"Birds in Extremadura, Spain, April 26th- May 5th, 2017", Glenn Morris. Go to Glenn's Home Page

This is a list of birds seen in Extremadura, Spain, on a trip superbly organised by Peter Challinor.

It is preceded by a list of the main birdwatching sites. Click on the highlighted species to see photos taken with a lightweight Fuji Finepix camera with up to 42x optical zoom.

Monfrague Campsite, MFC = Footpaths E, W and S within 1-2km of the Campsite south of Placencia

Monfrague National Park, MFP = all from roads through the Park and the buffer zone (ZEPA) south of the Park

Rio Almonte Bridge, RAB = birds seen from the around the bridge on road EX-208

Arrocampo, AR = a large wetland area near Saucedilla and Almaraz, west of the National Park.

Gaudiloba, GU = the artificial lake near Guadi Park restaurant and the surrounding steppes west of Caceres

Talavan, TA = area around a small lake on the CC-41 road south of Talavan

The CC-122 road north of Caceres, CC122

Sierra del Gredos, GRE = the Gredos Forest and the road up to the "Plataforma"

Tornovacas, TOR = the N-110 road up to the Tornovacas Pass and beyond

Parador Gredos, PAR = the hotel grounds and surroundings

Santa Marta Steppes, SMS = steppes between Trujillo and Caceres

Belen Steppes, BEL = steppes NW of Trujillo and Belen

Madrigalejo, MAD = irrigation fields and small wetland

La Serena, SER = vast area of farmland and steppes, east of Don Benito

Campo Lugar, CAM = town, steppes to the west and Embalse de Sierra Brava

To see a full-size photo, CLICK on the bird name (not on the photo itself)

1. Egyptian Goose (singles at AR, CAM)

2. Gadwall (3 at AR, 4 at TA)

3. Mallard (widespread, max 80 at CAM)

4. Redcrested Pochard(1 at AR)

5. Redlegged Partridge (Max 5 at SER, also at MFP and GU)

6. Little Grebe (Max 6 at BEL, singles at AR, SER, MFP)

7. Great Crested Grebe (Max 10 at CAM, plus 2 at TA)

8. Black Stork (MFP only, at least 2 pairs)

9. White Stork (common and widespread nesting, max soaring flock of 44 at AR)

10. Cormorant (Max 25 at AR, plus 3 at GU, 1 at MFP)

11. Little Bittern (pair at AR only)

12. Grey Heron (max 3 at AR and BEL, also MFP and MAD)

13. Purple Heron (max 4 at GU, also at AR)

14. Great White Egret (Max of 3 singles at AR, plus 1 at BEL)

15. Little Egret (Max 12 at AR, also at SER)

16. Cattle Egret (Max 95 at AR)

17. Squacco Heron (singles at AR only)

18. Glossy Ibis (1 at AR)

19. Spoonbill (2 at AR)

20. Black-shouldered Kite (max 3 at AR, 2ad + 1 juv.)

21. Egyptian Vulture (max 3 at MFP only)

22. Griffon Vulture (very common, max of 50 soaring at both MFP and CAM)

23. Black Vulture (quite common and widespread max 25 at MFP, also at MFC, SER AR and CC122))

24. Short-toed Eagle (fairly common as singles or pairs at AR, RAB, MFP, SER, GU and SMS)

25. Booted Eagle (usually singles at MFC, MFP, AR, SMS, PAR, GU, TOR and SER)

dark-phase)

26. Spanish Imperial Eagle(pair at MFP, perched and in flight)

27. Golden Eagle (pair at GU only)

28. Bonelli's Eagle (single at RAB only)

29. Marsh Harrier(max 3 at MAD, also at AR, SER and CAM)

30. Montagu's Harrier (localised; 9 at SER

and a single black-phase at GU)

31. Black Kite (very common, max 30 at CAM)

32. Red Kite (max 2 at AR, 1 regular at MFC)

33. Common Buzzard (singles at MFC, AR, SMS, BEL and GRE)

34. Great Bustard (max 6 at CAM, plus 1 at SER and 1 overhead at MFC)

35. Water Rail (heard only at AR)

36. Western Swamphen (heard only at AR)

37. Moorhen (singles at AR, SER, MAD and TA)

38. Coot (max 8 at AR, also at TA)

39. Black-winged Stilt (max 12 at AR, plus SER and GU)

40. Little Ringed Plover (3 in flight at SER and 1 at MAD)

41. Collared Pratincole (14 at SER only)

42. Gull spp (1 imm. at GU, distant view)

43. Gull-billed Tern (max 20 at AR only)

44. Pintailed Sandgrouse (flock of 30 at SER only)

45. Black-bellied Sandgrouse (10 at SER only)

46. Feral Pigeon (large flocks at MFP)

47. Wood Pigeon (max 2 at MFP and MFC, also at AR and CC122)                        

48. Collared Dove (widespread, max 14 at MFC)

49. Turtle Dove (2 at CC122 and 1 at MFP)

50. Great Spotted Cuckoo (1 at SER only)

51. Cuckoo (common in the Monfrague area, few sightings elsewhere )

52. Scop's Owl (2 heard at MFC)

53. Little Owl (max 4 at SER only)

54. Rednecked Nightjar (2 heard and glimpsed at MFC)

55. Alpine Swift (6 at MFP only)

56. Swift (max 90 at MFP)

57. Pallid Swift (probably present though not positively identified)

58. Hoopoe (common and widespread, max 4 at SER and MAD)

59. Kingfisher (single at AR only)

60. Bee-eater (common, max 30 at BEL)

61. Roller (singles or pairs at SER, MAD and GU)

62. Great Spotted Woodpecker (singles at MFP and GRE)

63. Lesser Kestrel (widespread, but easily confused with Common Kestrel)

64. Kestrel (probably fairly common, though only one toe-nail ID)

65. Peregrine (1 in flight at MFP)

66. Southern Grey Shrike (max 4 at AR, also SMS, BEL, CAM. SER, MAD, MFP)

67. Woodchat Shrike (max 4 at MFP, also SMS, SER, MFC, RAB, CC122)

68. Golden Oriole (heard at MFP, pair at CC122)

69. Jay (single at TOR only)

70. Azure-winged Magpie (common at MFC, max 6, also SMS, MFP, MAD and CC122)

71. Magpie (max 6 at AR, also TOR, SER, CAM and GU)

72. Chough (2 pairs at SER only)

73. Jackdaw (max 20 at CAM, also at SER, AR and GU)

74. Raven (singles at TOR and CAM)

75. Greater Short-toed Lark (2 at GU only)

76. Calandra Lark (common on the steppes at BEL, SER and GU)

77. Woodlark (max 3 at MFC, singing day and night, also at TOR)

78. Thekla Lark (also common away from human habitation, but rarely specifically identified)

79. Crested Lark (common roadside bird throughout, especially near habitation)

80. Sand Martin (max 6 at AR, also 1 at SER)

81. Crag Martin (max 20 at MFP, also at RAB and GRE)

82. Barn Swallow (common throughout, max 30 at AR)

83. Redrumped Swallow (common throughout, max 10 in Monfrague area)

84. House Martin (max 100 at MFP, also AR, MFC, TOR, SER and CC122)

85. Coal Tit (max 6 at GRE; also PAR)

86. Crested Tit (single at PAR only)

87. Blue Tit (MFP, MFC and TOR)

88. Great Tit (MFP, MFC, PAR, CC122 and TOR)

89. Longtailed Tit (max 10 at MFP only)

90. Nuthatch (singles at GRE, PAR and MFC)

91. Short-toed Treecreeper (single at MFP only)

92. Wren (heard MFP and CC122 only)

93. Goldcrest (2 at GRE only)

94. Firecrest (1 at GRE only)

95. Cetti's Warbler (commonly heard near water throughout, seen at MAD)

96. Western Bonelli's Warbler (road to TOR only)

97. Melodious Warbler (1 at MFC only)

98. Reed Warbler (heard at AR only)

99. Great Reed Warbler (seen and heard at AR, SER, RAB, MAD and TA)

100. Savi's Warbler (singles at AR only)

101. Zitting Cisticola (seen and heard in display in open areas)

102. Blackcap (TOR and Gargantua waterfall only)

103. Western Orphean Warbler (seen at MFP[buffer zone] and heard at SMS)

104. Subalpine Warbler (MFP only)

105. Sardinian Warbler (max 3 at MFC, alos MFP, RAB and AR)

106. Whitethroat (singles at TOR and SER)

107. Dartford Warbler (max 3 seen at Gargantua waterfall, also TOR and MFP)

108. Robin (singles at GRE and MFP)

109. Nightingale (max 5 singM at MFC; common throughout)

110. Pied Flycatcher (1 at GRE)

111. Black Redstart (max 4 at GRE, also PAR, MFC and MFP)

112. Blue Rock Thrush (common at MFP in rocky areas)

113. Stonechat (max 4 at MFC, common throughout)

114. Wheatear (6 at GRE only)

115. Black-eared Wheatear (single at SER only)

116. Blackbird (max 5 at MFP, also at MFC, RAB, PAR and GRE)

117. Mistle Thrush (max 3 at CC122, plus 1 at MFC)

118. Spotless Starling (max 30 at MFC, also MFP, CAM and TA)

119. Dunnock (1 at GRE only)

120. Yellow Wagtail (3 at GRE and 1 at Serradilla)

121. Grey Wagtail (2 at GRE and PAR, 1 at TOR and MFC)

122. White Wagtail (RAB, GRE and AR)

123. Water Pipit (3 at GRE only)

124. Rock Bunting(2 at both GRE and MFP)

125. Ortolan Bunting (1 at GRE only)

126. Corn Bunting(common thoughout, max 10 at SMS)

127. Chaffinch (fairly common, max 14 at MFP)

128. Greenfinch (max 3 at MFC, plus 1 at AR)

129. Goldfinch (common in Monfrague area, amx 5 at MFC)

130. Linnet (max 6 at TOR, also GRE and MFP)

131. Serin (max 6 at MFC, also MFP, PAR and CC122)

132. Hawfinch (1 at MFC only)

133. House Sparrow (common near habitation, max 30 at MFC)

134. Spanish Sparrow (max 20 at SMS, also RAB, CC122, GU and TA)

135. Tree Sparrow (4 at MAD only)

136. Waxbill (1 at MFC only)

137. Red Avadavat (20 at MAD only)