus
- Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus
- Sandwich Tern Thalasseus sandvicensis
- Pin-tailed Sandgrouse Pterocles alchata – c.80 on the Campo de Calatrava
- Black-bellied Sandgrouse Pterocles orientalis – 6 on the Campo de Calatrava
- Feral Pigeon Columba livia
- Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus
- Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto
- Eagle Owl Bubo bubo - 1 calling on the El Encinarejo trail in the Sierra de Andujar
- Tawny Owl Strix aluco
- Little Owl Athene noctua
- Hoopoe Upupa epops
- Kingfisher Alcedo atthis
- Iberian Woodpecker Picus sharpei
- Wryneck Jynx torquilla
- Southern Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis
- Azure-winged Magpie Cyanopica cyanus
- Black-billed Magpie Pica pica
- Jay Garrulus glandarius
- Jackdaw Corvus monedula
- Raven Corvus corax
- Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax
- Crested Lark Galerida cristata
- Thekla Lark Galerida theklae - several at the Castillo de Calatrava
- Calandra Lark Melanocorypha calandra
- Skylark Alauda arvensis
- Woodlark Lullula arborea
- Crag Martin Ptyonoprogne rupestris
- Crested Tit Lophophanes cristatus
- Great Tit Parus major
- Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus
- Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus
- Nuthatch Sitta europaea
- Short-toed Treecreeper Cethia brachydactyla
- Wren Troglodytes troglodytes
- Firecrest Regulus ignicapilla
- Cetti’s Warbler Cettia cetti
- Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita
- Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla
- Dartford Warbler Sylvia undata
- Sardinian Warbler Sylvia melanocephala
- Zitting Cisticola Zisticola juncidis
- Robin Erithacus rubecula
- Black Redstart Pheonicurus ochruros
- Black Wheatear Oenanthe leucura - 1 at the Castillo de Calatrava
- Stonechat Saxicola torquatus
- Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius
- Blackbird Turdus merula
- Song Thrush Turdus philomelos
- Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus
- Spotless Starling Sturnus unicolor
- Dunnock Prunella modularis
- White Wagtail Motacilla alba
- Water Pipit Anthis spinoletta
- Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis
- Corn Bunting Emberiza calandra
- Rock Bunting Emberiza cia
- Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs
- Greenfinch Carduelis chloris
- Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis
- Linnet Carduelis cannabina
- Serin Serinus serinus
- Siskin Carduelis spinus
- Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes
- House Sparrow Passer domesticus
- Spanish Sparrow Passer hispaniolensis
- Rock Sparrow Petronia petronia – several at the Castillo de Calatrava
