Photos with this report (click to enlarge) | |||
 Yellow-browed Warbler |
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A nice window from work in winter with my ten-year-old son Eskil, who bacame a valuable spotter on the narrow tarmac roads of Fuerteventura. Thanks to Terje Axelsen for once again lending me his copy of "A Birdwatchers' Guide to The Canary Islands" by Tony Clark and David Collins. I also brought my GPS and several recent trip reports to make sure that all needed species of birds would be securely ticked off. Apart from being a tourist-trap badly infested by Brits and Germans (however not as bad as Tenerife, which I visited last year), this desolate island in the Atlantic ocean certainly produced many brilliant birds, thank you very much.
Flight
For me and my son from Oslo with Norwegian 9800 NOK away trip including one luggage. Eastern Norway suffered from a nasty blizzard on the morning of our departure and we barely reached our flight due to a horrible car-accident right in front of us, sending four people to hospital.
Car hire
Used Budget which was via Avis kiosk. Had to wait half an hour in a queue, which was a bit frustrating since it cost us the last half-an-hour of daylight on Day 1.Payed 1090 NOK including insurance for a VW Polo Turbo
Accommodation
Booked accommodation via hotels.com in Costa de Antigua, namely Apartamentos Globales Costa Tropical for 1600 NOK. It proved ideal geographically, a short drive to all localities and excellent sea-watch every evening, even though we stayed on the 1st floor. It would definitely had been better on the 2nd floor, which is the top floor, but I didnt bother to try to change the room. The hotel was full of noisy Brits, but they at least had the decency to be quiet after 11 PM. Thanks!
Food & drink
Take away pizza from the hotel with Paulaner and Fanta Lemon became the daily habit. Also ate grilled octopus in Betancuria, king prawns in La Oliva and döner kebab in Puerto Rosario.
Itinerary
DAY ONE (15th Feb)- Costa de Antigua
Picked up our car and shopped at Mercadona and it was dark
DAY TWO (16th Feb)- Casas de la Salinas
Got there before the salt museum opened, so there were a few birds around
Barranco de la Torre
Parked just south of the bridge and took a long walk all the way through the barranco
DAY THREE (17th Feb) - El Cotillo and La Oliva
Found the track south from El Cotillo and went on from there.
DAY FOUR (18th Feb) - Los Molinos, Betancuria and Vega de Rio Palmas
Highlight of the trip. Lots of birds and butterflies.
DAY FIVE (19th Feb) - Jandia, Pajara
Found a Yellow-browed Warbler: a long way from home, indeed.
DAY SIX (20th Feb)- Costa de Antigua
Chilling out and playing football. A short trip to Caleta de Fuste and La Oliva
DAY SEVEN (26th Feb) - Costa de Antigua, Puerto Rosario
Shopping, chilling out and playing football before flying home.
AVES: (Species seen on more than two occasions are not mentioned furtherly)
Black-necked Grebe - 1 at Los Molinos on 18th
Cory’s Shearwater - max 90 off Costa de Antigua on 16th
Little Shearwater - 2+1 on 16th and 1 on 18th (video) off Costa de Antigua:
Gannet - max 240 off Costa de Antigua on 16th
Great Skua - 1 off Costa de Antigua on 18th
Grey Heron
Little Egret
Ruddy Shelduck
Egyptian Vulture
Common Buzzard
Kestrel
Barbary Falcon - 2 Vega de Rio Palmas on 18th
Barbary Partridge
Coot - A non-breeding assemblage at Molinos
Houbara Bustard - 3 El Cotillo on 16th and 1 La Oliva on 20th
Black-winged Stilt - Up to 30 Los Molinos
Cream-coloured Courser - 2 El Cotillo on 16th and 2 Jandia on 19th
Little Ringed Plover - Up to 4 Molinos
Grey Plover
Ringed Plover
Kentish Plover
Sanderling
Turnstone
Wood Sandpiper - 1 at Los Molinos
Green Sandpiper - 1 at Los Molinos
Common Sandpiper
Spotted Redshank - 1 at Los Molinos
Greenshank - Up to 3 at Molinos
Whimbrel
Yellow-legged Gull - Daily in reasonable numbers bearing in mind I was very sparing with coastal visits
Lesser Black-backed Gull - max 25 at Puerto del Rosario on 22nd
Kittiwake - 2 off Costa de Antigua on 16th
Sandwich Tern - max 90 off Costa de Antigua at 16th
Black-bellied Sandgrouse - 9 at Los Molinos
Feral Pigeon
Collared Dove
Turtle Dove
Pallid Swift
Plain Swift - 5 at the airport
Hoopoe
Lesser Short-toed Lark
Berthelot’s Pipit
White Wagtail
Grey Wagtail
House Martin
Robin
Fuerteventura Chat - Up to 10 seen
Song Thrush
Blackcap
Sardinian Warbler
Spectacled Warbler
Chiffchaff
Willow Warbler - 1 at Los Molinos
Yellow-browed Warbler - 1 at Pajara on 19th
Ultramarine Tit
Southern Grey Shrike
Raven
Starling - 1 at Los Molinos
Spanish Sparrow
Linnet
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
Siskin
Trumpeter Finch
ESCAPES
Red-vented Bulbul - 2 at Lajara
BUTTERFLIES
Greenish Black-tip
Green-striped White
Small White
African Migrant
Painted Lady
Clouded Yellow
Geranium Bronze
Monarch
Spoladea recurvalis