I had booked 4 days with Stephen Christopher whose expertise and knowledge I was hoping would get me two lifers in Spain (Dupont’s Lark, Citril Finch) plus also finding a few others that I could hopefully photograph as well (Lammergeir, Wallcreeper, Alpine Accentor). Sadly in the end I only managed Dupont’s Lark and missed out on the Lammergeir, but I also only got very poor photos of the two I did see. I had also booked to stay at Stephens place for a further three days and hired a car so that I could do some birding on my own.

I was being joined by two other guys from Britain, Clive and David. Clive I met up with at Luton Airport and David we met at Barcelona airport. It was quite late by the time we met Stephen so there was only time for a meal before going to bed.

Feb 27th Wallcreeper site plus the La Leida Steppes

In an area fairly close to where Stephen lives a Wallcreeper had decided to set up winter residence and had been there since November but it was getting close to the time when it would leave for the summer. Stephen reckoned morning was best as the Wallcreeper showed well, usually about 7.45am so we duly arrived at 7.30am and waited until 7.43am when it showed on the cliff face. Sadly it was too high for decent photography but I did manage a couple of record shots which is more than I had before. A few birds were added at this site which were Audoin’s Gull, Peregrine, Sardinian Warbler, Blue Rock Thrush, Crested Tit, Black Redstart & Serin.

Our target birds at the Steppes were Little Bustard and Pin-tailed Sandgrouse. We got the latter but no show on the Bustard, although Clive saw two on our way back home as we drove down the motorway. On the way we added birds such as Crag Martin, White Stork & Spotless Starling plus Stephen stopped at a site where Stone Curlew had been seen and sure enough there were over thirty of them. They were very flighty but I managed a few flight shots of them.

At the reserve birds we did see were Calandra Lark, Skylark, Red Kite, Corn Bunting, Chough, Southern Grey Shrike, Griffon, Hen Harrier, Marsh Harrier, Black-shouldered Kite, Hoopoe, Thekla & Crested Lark, Pin-tailed Sandgrouse & on the way back home we added Black Wheatear, Green Woodpecker and a juvenile Golden Eagle.

Back at Stephens place the three of us decided to go for a short walk in the wooded area near his house. Nothing to be seen in the woods but as we ventured out of them two Bonellie’s Eagles flew by. As it was so late in the day the light conditions were bad for photography but I managed a couple of silhouette images of one of the birds.We did see a Raven here as well

Feb 28th Belchite

En route to Belchite we saw a few Crane flying overhead plus a few White Stork thermalling over a tip.

We arrived at the El Planeron reserve and soon realised our work was going to be hard in finding this bird as there was a fierce bitingly cold wind blowing across the reserve. It was about 9.30am when we arrived and we met two French birders that had been there at 4am. They had heard three birds but hadn’t seen any so my thoughts were that we might miss out this time in these conditions. We drifted around various parts of the reserve adding a few birds before eventually settling on one area.

After a while Stephen actually had a brief view of one but we didn’t see it but it gave us hope. We ventured out of the car in the bright sunlight and eventually we heard three briefly calling birds. The wind was so strong and cold that we had to go back to the car. As we drove back through the reserve David shouted he might have one. Stephen looked over and confirmed it was one and straight away it was joined by a second one. Unfortunately I was on the wrong side of the car for photography but David and Clive got good photos of one of the birds. Other birds seen at this site were Chough, Black-bellied Sangrouse, Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Lesser Short-toed Lark, Hen Harrier & Calandra Lark.

Stephen knew of a place that might give us Great Bustard. It was called Bujaraloz. On the way we had brilliant views of two juvenile Golden Eagles and a third later on at a picnic site we stopped at.

At Bujaraloz we connected with six distant Great Bustards straight away, the only ones we saw. We also added a few more Black-bellied Sandrouse and a Marsh Harrier before moving onto another site that Stephen had seen Duponts Lark before.

Los Molegros, Don Juan.

No show of any Dupont’s but we did find more Black-bellied Sandgrouse, as well as Hoopoe in numbers, Little Owl, Golden Plover, Calandra Lark, Stonechat, Black Redstart and Chough.

March 1st. The Pyrennes

It was off to the Pyrennes in the hope of seeing Citril Finch, Snowfinch plus Lammergeir..

We were taken to the Cadi-Moixero Parc area of the Pyrennes and as soon as we arrived there was a problem. It was bitterly cold with a fierce wind. The cold cut straight through you making walking difficult. We did try but David & I couldn’t cope as it was far too cold so it was back to the car.

We searched for hours for both Snowfinch, Citril Finch and Lammergeir but in the end we had to give up. In fact there were virtually no raptors at all and when we did see about 5 Griffons it was very late in the day. Stephen thought that maybe a carcass had been found and all the Vultures would be feeding on that.

Still there were bonuses to be found. 5 very obliging Alpine accentors that posed for photos to be taken plus we saw Alpine Chough, Ring Ouzel & Dipper.

We had to leave relatively early as Clive was only staying for three days and had to be back at the airport for about 6pm.

March 2nd Llobregat Delta

We started at the Wallcreeper site in the hope of better photos but it didn’t show so we moved onto the first reserve on the Llobregat Delta (Maresma De Les Filipines). Spotted Crake being the challenge of the day with also the hope of Penduline Tit and Moustached Warbler. The Crake showed well and I managed a few images of it and two Penduline’s briefly showed but although we heard a few Moustached Warblers none showed.

Apart from the above nothing else unusual showed so it was off to the other side of the Delta to the Espais Naturalis Del Riu. Again nothing major showed apart from 3 Black-necked Grebes.

This was David’s last day and he had to be at the airport for about 3.30pm.

After dropping David off I had to wait for a pick up to take me to my car.

March 3rd Nuria

A site Stephen knew to be reliable for Citril Finch. What I hadn’t been prepared for was the atrocious weather. Driving along the motorway system around Barcelona in rush hour in driving torrential rain is no fun but thankfully I managed to get onto the C17 for the northward journey to Nuria, thanks mainly to Stephen lending me his Sat Nav.

Just outside of Vic it started to snow then I realised the roads had black ice on them so I slowed right down. Sure enough 2 kilometres further on there was an accident and whilst I waited to get through I witnessed an accident on the opposite carriageway when the driver lost control in these icy conditions. Thankfully there was a concrete barrier between him & me because he hit it right by the side of my car. With no barrier I would have been written off.

Thankfully I got away from there without any further problems and even the snow stopped falling. I reached the station at Queralbs to get the rack train up to Nuria and it started to snow. By the time I had got into the train it was snowing heavily and at Nuria it was snowing so heavy, and the cloud cover was so low, that I just knew I wasn’t going to see anything. Certainly I had no chance of Citril Finch. The only birds I had in three hours searching were two Mistle Thrush, two Chaffinch, one Robin and a Dipper. I even tried the cable car in the hope of possibly seeing birds at the top of the trees we were passing but no chance. In the end I was glad to be off that mountain and on my way home. That was a disastrous day. Thankfully I managed a few nice scenic shots from the train and I have posted them on the Landscapes page (including a couple at Nuria when the snow had slowed down enough to allow photography).

March 4th Ebro Delta

It was roughly about 65 miles on the motorway to the L’Ampolla turn off but what an expensive journey this was, nearly £30 in toll charges for a 65 miles each way journey and when I got there it was thunder & lightning and torrential rain, plus inky black skies. I was honestly thinking of packing up and going back home.

I had arrived at about 8am so I couldn’t think where else to go and as there was a chink of light in the distance that appeared to be coming closer I decided to stick it out.

It rained continuously for the next hour then on & off until about 1pm then it became very windy with a bitingly cold wind.

I called into a few sites around the northern and southern areas and yet I missed out on most of the specialties of the area such as Slender-billed Gull, Audoin’s Gull, Caspian Tern, Squacco Heron, Night Heron, Penduline Tit & Moustached Warbler. In fact I had a very disappointing day all round with not a fantastic amount of birds showing at all, which was probably down to the weather.

The best was an over wintering Osprey that I saw catch a fish then fly back over onto the land. I did manage a silhouette shot before re-finding the bird 100 yards away eating the fish. I managed a few record shots of it. Other highlights with the photography were managing to photograph Greenshank, Redshank & Wood Sandpiper.

As I drove out of the Ebro Delta I decided to call into the La Ampolla to see if I could see any of the gulls and terns I missed. I didn’t find any but what I did find was a huge roost of gulls, mainly Mediterranean Gulls, of which there were thousands of them. Very impressive.

March 5th last day

I wanted to go to a site close to the Wallcreeper site that Stephen had recommended but somehow I missed the junction and ended up going through the toll. That was an expensive mistake. Having passed it I decided to finish the day off at the Llobregat Delta. That was an interesting choice as I soon realised I hadn’t a clue where to go for it.

Two hours after arriving in the area I eventually found the reserve I wanted (Maresma De Les Filipines). This was one of two reserves Stephen had brought us to a few days earlier. That day there had been a spotted Crake there and whilst I managed some reasonable photos of it I was hoping that with five hours to spare before going to the airport I might get even better ones.

It was sunny and warm and definitely the best, weather wise, day of the week. Unfortunately there had been quite a rise in the depth of water on the reserve and where the Crake had been was suddenly submerged. There were also no waders, apart from a single Green Sandpiper and a few Redshank that were on view but as at least one Redshank was seen coming out of a grassy area so it is possible that all the waders were in there.

Highlights were a pair of Flamingo that flew about 80 yards away in front of the hide and a lone Glossy Ibis that dropped in to feed. There was a contentious looking Swallow that at first looked like a Red-rumped Swallow but wasn’t. I have posted three photos of it in Birdforum in the hope it we be properly ID’d (but is possibly an aberrant Barn swallow).

That was it. This turned out to be the least productive trip I have done abroad regarding major species but in the end there were some good highlights. Alpine Accentor being one of them plus only the second Wallcreeper I have ever seen.

The motorway toll costs are really offputting and unless you have good knowledge of the minor roads that is the only way to go. Also at this time of the year the sunrise is close to rush hour so any relatively close sites that you need to go to that involve travelling by car means you get caught up in the horrendous rush hour traffic.

I can’t see me going to this area again at this time of year but when it gets lighter later in the year it would mean you would have time to start out well before rush hour. Getting to know alternative routes might be handy as well if you want to cut the costs down.