Dawn On The Plains Day Four Wild Spain Custom Tour 26 April 2022
Dawn On The Plains Day Four Wild Spain Custom Tour 26 April 2022
Male Little Bustard another of our most wanted birds on this part of the tour.
We were out into the dark of pre-dawn, following a first breakfast in our hotel rooms thanks to the raid on the supermarket yesterday, it was cold but calm. We headed west from Trujillo and drove through a belt of cork oaks stopping in the dark to listen. We did not have to wait long until we heard the distinctive “sonar-like” call of a Scops Owl and it was soon answered by two more.
On the edge of the “dehesa” oak woodland we stopped again, still dark though light showing to the east and listened again. Crested Larks were already high above in the inky sky pouring out their songs, a Common Cuckoo called and was joined by a hoo-poing Hoopoe. Then a strange call reached our ears a Stone Curlew was “wailing” as if flew above us and Steve did well to spot it.
As the light spilled across the vast sky from the east we moved a little further and walked out along a dirt track across the rolling grass plain covered in wild flowers. Here the bird song we much louder with big brutish larks, Calandras, joining the dawn chorus with their wonderful songs and mimicry of other birds. Corn Buntings were every few dozen yards singing their rasping songs – the sound track of Extremadura. Further away strode magnificent male Great Bustards with Montagu’s Harrier floating past them as Black and Red Kites drifted across the plains. We could see the castle of Trujillo in the background beneath the now blue sky what a wonderful place to be.
We heard the distinctive calls of Pin-tailed Sandgrouse and scanned the vast sky for the gorgeous birds and after several flight views we spotted some on the ground. The top of the range telescopes really cam into their own here transforming these lumps in the grass into beautiful birds, just wow! A few minutes later it was the same story when we heard a very welcome sound – the raspberry blowing of a male Little Bustard! Another of our sought after species this morning and the scopes allowed us to see his “Newcastle United scarf” as he threw his head back calling his most bizarre call.
We then headed back to the hotel for a huge second breakfast all those amazing birds give you an appetite for sure.
European Rollers use nest boxes provided to help boost the population of this fantastic bird.
Second breakfast done we headed back to the plains to a different area and soon found our main target bird – European Roller – and we spent ages watching and photographing them such wonderful birds. Of course there was so much more to see here with a flock of Great Bustards, two fantastic Spanish Imperial Eagles soared close by and we could hear them calling to each other, lots of Lesser Kestrels, super views of Short-toed Larks and more! What a fantastic place.
Next we headed back to Trujillo to have some time exploring this beautiful historic town and of course to watch the nesting White Storks, Lesser Kestrels and Pallid Swifts the beauty of a custom tour – it is tailor made to how our guests want it.
Another wonderful day on our custom-made Wild Spain tour! We would love to arrange a custom Birdwatching Trips tour for you or you and a small group, maximum of six guests, anywhere you would love to enjoy great birds. Just drop us a line here and we can do the rest…
info@birdwatchingtrips.co.ukWe have run our special custom tours to many destinations here in the UK and overseas including Spain, Finland, Borneo, Ecuador, South Africa so just ask us and we can help.