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Madrid - 7th - 14th August 2009

Published by Ed O'Hara (edohara AT btinternet.com)

Photos with this report

Black Vulture

Iberian Green Woodpecker

Guides: Aitor Olaso (Biologist/birdwatcher) accompanied by Juan Rivero (Research Biologist)

Company: www.birdwatchingmadrid.com

Date: 9 August 2009

Target Species: Citril Finch, Eagle Owl, Red Avadavat and Spanish Imperial Eagle.

I spent a week in Madrid with my family and booked a one day trip with www.birdwatchingmadrid.com as the highlight of my visit. The city and it's surrounding area holds a fantastic variety of habitat and birds to match. I read with great interest the article on Madrid by an American birder, Howard Youth of Bethsheda, Maryland and used this as a backdrop for birding around the city limits. The weather was hot throughout our visit reaching over 30 degrees centigrade before 10:00am, therefore most birding was done in the morning and late evening.

The first two days were spent around the hotel with my family and a birds of note were Spotless Starling , Collared Doves and Wood Pigeons which were surprisingly common inside the city.

I met Aitor and a companion Juan Rivero at my hotel and we headed off at 10:00am. Aitor had singled out four areas to try for my lifers:-

[1] Guadarrama Mountains
[2] El Pardo
[3] Fresno de Torote Rio
[4] Laguna de San Juan

[1] Guadarrama Mountains

Our first stop was at Navacerrada near the ski-lift. This area proved very productive and we quickly found my first target bird Citril Finch drinking at a stream near the car park. Overhead were Black Vulture, Griffon Vulture, Booted Eagle, Common Raven, Alpine Swift, Common Kestrel, Black Kite, Peregrine Falcon brookeri, Rock Dove, Wood Pigeon, and a flock of 30+ Chough. We then took a walk along the stream and found Dipper, Grey Wagtail, Chaffinch, Pied Wagtail, Dunnock, Bluethroat, Northern Wheatear. Moving a slight distance away by car we stopped at a car park where we observed Common Stonechat, Blackbird, Willow Warbler, Pied Flycatcher, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Blue Tit and Crested Tit. Further along the road we came across Woodchat Shrike, Common
Magpie, Eurasian Jay, Jackdaw and Rock Bunting near a stream. After two hours of intense birding we stopped for lunch before beginning phase two of our plan, El Pardo.

[2] El Pardo

It is hard to believe that this site is only a few Km. from the center of Madrid but because a large part of it is protected, it enjoys a wealth of birdlife. However in 37degrees celsius in August birds can be hard to find even my guides felt the heat uncomfortable and they are locals!

After a wait of 10 minutes a Spanish Imperial Eagle landed on a electricity stanchion about 150 m away and we were able to get superb views of this bird, using the scope, a second lifer for me. After watching the bird for ten minutes we set off on a walk along the wall at the edge of the protected area, once again it proved productive picking up Cattle Egret, European Bee-eater, Pallid Swift, Common Swift, Black-eared Wheatear, Azure-winged Magpie, Spotless Starling, Serin, Black Vulture and Griffon Vulture. Time as always passes quickly when you are in the field and we had to move on to our next site, Fresno de Torote Rio.

[3] Fresno de Torote Rio

This is an area of agricultural plain with a small stream which adds to the habitat diversity. Once again the heat was intense and the possibility of seeing anything looked small but again I was amazed at at what we found. Local knowledge is everything as they say and this was soon apparent. We turned off into a rough track and picked up several species, Rock Sparrow, Tawny Pipit, Montagu's Harrier, Common Buzzard, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Crested Lark, Reed Warbler, Melodious Warbler, Southern Grey Shrike meridionalis, Common Linnet, Tree Sparrow and for me the highlight of this location was seeing a female and juvenile Great Bustard at very close quarters before they flew off. Goldfinches and House Sparrows were everywhere and as we were leaving we got a quick glimpse of a Lesser Kestrel.

Before moving on to our final destination we stopped for some well earned refreshment and as we were pulling into a café area two Red-legged Partridges flew across the road. A Turtle Dove was on a telephone wire nearby.

[4] Laguna de San Juan

Evening was drawing in as we approached this area of natural marshland in south-east Madrid and the heat was diminishing, which was very welcome. There is a view point at the southern end of the marsh, from where you get excellent views over the marsh and the area surrounding it. Here we saw Purple Swamp-hen, Purple Heron, Grey Heron, Common Coot, Moorhen, White Stork, Green Sandpiper, Sand Martin, Red-rumped Swallow, Alpine Swift, Peregrine Falcon, Black Wheatear, Cetti's Warbler,Shoveler and Mallard.

Several Marsh Harriers were in the vicinity and one flushed a Hoopoe from it’s roost. We scanned the reeds for Red Avadavats but in vain, however just before nightfall my last target species did appear. Aitor heard the call of an Eagle Owl and wthin a minute had located the bird sitting on the edge of the escarpment. A brilliant ending to a fantastic day's birding especially when you consider the time of year. I would like to thank Aitor and Juan for being such good company, friendly, witty and knowledgeable. I have no hesitation in recomending www.birdwatchingmadrid.com to anyone visiting Madrid and who wishes to see all the key species around the city and beyond.

In all we saw 71 species in a single day in and around the city, in August, remarkable.

Species List

Bee-eater, European Merops apiaster
Blackbird, Turdus merula
Bluethroat Luscinia sveccia
Buzzard, Common Buteo buteo
Coot, Eurasian Fulica atra
Dipper, Cinclus cinclus
Dove, Collared Streptopelia decaocto
Dove, Turtle Streptopelia turtur
Duck, Mallard Anas platyrynchos
Duck, Shoveler Anas clypeata
Dunnock, Prunella modularis
Eagle, Booted Aquila pennata
Eagle, Imperial Aquila adalberti
Egret, Cattle Bubulcus ibis
Falcon, Peregrine Falco peregrinus brookeri
Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs
Finch,Citril Serinus citrinella
Flycatcher, Pied Ficedula hypoleuca
Flycatcher, Spotted Muscicapa striata
Gallinule, Purple Porphyrio porphyrio
Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis
Greenfinch Carduelis chloris
Harrier, Marsh Circus aeruginosus
Harrier, Montagu's Circus pygargus
Heron, Grey Ardea cinerea
Heron, Purple Ardea purpurea
Hoopoe, Eurasian Upupa epops
Kestrel, Common Falco tinnunculus
Kestrel, Lesser Falco naumanni
Kite, Black Milvus migrans
Lark, Crested Galerida cristata
Linnet,Carduelis cannabina
Martin, Crag Eurasian Hirundo rupestris
Martin, House Delichon urbica
Martin, Sand Riparia riparia
Moorhen, Common Gallinula chloropus
Owl, Eagle Bubo bubo
Parakeet, Monk Myiopsitta monachus
Partridge, Red-legged Alectoris rufa
Pigeon, Feral/ Rock Columba livia
Pigeon, Wood Columba palumbus
Pipit, Tawny Anthus campestris
Raven, Corvus corax
Sandpiper, Green Tringa ochropus
Serin, European Serinus serinus
Shrike, Southern Grey Lanius excubitor meriondalis
Shrike, Woodchat Lanius senator
Starling, Spotless Sturnus unicolor
Stonechat, European Saxicola torquatus
Stork, White Ciconia ciconia
Tit, Blue Parus caeruleus
Tit, Coal Parus ater
Tit, Crested Parus cristatus
Tit, Great Parus major
Swallow, Barn Hirundo rustica
Swallow, Red-rumped Cecropis daurica
Swift, Alpine Tachymarptis melba
Swift, Common Apus apus
Swift, Pallid Apus pallidus
Vulture, Black Aegypius monachus
Vulture, Eurasian Griffon Gyps fulvus
Wagtail, Grey Motacilla cinerea
Wagtail, Pied Motacilla alba
Warbler, Cetti's Cettia cetti
Warbler, Melodious Hippolais polyglotta
Warbler, Reed Acrocephalus scirpaceus
Warbler, Willow Phylloscopus trochilus
Wheatear, Black Oeanthe leucura
Wheatear, Black-eared Oeanthe hispanica
Wheatear, Northern Oeanthe oeanthe
Woodpecker, Great Spotted Dendrocopus major
Woodpecker, Green Picus viridis sharpei

After the ' big day ' I spent my time birding only in the early mornings and evenings around the city. I went out to Laguna de El Campillo as suggested by Howard Youth and as he said by the entrance gates to a pre-cast concrete works were several Black Redstarts in the pine trees, also present were Short-toed Treecreepers. The Laguna itself had very little except Golden Orioles in the bushes but I only managed a quick view of two birds as they scurried about the undergrowth. A party of Choughs were on the cliffs by the laguna. Overhead were large numbers of Black Kites, White Storks and Griffon Vultures in the area.

Two visits to Casa de Campo, a huge park to the south of the city produced Monk Parakeet, Pied Flycatcher, Stock Dove, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Melodious Warbler, Serin, Short-toed Treecreeper, Spotless Starling, Crested Tit, Coal Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Ring-necked Parakeet, Wood Pigeon.

Madrid certainly lived up to it’s reputation as possibly the best city in Europe to go birding in. I can only imagine what it would be like if you visited the area in late April/early May.

Ed.O'Hara

Lurgan
N.Ireland.