Fuerteventura November 27 to December 4, 2002

This trip was based on a cheap late-booking with Airtours. We ended up staying in the Coco Sol apartments at Nuevo Horizonte, just outside Caleta de Fuste. These were fairly basic but perfectly adequate and had the advantage of a few birds immediately outside, although the area could soon be built up.

We hired a car with a small local company in Caleta de Fuste, at a cost appreciably lower than the well-known hire companies.

This was our third trip to the island, so we already knew the best areas and what to expect. Our previous trips had both been at the end of December, and we were surprised how this made a difference to the numbers of winter visitors present - we saw hardly any this time, apart from waders.

The amount of new building in the Caleta de Fuste area and also in the south at Jandia and Costa Calma area is quite worrying. Coastal habitat is being lost and you wonder where all the new hotels and apartments will get their water from, on what is essentially a desert island. We saw large amounts of graffiti complaining about the building of tourist accommodation and bemoaning the lack of new schools and hospitals, so obviously the locals are not right happy. The availability of incredibly cheap air fares has clearly led to a huge demand for tourist beds, and proper regulation seems lacking.

Itinerary

27 Nov - Just around Nuevo Horizonte
28 Nov - Embalse de los Molinos, La Salinas del Carmen, Barranco de Torre
29 Nov - Giniginimar, Matas Blancas, Los Gorriones beach, Stella Canaris
30 Nov - Betancuria, La Penitas, Ajuy, Gran Tarajal
1 Dec - Tindaya Plain, El Cotillo shore, El Cotillo Plain, La Oliva orchard site
2 Dec - Rosa de Catalina Garcia lagoon, American Star wreck, La Lajita zoo, nursery and surrounds
3 Dec - Embalse de los Molinos
4 Dec - Just around Nuevo Horizonte

Species Lists

Cory's Shearwater -3 flew north past Nuevo Horizonte 29 Nov.
Cattle Egret - 2 at La Lajita zoo carpark 2 Dec.
Little Egret - A total of 15 included 8 on Playa Sotavento 29 Nov.
Grey Heron - 5 at Playa Sotavento 29 Nov. 1 at Rosa de Catalina Garcia and 2 at La Lajita 2 Dec.
Spoonbill - 1 first winter feeding on Playa Sotavento 0n 29 Nov.
Ruddy Shelduck - 8 at Embalse de los Molinos on both 28 Nov and 3 Dec. 2 at Rosa de Catalina Garcia 2 Dec.
Eurasian Teal - 1 female at E.de los Molinos on both 28 Nov and 3 Dec.
Egyptian Vulture - Only 7 seen.
Common Buzzard - 19 seen included 5 together near Llanos de la Concepcion on 3 Dec.
Common Kestrel - Only 8 seen.
Peregrine - 2 together at Matas Blancas 29 Nov.
Barbary Partridge - 2 at La Penitas 30 Nov.
Common Coot - 39 at E. de los Molinos on both 28 Nov and 3 Dec.
Houbara Bustard - 3 at Matas Blancas 29 Nov and 1 on El Cotillo Plain 1 Dec.
Cream-coloured Courser - 6 near E. de los Molinos 28 Nov. 1 at Matas Blancas 29 Nov. 5 on Tindaya Plain 1 Dec.
Little Ringed Plover - Seen at E. de los Molinos on both visits with a maximum of 45 on 3 Dec.
Ringed Plover - 4 at Nuevo Horizonte 27 Nov. 4 at La Salinas on 28 Nov. 130 on Playa Sotavento 29 Nov. 3 at El Cotillo 1 Dec. 1 at E. de los Molinos on 3 Dec.
Kentish Plover - 2 at La Salinas 28 Nov. 10 on Playa Sotavento on 29 Nov. 8 at El Cotillo 1 Dec. 2 at E. de los Molinos 3 Dec.
Grey Plover - 2 at La Salinas 28 Nov. 3 at El Cotillo 1 Dec.
Sanderling - 10 at Playa Sotavento on 29 Nov. 1 at El Cotillo 1 Dec.
Dunlin - 15 at Playa Sotavento on 29 Nov. 1 at El Cotillo 1 Dec.
Common Snipe - 3 at E. de los Molinos on 3 Dec.
Whimbrel - 2 at La Salinas 28 Nov. 3 at El Cotillo 1 Dec.
Spotted Redshank - 1 at E. de los Molinos on both 28 Nov and 3 Dec.
Common Redshank - 1 at La Salinas on 28 Nov. 1 at E. de los Molinos on 3 Dec.
Greenshank - 10 at E. de los Molinos on 28 Dec and 9 there on 3 Dec.
Common Sandpiper - 1 at E. de los Molinos on 28 Nov and 3 there 3 Dec. 1 at Giniginimar 29 Nov. 1 at Nuevo Horizonte 1 Dec. 1 at El Cotillo 1 Dec. 1 in the crocodile enclosure at La Lajita zoo on 2 Dec.
Turnstone - 6 at La Salinas 28 Nov. 1 at Los Gorriones beach 29 Nov. 2 at El Cotillo 1 Dec.
Black-headed Gull - 2 at Nuevo Horizonte 27 Nov and 1 north at El Cotillo on 1 Dec.
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 10 at Giniginimar and 53 at Playa Sotavento on 29 Nov. Very small numbers at Nuevo Horizonte in sea-watches each day.
Yellow-legged Gull - Seen commonly around the coast and in flight inland, but numbers only moderate.
Kittiwake - 1 first winter flew north off Nuevo Horizonte on 4 Dec.
Sandwich Tern - A total of 23 seen at coastal sites, with a maximum of 8 at the American Star wreck on 2 Dec.
Black-bellied Sandgrouse - 13, in four groups, at Matas Blancas on 29 Nov. 4 flew over Las Penitas 30 Nov. 7 on Tindaya Plain 1 Dec.
Rock Dove - Up to 20 a day seen, mixed with feral birds.
Collared Dove - 50 at Stella Canaris, Jandia, on 29 Nov and 25 at La Lajita on 2 Dec, with smaller numbers seen in Antigua, Gran Tarajal, El Cotillo and Costa Calma.
Laughing Dove - At least 8 were visiting the cactus section of the garden centre at La Lajita to drink from a dripping pipe on 2 Dec. They were not associated with the adjacent zoo, nor with the Collared Doves in the area, and seemed to depart after drinking. Presumably a new colonist spreading from southern Morocco.
Monk Parakeet - 55+ at Stella Canaris, Jandia, on 29 Nov, with several communal nests under construction in palm trees. (No other parakeets were seen, unlike on our last visit.)
Plain Swift - Just 4 at Rosa de Catalina Garcia lagoon on 2 Dec.
Hoopoe - A total of 12 seen, with 4 at E. de los Molinos the only concentration.
Lesser Short-toed Lark - 210 at E. de los Molinos on 3 Dec was the only large flock; 30 on Tindaya Plain and 15 on El Cotillo Plain on 1 Dec.
Swallow - 1 at Jandia 29 Nov.
Berthelot's Pipit - Small numbers seen almost everywhere, about 60 in all.
White Wagtail - 5 at E. de los Molinos 28 Nov, with 6 there 3 Dec. 1 on Tindaya plain 1 Dec. 1 at Rosa de Catalina Garcia lagoon and 2 at La Lajita on 2 Dec.
Robin - 1 at Nuevo Horizonte daily. 1 at La Lajita garden centre 2 Dec.
Canary Island Stonechat - 5 (2 pairs and a lone male) in Barranco de Torre on 28 Nov. 1 male at Giniginimar on 29 Nov. A pair at the American Star wreck site on 2 Dec. A pair at El Puerto de los Molinos on 3 Dec.
Song Thrush - 1 at Las Penitas 30 Nov.
Spectacled Warbler - 12, including 2 singing males, in Barranco de Torre on 28 Nov. 3 in beach scrub at Jandia 29 Nov. 1 female Las Penitas 30 Nov. 1 El Cotillo Plain on 1 Dec. 4 at Rosa de Catalina Garcia and 1 at La Lajita on 2 Dec.
Sardinian Warbler - 2 in Barranco de Torre on 28 Nov. 1 at Giniginimar 29 Nov. 2 at Betancuria and 5 at Las Penitas on 30 Nov.
Blackcap - 2 at Betancuria 30 Nov. 1 at La Lajita 2 Dec.
Blue Tit - 5 at Betancuria 30 Nov.
Southern Grey Shrike - A total of 25 seen.
Raven - 25 together near Llanos de la Concepcion on 3 Dec and a total of about 30 in other areas.
Spanish Sparrow - Seen commonly.
Greenfinch - 1 at La Lajita 2 Dec.
Linnet - 1 at Nuevo Horizonte on 28 Nov. 2 at La Lajita 2 Dec.
Trumpeter Finch - 45 at E. de los Molinos 28 Nov and 50 there 3 Dec. 125 in Barranco de Torre on 28 Nov. Small numbers seen elsewhere including up to 4 around rubbish bins at Nuevo Horizonte daily.

Escaped Species

Yellow-billed Stork - 1 on the west end of Playa Sotavento beach on 29 Dec.
Sacred Ibis or Black-headed Ibis - 1 flying over Jandia beach on 29 Dec.
(Both Stella Canaris and La Lajita house collections that could have been the source of these birds)

Other wildlife noted

Dolphins were seen off Nuevo Horizonte on three days, with 10 Risso's Dolphins on 27 Nov and 1 on 3 Dec, and 5+ Bottle-nosed Dolphins on 4 Dec. Barbary Ground Squirrels were seen at several sites including Matas Blancas and Barranco de Torre. House Mice were seen in bird cages at La Lajita Zoo and also near the shore at Nuevo Horizonte.

Butterflies identified were Plain Tiger, Red Admiral, Painted Lady and Greenish Black Tip.

An Emperor Dragonfly was seen in the river bed at Las Penitas, along with an as yet unidentified second species of odonata.

Notes on sites

Fuerteventura is now well covered by a variety of birding guide-books and trip reports, including our own write-ups from 1994 and 1996/7, so what is different due to recent developments?

A new golf course south of Caleta de Fuste could produce unusual records in the same way as courses on Tenerife have become regular birding sites. Unfortunately a lot of the coastal tamarisks have gone to make way for the adjacent hotels.

Something has killed off much of the vegetation around Embalse de los Molinos, with the tamarisks gone and the tobacco plants regenerating. This means that Canary Island Stonechat, and other stuff like Spectacled Warbler, is harder to find there.

The nude bathing phenomenon is all along the excellent Playa Sotavento between Costa Calma and Jandia, but the birds are still there. Kite-surfing is another disturbance along there. Nudists are now all along the shore north of El Cotillo too.

Matas Blancas dunes seem even more popular with walkers and so there is much more disturbance. It is even more important to get there early in the morning. We watched three Houbaras almost disappear as two people walked past about 500 metres away from them.

It seems Dave Gosney's La Oliva orchard site for a Houbara stake-out is good at dawn as well as at dusk, bit it depends on there being fruit on the ground around the trees. We saw nothing the evening we tried but four weeks later two birders (Chris and Alison Hall of New Horizons) had amazing early morning views.

A new road cuts across from Nuevo Horizonte to Antigua, reducing journey times, and the main road south to Jandia is being improved extensively.

Steve Lister and Megan Hall
stevelister@surfbirder.com Tel 01509 212952