Canary Islands- Tenerife, La Gomera and Fuertaventura
4th to 11th July 2003
A very personal diary
I arose early taking great care not to awaken Pat, let out the puss and took breakfast, and was ready for the off by 0400 hrs. I had booked a taxi for 0415, but he was sitting outside by 0400 watching “Bollywood” films on his in-car DVD player. He was a very pleasant Indian with a Vauxhall Omega, and dropped me at the railway station at 0435. There were very few people about, and my train standing in platform six was still locked. Doors opened at 0455, and our very lightly loaded HST left spot on time at 0505. The train gradually filled up, and I alighted at Luton on time, with a twenty minute wait for my Thameslink train to Gatwick. The train was fairly empty at first, but filled up, only to empty again at London Bridge. I gave Pat a wake up call on my mobile phone as we crossed the Thames near the Tate Modern.
Arrival at Gatwick was on time, after an extremely fast run through the South London suburbs.
Gatwick was a shambles, with queues everywhere. I was met by Tony Clarke who gave me my tickets. After passing into the departure lounge, I was unable to find our party, and so boarded our “Thomas Cooke” B757 on my own. I was relieved to see that it had the correct engines however.
We took off approximately on time, and I soon found that I was seated behind
Tony, with Mike, Bill, and Martin across the gangway. I was seated with two
wealthy middle aged nutters who had bought a place in Tenerife. One of
them suffered from bad health and the other next to me was somewhat drunk
and commenced to get drunker with four more miniatures of whiskey during
the flight, whence he got very loquacious, and rather loud.
Knee room wasn’t too generous, but it wasn’t too bad, since I was against the gangway. There was little to see out of the window anyway, since there was total cloud cover until we passed over Spain.
We had an adequate meal etc. and landed at Reina Sofia airport, Tenerife on time.
With my travelling companions vowing eternal friendship, I contacted the rest of our party, whom I managed to sort out within a day or two.
Baggage arrived quickly, and we had a fairly long wait for our transport outside the terminal building in the heat.
I found that Mike Duffy and Bill were very much into butterflies, so we scoured the flower beds recording LONG TAILED BLUE, AFRICAN MIGRANT, and SMALL WHITE in the process, as well as EMPEROR DRAGONFLY, and CRIMSON DARTER. Our first Canarian birds were COLLARED DOVE and SPANISH SPARROW, flitting about the car park.
Following a longish wait our transport arrived in the shape of two quite new Opel Vivaro nine seater mini busses. After loading we set off in the late afternoon heat along the main Autopista, soon branching off to the north.
I noted that the coastal strip still looked like a gravel pit, but as we got onto the mountain the greenery appeared, as did the hairpin bends and long drops appeared.
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A few miles before our destination; Vilaflor, Tony stopped in order for us to get
PLAIN SWIFT out of the way, as he put it. Ten to fifteen of the birds were
zooming over a village. He pointed out the total lack of markings, and their somewhat lazy mode of flying. We found out that they were common virtually everywhere. I had seen them on my previous visit, but had failed to identify them. We also saw a KESTREL of the Tenerife sub species canariensis
which appeared darker and more heavily barred than our own.
As we came into Vilaflor where we were staying, our driver, Tony informed us
that since dinner wasn’t served until 1900, we wouldn’t waste time at the hotel, but would go straight up the mountain for a couple of hours.
This was the pattern for almost the entire week, leaving little time for leisure.
If we managed a quick drink before dinner, we were doing well.
Anyway, we headed further up the mountain into the pine forests, and pulled up at a hilly picnic site. “O.K. where are they”, said Tony, this being a good place for Blue Chaffinch. A tiny pool about two feet across with a pine tree growing out of it came under close scrutiny. The first visitors were five ATLANTIC CANARIES, somewhat duller than the domestic variety, with even the males something like a dull Yellowhammer, but a new bird for us all nonetheless. The dramatic arrival of a pair of BLUE CHAFFINCHES followed. These are far chunkier than the Common Chaffinch, and clumsier, crashing through the branches like a small Magpie. It occurred to me at this point that the birds in the Canary’s seemed tamer than at home. Two small butterflies then provoked some excitement, as they were identified as our first CANARY BLUES. Things got better with more Blue Chaffinches, and Canaries. A small warbler with a sweet song was identified as a CANARY CHIFF CHAFF. The song was surprisingly varied, but since they could be found almost everywhere, we soon got used to it. I had also seen this bird on my previous visit, but failed to identify it.
The finale was the Canary version of GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER
sub species canariensis, which has a buffish rather than a white breast.
Although this is quite obvious, this sub species has only recently been described. Four new birds, and three new butterflies so far, and we were only on day one.
As someone muttered, “at this rate we could be home by Tuesday”. Then it was back to the Hotel Alta Montana in Vilaflor some twenty miles from the coast and five thousand feet above it. It was located a few yards from the main road up a one in three hill. It was a modern spread out complex with a small swimming pool, any thoughts of using which proved impossible. We never had sufficient time. We were introduced to Anna, the manageress, an attractive lady in her fifties with a deep sexy voice. My room, number seven was located beneath the bar with a terrace looking towards the coast, not that it could be seen very often due to the temperature inversion cloud some three thousand feet below. The immediate view was of some of the villages
roof tops as they descended down the steep slope.. My room was simply but adequately appointed, and suited me very well. A welcoming drink of excellent red wine at 1900, was followed by a sample of the local pilsner; Dorada, and very nice too. Whilst on the terrace, we watched another of the endemic KESTRELS perched on a nearby post.
An endemic COMMON BUZZARD, subspecies insularum also glided across the valley, and a CANARY CHIFF CHAFF sang from a small tree a few yards away. These really are a very confiding bird. An excited yell from Mike Duffy mooching about the garden, sent the butterfly brigade into a tizzy with two specimens of the CANARY SPECKLED WOOD, more striped than speckled. Excitement over we sat down to a fish meal, followed by more Dorada. The other hotel guests; six Germans, left the following morning, leaving the hotel to ourselves. A debrief after dinner brought the bombshell that we would be leaving the hotel at 0700 in the morning, for the 0830 La Gomera ferry.
I took to my bed and went out like a light at 2300
I slept well until midnight, when I awoke with a strange feeling in my stomach.
From then until 0600, I spent as much time on the toilet, as I did in bed, in the meantime chewing on the maximum dosage of the necessary curative tablets.
This is not an unusual occurrence with me when on holiday, it must be the water! I certainly did not want to miss the trip to La Gomera for the endemic pigeons, and the sea birds.
Anyway, by morning, the worst seemed to be over, although I was very cautious with breakfast, eating only a dry bread roll, and sipping a cup of camomile tea, which Anna provided when she learned of my plight. She swore it would cure me; but whether it was the tea or the tablets, something certainly did.
The downhill trip to Los Christianos was carried out in almost complete silence from myself, since as well as feeling fragile, I was also suffering from lack of sleep.
The ferry to La Gomera was enormous. The car deck held five lines of vehicles; including our own, stood about four storeys high, and was about 100 metres long, and despite this and a later trip I never did manage to figure out the layout, and continually got lost.
Since the public weren’t allowed on the top deck front, or fore as they say, we ensconced ourselves at the two rear corners, edging out the phalanx of mainly German sun bathers, who weren’t interested in birds anyway. I was feeling much better as we edged out of the harbour into the smooth Atlantic Ocean, for the ninety minute trip.
As soon as we turned west we saw a small number of COMMON TERNS, and YELLOW LEGGED GULLS, and were soon into quite large numbers of COREYS SHEARWATERS, some very close to the ship affording good views, although as yet, there was no sign of our main target species; Little Shearwater and Bulwers Petrel, and any other bonus birds which might appear. The Germans came to life and dashed to the rail as we headed through a small pod of PILOT WHALES. We could look downwards and see them underwater a few yards from the ships bows. They ensured that everyone had a good view as they dived and resurfaced on the other side of the ship, before we left them behind.
Just before the halfway point, the wind rose, and the sea became rough, with eight to ten foot white capped waves. Coreys still featured, but were more difficult to see due to the troughs in the sea.
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A few moments excitement ensued, when an errant PLAIN SWIFT, and a FERAL PIGEON appeared, the Swift circling the ship until we arrived at La Gomera some forty minutes later. Tony on the other side of the ship spotted a BULWERS PETREL; but very few others saw it, due to the choppy sea, the high wind, and the difficulty in establishing a datum when trying to describe to someone where it is. I do hate sea watching.
By this time things had got to the stage where I had my legs wrapped around a ventilator, and my elbows on the top of it to try to stay upright.
As we sailed into the picturesque harbour of San Sebastian, I was beginning to wonder if I was feeling sea sick, but we got out of the wind into a pleasant sunny day.
San Sebastian is a very pretty, clean small town or large village. dominated by almost vertical mountainsides and rock faces, which just about summed up La Gomera in general. Although the mountains were nowhere near as high as on Tenerife, they were much steeper, with only one narrow north facing valley offering an easy means of exit. The whole place was also much greener, except on the topmost crags, in fact it was much the most agreeable of the Canary Islands. Our leaders parked the vans for an sixty minute break in the town to regain our “land legs”, and suggested that we have a look in a small park, in size about one hundred by three hundred metres, with many small trees, bushes, and rock outcrops.
It was certainly well worth a visit turning up a flock of some thirty SPANISH SPARROWS, nervous and flighty as usual, not at all like our House Sparrows.
An extremely tame pair of HOOPOE entertained us for some time, a pair of BLACKCAP, and some CANARY CHIFF CHAFF flitted about the trees, and COLLARED DOVES flew overhead. Close scrutiny of our first male BLACKBIRD, of the Canarian sub species cabreae didn’t look a lot different to a rather scruffy version of our own. We found out later that these cabreae Blackbirds all tended to look a little unkempt and a slightly “lighter” black than ours. A very tame pair of our first viewable BERTHOLOTS PIPIT delighted everyone. It was surprising that we hadn’t seen them on Tenerife, since they are really a very common bird everywhere.
A burst of very bright sunlight and a rapid rise in temperature bought out the butterflies, in the shape of solitary MONARCH, an AFRICAN MIGRANT, plus fair numbers of AFRICAN GRASS BLUE, and CANARY BLUE.
Back to business, as Tony said, and we boarded the buses, and headed north into the mountains. The hills were steeper, the drops greater and the mountains and crags closed in more than on Tenerife. Furthermore the roads weren’t as good, but as I said before it was greener, much of it a mixture of conifer and Laurel forest, which of course demands a fair bit of moisture which comes mainly in the shape of temperature inversion clouds, which we were soon into, albeit somewhat patchy with areas of bright sunlight.
We were now in the Garajonay National Park at approx three thousand feet.
During the negotiation of a series of road tunnels, we saw three RAVEN mobbing a COMMON BUZZARD, presumably of the Canarian sub species.
A short stop on the side of a gorge with the roadside alive with the flowers of Red Valerian gave us our first MEADOW BROWN and a SMALL TORTOISHELL butterfly. A spectacular vertical rock outcrop known as the The Spike provided a nest site for a pair of COMMON BUZZARDS which glided around continuously, whilst a SARDINIAN WARBLER of the Canary sub species leucogastra and a GREY WAGTAIL this time of the sub species canariensis, also a Canary endemic kept us entertained trying to discern the differences, at which we failed miserably.
A shriek from Tony announced our target bird LAUREL PIGEON flying across the gorge, a dark bird with a white edged fanned tail. In the following ten minutes we saw many more of what is said to be a difficult bird to see. Two obligingly perched on a dead branch for some five minutes, giving everyone excellent ‘scope views.
Feeling very pleased with ourselves, we headed further up the mountain to stop at a viewpoint, looking out over a valley. The trouble was that the view was hidden by the drifting cloud although visibility was several hundred metres.
Our target bird was not long in showing, in the guise of BOLLES PIGEON
which obligingly perched some ten metres away in a bush down in the gorge below us. In the following ten minutes we saw three more flying across, as well as a KESTREL. This pigeon is also very dark but lacks the obvious white band on the tip of the fanned tail.
Some puzzlement was occasioned by an abnormally small BATH WHITE butterfly. If they had been recorded this far west, I would have wondered if it was a Small Bath White.
Back to the buses, and further up the mountain to a favoured spot for Tenerife Kinglet, at the roadside deep in the Laurel Forest. The additional altitude bought us into thicker cloud, and more importantly a high wind, which was extremely cold. At this I donned my waterproof and gloves, but was still cold.
We could sometimes hear birds calling, but they didn’t stay still long enough to see. I was the only person to get a recognizable view for about half a second, more by luck than judgement. Still it was a new bird for me; TENERIFE KINGLET, very like a paler version of Goldcrest.
Hypothermia was affecting everyone by this time so we gave up after ninety minutes, and descended to our previous Bolles Pigeon viewpoint, now in bright sunshine in order to warm up.
We immediately saw a KESTREL disturb a flock of thirty BOLLES PIGEON from a rock face, which in their turn flushed five pure bred ROCK DOVES of the Canary endemic sub species canariensis.
A strange looking butterfly, provoked some simple rock climbing from the entomology brigade, including myself. Mike Duffy caught it in his hands and we all had the opportunity to examine our first rather tatty INDIAN RED ADMIRAL.
With this finale we headed back down the mountain to our previous Laurel Pigeon spot.
As well as a number of LAUREL PIGEONS over flying, we also recorded a BLACKBIRD and more importantly two very smart INDIAN RED ADMIRALS and a CLEOPATRA butterfly. Another stop between tunnels to see a unique plant EUPHORBIA RIGIDUM, standing about four feet high. This of course provoked much hilarity from the so called “ladies”.
The voyage back, was if anything slightly rougher, and windier, with even the COREYS SHEARWATERS, having difficulty in flying in a relaxed manner.
I took up my earlier position wrapped around a ventilator, and contrived to miss three more Bulwers Petrels, two of them fairly close to the ship, but then again so did most of our party, I was not a happy bunny however, since it would have been a new bird for me.
Back in Los Christianos, some forty or so COMMON TERNS and a few YELLOW LEGGED GULLS greeted us at the harbour; plus a solitary OSPREY, which I did not see. My stomach problem had returned, and I had a most uncomfortable ride back to the hotel, but this appeared to be the end of it; since after a very light meal, I had a good nights sleep unbroken by problems,although I continued to dose myself up to avoid any recurrence.
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Arose at 0530 after a refreshing nights sleep. Today’s trip was north into the caldera, over the top and down to the much greener north coast; then west to Punta de Teno, the extreme westernmost point of the island, south through the western mountains to Masca and Santiago del Teide and back home. We were warned that it would be a long days driving and strong nerves would be required. A timely 0800 start was essential, in order to get into the caldera before both the tourists and the locals. Sunday being the day when the Canarians head for the hills to drink and picnic all day, most of this taking place in organized sites, which also attract good birds to the scraps. Hopefully most of the sites would be clear of the temperature inversion clouds.
Ten minutes on the terrace prior to breakfast produced COMMON BUZZARD, KESTREL and for a change SPARROWHAWK of the Canarian sub species grantii although none of us could discern any differences at the range it was at. The local CANARY ISLAND CHIFF CHAFF also sang us a cheery good morning from a nearby tree.
The previous evenings problem seemed to have cleared up, but since I had by now finished the tablets I resolved to ask Tony to call at any convenient pharmacia to replenish them.
Following a hearty breakfast served by Anna and Thomas, her thin six foot eight blond pony tailed Germans assistant, we achieved lift off by the appointed hour.
Heading up the mountain via the usual hairpins and rock faces,we passed through the pine forests, onto the flatter, more barren volcanic landscape outside the outer rim of the caldera, where we made our first stop in the La Canadas national park.
Mike Crewe went into hysteric camera mode, photographing the unique Canary flora, which was both spectacular and beautiful. In between times arguing with Tony about their Latin names. As a trained ex horticuturalist, he certainly knew his stuff, but the local expert; Tony, knew it even better. Mike Duffy was quickly away searching for butterflies to photograph, and called our attention to vast colonies of spiders, in huge box like webs woven between the plants. He and Jack also dredged up one or two CANARY BLUEand AFRICAN GRASS BLUE butterflies to admire. With the day beginning to warm up, the less active of us began to sink down onto various rocks, but David roused us all when he spotted a HOOPOE chasing lizards among the rocks. A very smart SOUTHERN GREY SHRIKE then claimed our attention as it posed on the top of rocks and plants.
Once more into the buses, we headed through the outer rim wall into the caldera proper. If we thought that the scenery had been spectacular previously, it had been nothing to this. The lunar landscape was enclosed by the caldera rim many miles across, dominated two or three miles away by the central cone of the volcano, some 12000 feet above sea level. I had seen all this before of course, but was still rendered speechless.
Another stop to examine a veritable garden of a spectacular cactus like plant ECHIUM WEBII. Unfortunately some of the Canary “exotics were no longer in flower, but they were still impressive.
Rock formation and isolated clumps of plants were the most obvious features to be admired. Those in flower varied from bright blue to yellow with red
TERRACEPHALUS adding spectacular splashes of colour against the lava and shiny obsidian outcrops, with CANARY BLUE butterflies featuring everywhere.
The garden of the beautifully appointed visitors centre was the next stop. Fortunately there were few tourists about at this hour, but they were beginning to arrive. After a quick look around the centre, we transferred our attention to the small garden, with it’s pools and greenery.
Apart from a marauding KESTREL, birds were not very prevalent, but what with feeding the numerous TENERIFE LIZARDS, admiring a number of HUMMING BIRD HAWK MOTHS probing the flower heads, as well as the plentiful CANARY BLUE BUTTERFLIES we were quite content.
Mike Duffy; inevitably, discovered two small examples of the CANARY MANTIS in among the flowers. These are similar to the classic Praying Mantis but are only an inch long.
Back in the car park both Jack and Mike Duffy disappeared over the nearest horizon, and it needed several blasts on the bus hooters to bring them back for departure. Just before we left, a TURTLE DOVE sailed across the car park. It was very dark coloured and nothing like a European Turtle Dove, but there are no sub species of Turtle Dove- yet!
We had learned in the Visitors Centre that Mount Teide was still active, if dormant, and the “Big One” meaning eruption was expected in the near future, whether in ten years or ten minutes no one knew. Volcanic activity had been increasing for some years, and was closely monitored. Incidentally the last eruption, a minor one had taken place in 1912. Everyone agreed that they would be quite happy to stay in the caldera until it happened, since we were so taken with the scenery.
We headed out of the caldera and down into the forest, fortunately the cloud was nowhere near as dense or as prevalent as on my previous visit, eventually pulling up at an extremely noisy picnic site, alive with Canarians drinking and preparing for their evening picnic. Apparently, they have to arrive early to get the better picnic spots. Although not very peaceful it was alive with birds including a number of our previously elusive TENERIFE KINGLET which delighted everyone.
We also had excellent close views of a number of both male and female BLUE CHAFFINCH, GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER and finally BLUE TIT of the Tenerife sub species teneriffae. Unlike some of the Canarian sub species, this is spectacularly different to the nominate species, being much more colourful with more white, and more contrast between the colours. It is in fact on the verge of being declared a separate full species. A different form occurs on Fuertaventura.
Further down the mountain another forest picnic site was visited. This was larger and considerably quieter, due to the fact that it was very close to the edge of the temperature inversion clouds, which kept drifting into the area.
We took a half mile walk along a track, primarily to look at flowers. I kept very close to David, who with his shuffling fairy steps looked very prone to tripping
and falling, but he never even stumbled , Jackie, his wife told me that there was no need since he never ever fell.
Birds noted hereabouts were the Canarian form of COMMON CHAFFINCH, sub species tintillon,which has a grey back, GREENFINCH, which for once doesn’t have a Canarian sub species, and ROBIN, Canary sub species superbus. This is another candidate for full specific status. The main feature being the merest vestige of a much darker red breast and a paler cap, although unlike our version they don’t hang about to be examined, and they have a totally different song.
Flowers were duly examined and photographed, and we set off downwards once more zig zagging through the forests and through the pretty town of La Oratova, where I once got lost, as Tony did on this occasion.
We shortly arrived on the autopista norte, which had less traffic than it’s southern counterpart, and passed through greener, if more mountainous surroundings. There is no flat coastal strip on this side of the island, the mountains going straight down into the sea, the autopista usually running along the top of cliffs.
A stop for ice cream at a cliff top filling station featured YELLOW LEGGED GULL, three COREYS SHEARWATER, and another very dark TURTLE DOVE, which sat on a fence puzzling everyone except for Tony. Great excitement greeted our first CANARY LARGE WHITE butterfly, which didn’t look any different to the nominate race as far as I was concerned. It is said to be quite rare, which didn’t stop us seeing one or two more.
A little way along the coast we stopped at a lay by called Mirador de Lagrimona with a hundred foot drop vertically into the sea, and a two hundred foot near vertical greenery cloaked cliff rising upwards on the other side of the road. It is famed as a spot to see LAUREL PIGEON, and for it’s TENERIFE LIZARDS which duly appeared in large numbers to be fed, on a small rock terrace on the top of the cliff. The pigeons of course kept to the cliffs above, and did not come down to be fed. In all we saw some twenty pigeons and about a hundred lizards, which varied from four to twelve inches in length.
Another CANARY LARGE WHITE made an appearance before we left.
At the end of the autopista in a small town called Icod, we took to narrower roads , eventually taking to a precipitous narrow road on a ledge,perched two hundred feet up an eight hundred foot naked cliff through various short tunnels. The road was officially closed to all traffic, but no one seemed to be taking any notice and the car traffic was quite heavy. We parked at the only possible parking place near Punta del Teno, overlooking a BARBARY FALCON nest site. A long wait produced only a passing KESTREL, which duly disturbed a Barbary Falcon which had been sitting on a hidden ledge and performed a long aerial punch up with the unfortunate Kestrel, which satisfied everyone, although the nearest approach was about thirty metres away in a breathtaking vertical dive. As we prepared to leave four RAVENS glided along the cliff top.
Our next destination was Teno Alto some twenty five miles away by road, but about five miles as the Raven flies over the top of the cliff.
As we headed back along the cliff there was a brief stop to admire one of the worlds rarest plants only known from half a dozen spots on Tenerife. It turned to be a nondescript purple flower, about one metre high called
LIMONIUM FORTICANS. Duly unimpressed we continued onwards to the town of Garachico where we turned southwards and upwards.
The road up to Teno Alto was steep, winding, and very narrow, eventually levelling out at the eponymous village, a rather primitive run down hamlet which is the headquarters of the Parque Rural de Teno
The country hereabouts is the closest approach to moorland found on the Canary’s, with low rolling hills and low tumble down stone walls more reminiscent of Middleton-by- Wirksworth than the Tropic of Cancer.
Rough grassland, and a few stumpy bushes complete the picture, together with a middle distance view of the sea some thousand feet below.
After passing through the village, the road became a rough track, however these tourists get everywhere, and there were always one or two cars crawling about.
The Tenerife sub species of the LINNET, meadewaldoi was present in large numbers, being smaller and more brightly coloured than our own, whilst at least three KESTRELS were present continually during our stay.
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Someone heard a ROCK SPARROW calling in a shallow, dry, rocky barranco(valley), but very dodgy flight view were all that could be obtained.
Since I had seen plenty of Rock Sparrows before, I went walkabout downhill towards the distant sea, only to have a good view of three ROCK SPARROWS flying low to the east. I followed them and located twenty or so feeding in a small enclosure. Mike Duffy then appeared, and I left him to keep an eye on them, whilst I walked back a quarter of a mile to fetch the rest of the party. They duly boarded the buses and drove to the enclosure, where everyone had excellent views. For the first time in the week, I was the hero of the hour.
It was here that I first noticed an introduced Mexican plant called the HUAVE, or Century Tree, which looked for all the world like a chandelier, which we later noted in several other upland locations throughout the island. .
We retraced our way back to Portela Baja, and the secondary road leading to Masca. Tony told us that this road frightens him. It certainly frightened me, with rock faces, hairpin bends and five hundred foot drops, not to mention 1 in 3 inclines, and a fair bit of tourist traffic. Providentally the road is barred to vehicles over a certain weight including coaches. We eventually stopped at a Mirador(Viewpoint) overlooking an awful deep chasm. Tony pointed out the village of Masca, about a thousand feet down in the depths. I’ll gloss over the descent to the village, in fact I saw very little of it, I had my eyes closed. Masca was a pretty nondescript sort of place staggering up and down a precipitous mountainside. The journey out again up the other side was carried out almost exclusively in first gear, and was frightful. Mike Crewe suggested that they should build a viaduct across the chasm. Back to civilization in Santiago del Teide, Tony took me to a pharmacia for my stomach cure. We headed back to Vilaflor by what is known as the Teide expressway. The only road up the mountain with long straights and reasonable hills, which bought us out just north of Vilaflor.
Following a somewhat late meal, and a drink or two, we admired the gecko’s on the hotel walls and made for bed at 1030, since we had to make an early start on the morrow, in order to catch the 0930 plane to Fuertaventura.
After an excellent nights sleep, arose at 0530 to pack for the overnight stay in Fuertaventura . I kept packing to an absolute minimum, only taking my very small rucksack. Breakfast taken, we boarded the buses with myself sitting with the driver; Tony for the one and only time. I am not a good front seat passenger.
The early start was necessary because of the morning rush hour on the autopista, which I didn’t believe really existed until we were in it. Tony told us that traffic had increased sixty per cent in five years, and I could well believe it now having experienced it.
Our destination was Aeroporto Norte, near to the capital Santa Cruz, and the old capital Laguna, approx. fifty miles away at the eastern end of the island, and was the airport used by the scheduled flights. The traffic was pretty bad, and we saw the aftermath of a road accident, fortuitously on the westbound carriageway.
The airport concourse was incredible, and worth a visit in it’s own right, with an extremely high seemingly unsuspended glass roof. We had time to examine it as we waited for our leaders to dispose of the buses back to the hire company. Once again I had trouble with the metal detectors, as my knee set off the warning buzzer, similarly David’s heart bypass, and Tony and Mike
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Duffy’s plug in insulin adaptors had a similar effect. We all had to display our operations to the security staff, who saw the funny side of things eventually.
I was a little nonplussed to see that our aircraft was a high wing twin engine turbo prop, seventy two seater called an ATR72-202, and was surprisingly smooth and quiet. The fifty minute journey was accomplished on time, and I must say that Fuertaventura looked a pretty desperate place from above, appearing to be solid desert. Surprisingly the airport contained a number of Jumbo jets and other large aircraft, nearly all from German airlines, in fact as we were to find the entire island was full of Germans.
A good start to Fuertaventura birding occurred as we walked from the plane to the terminal when Tony called our attention to a suicidal BLACK BELLIED SAND GROUSE, trying to emulate a jet plane, flying low and fast along the runway.
We had something of a wait outside the terminal, since the hire company were short of mini buses; and it was feeling very hot, with SPANISH SPARROWS about the only thing to look at apart from Germans of course, and one or two Fuertaventura Lizards. It seems that each island has it’s own distinctive species of lizard, not found anywhere else.
The buses sorted out at last, Tony had the usual Opel Vivaro, whilst Mike Crewe had an enormous and very rough white Opel Movano. It was totally basic, covered in rust, so much so that daylight could be seen through the roof. The man at the hire desk told Mike that it would be all right since it rarely if ever rained in Fuertaventura, in fact most of the water had to be imported from Tenerife. More importantly four of the twelve seat belts would not lock, they obviously don’t have M.O.T testing in Fuertaventura. However as Mike said, it didn’t half go. We headed south along the main road through unrelieved gritty desert, reminding me of Morocco, even to the design of the houses, although in this case they were all finished, and largely occupied.
We were heading south along the coast, seeing little but YELLOW LEGGED GULLS and rolling hilly desert with distant, fairly low mountains over to the west.
After seven or eight miles where the road swung away from the coast, we turned off to a tiny hamlet called Punta del Muellito, which consisted of a few houses, and couple of bars, one of which was surmounted by the skeleton of a Minke Whale about twenty feet long, a disused salt works which they were attempting to make into a tourist attraction, a few down at heel caravans, and a sandy beach, with low rocky cliffs to the rear.
We headed inland along the Barranco de la Torre, a dried up watercourse, which was lined by palm trees and low bushes, with twenty foot high rocky cliffs on the right hand(north ) side, with Tony muttering “ Let’s get some of these birds out of the way”.
Birds were flitting about on the cliffs, and in the bushes, and after some slight difficulty we identified a new bird for me, a SPECTACLED WARBLER of the canarian sub species orbitalis. Although we did see others, they were always very flighty, and did not allow close inspection.
I concentrated on the birds on the cliff which were quickly identified as several BERTHOLETS PIPIT and TRUMPETER FINCHES, all of which were being harassed by a number of BARBARY GROUND SQIRRELS. These are a very pretty creature, rather like a large striped chipmunk, but like most squirrels can become a nuisance.
Another new bird for us all quickly put in an appearance on the cliffs in the shape of both male and female FUERTAVENTURA CHAT, which has one of the most restricted ranges in the world, only being found on Fuertaventura. They were not uncommon on the island, but there are probably less than a
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thousand birds in existence. In appearance, they appear to have the characteristics of both Whinchat and Stonechat, although genetically they are closer to Whinchat.
The barranco was certainly a birding hot spot, as we all concentrated on a hovering KESTREL of the Fuertaventura sub species dacoteia. As with many of these endemic sub species, we couldn’t discern the difference. It’s probably only recognizable in the hand or by genetic analysis. We had similar difficulties with a couple of RAVENS which flew over, since these are of the sub species tingitanus. We were admiring a very co-operative HOOPOE hunting on the ground, when a yell from Tony bought the telescopes into action as three BARBARY PARTRIDGE trudged slowly up and over the rim of the barranco, fifty yards away. Yet another new bird for me, the third in ten minutes, and psychologically important, since it has always been one of my bogey birds. On this occasion it was the Canary sub species koenigi however.
As we returned towards the sea, we saw other Chats, and Spectacled Warblers, as well as a highly co-operative SOUTHERN GREY SHRIKE perched on top of a bush.
We hadn’t yet seen a butterfly in Fuertaventura but the barranco produced a number of EMPEROR DRAGONFLIES. A small flock of birds in a tree turned out to be SPANISH SPARROWS, which as usual didn’t hang around to be admired.
We parked on the beach to eat our picnic lunch. Jack and Mike Duffy of course went walkabout, prompting Mike’s wife ;Barbara to appeal to someone to tie him to his seat . Mike’s insistent waving however bought out the ‘scopes
to focus on a solitary WHIMBREL, which took off and flew over our heads before settling on the far side of a nearby inlet. Apart from this and two children riding about on miniature motor bikes, there was nothing but YELLOW LEGGED GULLS to disturb our concentration on the food.
We then headed on south but away from the coast. It really was a desperate place this Fuertaventura, although we hadn’t yet seen the best of it, not that there was much best to be seen. Desert and yet more desert, with barren rolling hills, until we turned off the road onto a track to look at a so called reservoir called Rosa de Catalina Garcia. It was about the size of our garden, with a small reed bed at one end, and was usually a breeding site for Marbled Duck, but obviously not this year. A flock of ten TRUMPETER FINCHES and two SPANISH SPARROWS, was about it, until someone noticed eight LITTLE RINGED PLOVER disguised among the stones at the dried up end. I swear that if one had not moved, we would not have seen them.
A little way away was a small farm on the edge of a barranco, containing a tiny stream, with the usual low rocky cliffs on one side, with bushes and small trees along the stream. Between the stream and the farm were four small square fields growing alfafa. We dismounted and walked along the barranco with Emperor Dragonflies and Crimson Darters everywhere The first birds to claim our attention were two SPECTACLED WARBLER whilst BERTHELOTS
PIPITS were everywhere, together with a few FUERTAVENTURA CHATS.
LINNETS of the Fuertaventura sub species harterti flitted along the cliff in good numbers. Next on the cast list was a good flock of TRUMPETER FINCH and SPANISH SPARROW. All of these birds were coming out of the desert to the stream to drink.
A glance at the fields was unproductive except for the odd BERTHELOTS PIPIT, until the very last field which contained no less than twenty HOOPOE. In a field less than thirty metres square, this made it positively crowded.
This barranco produced our first Fuertaventura butterflies, identified as SMALL WHITE, BATH WHITE, AFRICAN MIGRANT, and the inevitable CANARY BLUE.
As we headed back towards the road a GREY HERON alighted in the reservoir.
Headed south once again we took another excursion to another slightly larger so called reservoir with a reed bed and a few bushes. It produced only four COOT, three LITTLE RINGED PLOVER, and one problem, in the shape of a very dodgy looking drake, somewhat like a Tufted Duck, but going into eclipse plumage, and definitely “not quite right”. We were shortly joined by a local birder, who thought it was a Ring Neck Duck which had been on the pond for some weeks, but was now going into eclipse. In spite of an hours ‘scoping no one could agree on it’s identity, so we headed on south again.
At this point, I fell asleep and was only woken up by the crashing, jolting and rocking of the bus. A glance out of the window revealed that we were on a rough track heading through a barren looking flat desert, relieved only by patches of Camel Thorn about twelve inches high. I was also aware that it was beginning to get extremely hot in spite of the air conditioning.
I was travelling in the leading bus when someone noticed that the white rot box had stopped and disgorged it’s occupants, who were gazing into telescopes and waving frantically.
Tony reversed so fast that we nearly collided with the other bus, and tumbled out in time to see two CREAM COLOURED COURSER, trotting smartly away. These regularly overshoot Morocco and breed in Fuertaventura.
Recalling my Morocco experience, where there was one Courser there were usually others, so I concentrated on the desert on the far side of the bus. I didn’t find any more Coursers but to my amazement, I almost immediately focussed on a huge male HOUBARA BUSTARD strolling imperiously through the camel thorn about fifty metres away. They can be difficult to find ,so everyone was highly delighted. As the bird moved further away we took to the buses once more. I was rather preening myself and was the hero of the hour, but only for about five minutes. David suddenly shouted “Stop, I’ve got two more Houbara’s”. These were somewhat closer, a male and a female. Tony said “We can get closer, there’s another track on the other side of them”, which we duly did, enjoying superlative views from about fifteen metres away, until they finally wandered off into the desert.
We crashed on through the desert, Tony saying that now we had to find Lesser Short Toed Lark, so look out for flocks of passerines. Apparently you either didn’t see any or you saw hundreds. The sea, a small white town, and a thirty turbine wind farm appeared ahead of us, as did a pair of BLACK BELLIED SAND GROUSE gliding across the desert. A short distance further on Tony made an emergency stop. Standing immobile in the desert was not one but eight STONE CURLEW. Whilst we were looking at them, Mike Duffy
claimed to have seen a large flock of passerines settle two hundred yards away. Luckily, there was a track close by, and eventually we located a flock of about two hundred LESSER SHORT TOED LARK feeding amongst the camel thorn. One of them had us worried, Mike, Tony and myself all thought that one of them was possibly a Short Toed Lark. Unfortunately we couldn’t locate it again amongst the camel thorn.
Feeling somewhat pleased with ourselves, we crashed out of the desert into the town of Costa Calma. A little way to the south we left the main road on to a side road to our bed for the night, the Hotel Sol Gorriones. This proved to be an enormous, extremely posh establishment on the coast surrounded by palm
trees and greenery. It was not exactly a birdwatchers establishment, being built on eight floors, and full of Germans of course.
My room was a huge three bed affair looking out over the sea. Good food and very adequate but not my kind of place. Following a drink in the bar with our leaders, we indulged in a sumptuous buffet, and I went to bed. Apparently Tony, and Mike took Martin to the hotel Kareoke , and much drink was taken, until they went to bed at two o clock.
I had a wonderful nights sleep, and arose at 0600 for a pre breakfast sortie to Morro Jable, a flashy resort ten miles south of us. The road south was being improved, with viaducts, tunnels etc, probably paid for with Euro money. It seems that the Canary authorities are attempting to popularise the south end of the island. David and Jackie had elected for a lie in, but there was still too many for one bus, so we had to take them both.
Morro Jable was certainly in the process of development with much building going on at the back of the town. The place was solid with greenery and palm trees, with a tiled promenade backed by plush looking hotels. Our target bird: MONK PARAKEET, was spotted immediately in fair numbers, among the power walkers, joggers, roller bladers etc, probably all German, another bird was a single ADABA IBIS, flying about. It’s presence was immediately explained, since one of the hotels had a huge aviary full of large tropical birds: Cranes, Ibises, Storks etc, or was it?
There were plenty of YELLOW LEGGED GULLS, COLLARED DOVE, SPANISH SPARROW, and PLAIN SWIFTS about, in fact Swifts by the dozen. A second more careful examination of the wheeling birds produced two PALLID SWIFTS, two HOUSE MARTIN, a single ALPINE SWIFT, plus a RED RUMPED SWALLOW, and they definitely had not escaped from the aviary.
A very productive hour in fact, then it was a high speed run back to the hotel for a vast buffet breakfast .
Following breakfast and check out, we turned southwards onto the beach adjacent to the hotel. One SOUTHERN GREY SHRIKE in the hotel garden plus two more in the scrub at the back of the beach was the first sighting.
One of the Barbara’s said “My God, look at that”. It wasn’t a rare bird but a man walking naked along the beach.
There seemed to be some migration occurring since birds kept flying south to north along the beach. Most of them were PLAIN SWIFTS. but as with our early morning trip, careful searching revealed three PALLID SWIFTS and a solitary COMMON SWALLOW among their more featureless cousins.
Two white blobs in the distance revealed themselves as LITTLE EGRETS, when the ‘scopes were bought into play.
Whilst everyone else was admiring a HOOPOE foraging in the scrub, I spotted a large tern approaching off the sea, and heading straight for me. I alerted the group, and it caused a certain amount of indecision until it settled in a pool close by, revealing itself to be a GULL BILLED TERN.
The track back to the hotel, and along the access road to the main road seemed to be almost lined with SOUTHERN GREY SHRIKES,posing on the bushes, there must have been a dozen of them.
It was back north for three or four miles to Costa Calma, and a small,very pleasant public park, consisting mainly of conifers, for another target bird.
This one took some finding, and our antics produced much interest from the public. After a number of false alarms consisting of CANARY CHIFF CHAFF
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and LINNET, we ran down our quarry, a small flock of GOLDFINCH of the sub species parva, paler than our own showing more white and less buff.
A small house garden opposite the park interested us for some minutes, where we saw our first GERANIUM BRONZE butterfly. This is an African insect which is rapidly spreading into Europe.
Although dark brown with wings spread, it has a really pretty underside consisting of blue and black stripes and blotches. Also present on the flowers were AFRICAN GRASS BLUE and LONG TAILED BLUE.
It was to be something of a butterfly day we discovered as we headed north into the desert, since we has seen most of the expected birds on Fuertaventura.
At an oasis of green, dominated by a “ Zoological Park” in a small village called Los Lazita, as we entered the Zoo car park, we had excellent views of our first and last PLAIN TIGER butterfly, or at least our bus did. The others could not relocate it despite strenuous efforts. The place was alive with MONARCH’s slowly flapping about, with more GERANIUM BRONZE and CANARY BLUES on virtually every flower. After parking; we went walkabout clocking up another new butterfly: CLOUDED YELLOW, in the process.
Birds were not very obvious except for the inevitable BERTHELOTS PIPIT, CANARY CHIFF CHAFF and PLAIN SWIFT, until Tony pointed out a pair of LAUGHING DOVE, perched in a tree in the “garden”.
A line of trees bordering the road, and the desert next received our attention, but the only thing of note in the desert was a LAUGHING DOVE, and a collection of ROCK DOVES sub species canariensis perched on a fence.
Butterflies were however plentiful in the bushes, in the form of GERANIUM BRONZE, AFRICAN GRASS BLUE, CANARY BLUE, and AFRICAN MIGRANT. The latter were obvious in flight, being more purposeful and faster than other whites. Our butterfly hunting, and photography was eventually halted by a camel train mounted by Germans, coming out of the desert and along the track.
With bus number two moaning about their inability to locate another Plain Tiger, we headed off north into the mountains, back in birding mode again.
The mountains were sharp peaked, otherwise featureless gravelly things about two thousand feet high, with little grandeur about them. Along a minor road, in a dried up watercourse we stopped to admire a very close pair of FUERTAVENTURA CHAT, and Tony made the comment that he’d bet that very few birders had seen that particular pair before. One or two RAVENS and SOUTHERN GREY SHRIKE were all we could muster until we reached the very pleasant village of Pajara, where we sat in a tiny park to eat our picnic lunch and enjoy an ice cream. It really was a very attractive place, located in a bowl in the hills, with masses of palm trees and other greenery, with a dry watercourse absolutely lined with spectacular flowering bushes, such as Bourgainvillae, Frangipani etc. Furthermore, it appeared to be a secret British enclave, since we heard English voices wherever we went.
The only bird of note albeit quite an important one was a pair of BLUE TIT of the Fuertaventura sub species degener which unlike the Tenerife ss teneriffae had a much darker back and a series of wing bars. This could be yet another future candidate for full specific status. Butterflies hereabouts were GERANIUM BRONZE, CANARY BLUE, LONG TAILED BLUE, MONARCH, and a new one for the week LANGS SHORT TAILED BLUE.
After this very pleasant lunch hour, we once more headed north into the desert and the mountains.
Apart from a few TURTLE DOVE and ROCK DOVE, plus three or four SOUTHERN GREY SHRIKE, we saw little of note along the road, with bleak grey, gritty mountains, and fairly steep hills the most notable feature. We eventually stopped at a mirador overlooking a vertical drop into a deep valley. Tony told us that this is where we feed the squirrels. We left the buses, and joined the other tourists; all Germans, who were indeed feeding BARBARY GROUND SQIRRELS, that were coming up the cliff in droves. I was slightly suspicious, and this was confirmed when I saw Tony focussing his ‘ scope on a cliff face across the gorge.
He soon called us to come and look at an EGYPTIAN VULTURE chick perched on a nest ledge. The chick was soon joined by an adult which promptly took off, and gave us a breathtaking display of aerobatics, a short distance away before disappearing over the mountain top. The tourists of course were still occupied by the squirrels, and didn’t notice a thing.
A few miles further on we dismounted to walk along a barranco occupied by a small stream, and plenty of greenery. It was a good site for Plain Tiger butterfly, but not this year. Stacks of dragonflies, two TURTLE DOVES, very dark coloured of course, plus SOUTHERN GREY SHRIKE, KESTREL, HOOPOE and for a change a SARDINIAN WARBLER of the ss leucogastra were all that we could muster. An ice cream stop in the nearby village of Rio de la Palma produced RAVEN, COMMON BUZZARD, KESTREL and three more very dark TURTLE DOVES.
We carried on north descending from the mountains into the flatter rolling desert, and branched off along a rough track to visit Fuertaventura’s largest reservoir Embalse los Molinos. A small flock of passerines feeding ten feet from the track proved to be LESSER SHORT TOED LARKS. A feature of this track were a number of scattered camels feeding on the desert vegetation. No wonder they are bad tempered, having to live on that stuff.
The reservoir was a major disappointment, only holding a few COOT, a pair of BLACK WINGED STILT, and a lone GREENSHANK.
Back to the road and a mile or two further north, another smaller reservoir with a reed bed was slightly more productive, in terms of quantity if not quality.
The earth dam held some two to three hundred YELLOW LEGGED GULLS, mainly juveniles, whilst on the water were approx. thirty COOT and a tame Muscovy Duck. Several HOOPOE ran about in the bushes, and our first CORN BUNTINGS; four of them, occupied the reed bed. A sudden rush of swifts flying over got everyone interested, and we identified two PALLID SWIFTS, among the more numerous PLAIN SWIFTS. These reservoirs usually hold a few breeding pair of Marbled Duck , but apparently not this year.
It was then back to the salt works at Punta del Muellito, for an excellent meal in the beachside restaurant, from where we could see several COREYS SHEARWATER planing along the sea. Then it was off to the airport for the 2030 flight. Our aircraft on this occasion was much rougher and noisier than on the outward flight. After obtaining replacement Vivaro mini buses, we had an incident free journey back at our Vilaflor hotel, arriving around 2200, and straight to bed, somewhat shattered
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Wednesday 9th July 2003
Another refreshing nights,sleep in my old bed at Vilaflor. Since we had a lie in until 0800, I lay reviewing the holiday so far. We had seen everything that we could reasonably expect; including the sub species, except for Marbled Duck which I had seen before anyway, and the two sea birds; Bulwers Petrel and Little Shearwater. Since we still had two full days, I was curious as to what Tony had in mind for us. We duly found out over breakfast. As well as one or two interesting sites along the south coast, we were coing to visit the Erjos Ponds (Charcos de Erjos), where an African Dwarf Bittern had been resident for some months. This cheered me up, since it would have been a real bonus, and a new bird for me.
We breakfasted well, and headed up the mountain, turning left at the boundary of the Las Canadas national park on to the “Teide Expressway”. We shortly turned right through the pine woods and along a secondary road, with the inevitable steep hills and hairpin bends. The ponds; five of them, all about a hundred metres square were situated in a deep valley. We took the buses right up to the ponds and alighted. They were most picturesque, being surrounded by greenery and small trees, with one or two small reed beds, and were famous in Tenerife for turning up unusual birds, one of which we were hoping to see.
We spent a pleasant, if frustrating two and a half hours slogging through the undergrowth, myself wearing shorts getting severely scratched in the process.
Birds recorded over and around the pools were SPARROW HAWK, BLACKBIRD, GREENFINCH, GREY WAGTAIL, plus small numbers of SARDINIAN WARBLER, COOT, ATLANTIC CANARY, large numbers of CANARY CHIFF CHAFF, and a solitary MOORHEN. Butterflies present were
good numbers of CANARY BLUE, LONG TAILED BLUE, MEADOW BROWN, and a couple of SMALL TORTOISHELL, but no African Dwarf Bittern
We sat in the buses to eat our picnic lunch, but Mike Duffy of course went walkabout. A loud shout from him got us tumbling out of the buses, where he told us that he’d seen a “possible” bittern walking from a reed bed into a bramble patch on a steep bank. We all concentrated on the spot and had a very poor obstructed view of a dark coloured bird. Any thought of getting down to the spot and flushing it looked impossible, but Mike Crewe said that he could do it. With a great deal of trouble he did, in the process flushing a WOODCOCK, and the poorly seen bird which turned out to be a MOORHEN.
No success, but Mike deserved a brownie point for his efforts. When he’d finished extracting the thorns from his anatomy, we climbed back in the buses and headed downhill towards the coast.
A stop at a filling station in a small town for an ice cream, turned up an immaculate cream Morris Minor Traveller, and a fifties Peugeot, Obviously the filling station proprietor was a car enthusiast.
After admiring the cars we resumed our journey to the coast, finally taking a rough track through a building site, pulling up at a small dam, holding back a small reservoir. Perched on the dam in this unpromising situation, were a LITTLE EGRET, and three NIGHT HERON, the only place on the island where they can be found. Also present in the area were BERTHLOTS PIPIT,
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CANARY CHIFF CHAFF, COLLARED DOVE and KESTREL. The area was known in birding circles as El Pinque.
The it was back in the buses and down to the coast road and along the autopista, past Los Christianos to a grotty town called El Fraile, which Tony told us was where all the African and South American immigrants settled, and wasn’t it obvious? I wouldn’t have liked to walk through it after dark. It was
quite the roughest and dirtiest place I saw on the Canaries. It seems that the Canaries also have their immigrant problems, as well as ourselves.
Heading between the piles of rubbish and wrecked cars, we arrived at the locked gates of a waterworks called Roquito de Fraile, at the edge of the sea. Apparently despite the locked gate bird watchers are welcome. Tony actually had a key, but it was easier to squeeze through a gap, next to the gate post.
This was apparently the hottest bird spot on the island for rarities, the previous week producing a Feas Petrel. We struggled up a steep bank to a two hundred square metre reservoir surrounded by a high wall pierced with large round holes to allow viewing. There weren’t any rarities, but we did get a new bird for the week in the shape of a solitary SPOONBILL. Also present were three LITTLE EGRET, six LITTLE RINGED PLOVER, forty COOT, and a GREY HERON.
It was then back on the road for a short distance to a rather plush green golf course and club house called the Amarillo golf club, very close to Reina Sofia airport. One of Tony’s contacts had reported a very unlikely Grey Lag Goose here yesterday. We wandered about at will, and no one seemed very bothered. Tony told us that they were used to birders here. I couldn’t see it happening on a golf course in the U.K.
The club house gardens, with their palm trees ornamental ponds, and green lawns occupied us for some time, giving us excellent close views of three HOOPOE, some SPANISH SPARROWS, and four GREY WAGTAILS, of the Canary sub species canariensis which are much paler on the back than the our own. Some flocks of birds on the golf course then claimed our attention.
The first group consisted of twelve LITTLE RINGED PLOVER, whilst the second flock consisted of a mixture of LESSER SHORT TOED LARK and BERTHOLOTS PIPIT, totalling about thirty birds, which never stayed still long enough to count.
After this green interlude, it was back to gravel pit conditions for a short run along the coast to a barren hill, in a barren landscape near the beach called Montana Roja; the Red Mountain, and very apt too. It was a half mile walk to the sea, through the gravel, to which David and Jackie decided to give a miss.
A KESTREL provided the first excitement, especially when it attracted a half hearted attack from an immature BARBARY FALCON, which after showing off for a few minutes, headed off rapidly in the direction of the car park. When we reached the beach, we saw the real reason for our visit with a flock of fifteen KENTISH PLOVER and a SANDERLING running about in the flotsam. Inevitably, a number of COREYS SHEARWATERS, were gliding about over the sea. When we returned to the cars, we learned that the Barbary Falcon, had nearly removed David’s hat.
This was the last call of the day, and we returned to Vilaflor a little earlier than usual, to enjoy drinks, and a hearty meal before bed at 2030.
Our last full day dawned as usual bright and sunny, after an excellent nights sleep on my part.
I wandered off to breakfast, to be greeted on the terrace by the local CANARY CHIFF CHAFF. Whilst waiting for breakfast, we witnessed the usual fly past by the local KESTREL,SPARROW HAWK and BUZZARD. For once the temperature inversion clouds weren’t too thick, and down on the coast and about five thousand feet below, we could see yesterday’s final venue; Montana Roja.
Tony informed us that this morning we would we visiting and walking up the Haunted Barranco near to Guimar, Tony’s home town where his wife and two daughters live on their own when he is doing research in the U.K.. It’s reputation was gained by roosting Long Eared Owls and Coreys Shearwaters, which made an awful noise in the night. Afterwards, we would be catching the 1400 ferry to La Gomera to try to catch up on our two missing sea birds, but we wouldn’t be staying, travelling back on the same ferry. This cheered everyone up no end, since the missing sea birds had irritated everyone who had missed them. We indulged in our usual excellent breakfast, and joined the team for lift off at 0815.
Then it was down the mountain to the Autopista and the usual heavy traffic to the turnoff for Guimar, about forty miles from Vilaflor. Guimar turned out to be a fairly pleasant town off the coastal strip, on the lowest reaches of the mountains, and just into the “green zone”. We headed up the mountain a short distance until we reached a large impressive quarry complex, then it was a twisting uphill track with a dreadful rocky surface, and into the lower reaches of the Barranco de Badajoz. It was a dry ravine with impressive two hundred feet high cliffs on either side, with plenty of trees and bushes in the bottom. The walls were gradually closing in on either side when Tony spotted a car parked by the side of the track. “That’s my wife’s car,” he said “What’s she doing here, and more important, who is she with”.
We soon found out when we reached the limit of motoring, where the path became a flight of steps. His wife;Luisa was waiting for us there with his two daughters Emma and Chelsey, aged eleven and seven, to have a last meeting with their father before he headed back to the U.K with us.
After introductions, we all headed up the barranco. The walls closed in even more, and a stone channel ran some distance along one of the walls, before it crossed the path on a bridge and vanished into the opposite wall. It was in fact an aqueduct, since the channel carried fresh water down from the mountain. It was; strangely enough, a water mine.
It was a very steep rough climb, the only accident occurred when Barbara Duffy slipped and accidentally kicked a small rock onto my ankle bone. The pain was unbelievable and the air blue, it lasting me several hours before the pain abated, but with no later ill effects.
Birds and butterflies were plentiful; in the barranco, as were many rare flowers which our horticultural experts argued over and photographed. Birds were unspectacular with one exception; a BARBARY PARTRIDGE
struggling through the bushes and up the cliff. It was much the closest and best view we had of this rather elusive bird.
We retraced our steps when the walls were approx. two metres apart, and the greenery started to get very sparse. At this point Tony pointed out to us two specimens of the very rare Dragon Tree growing up on the side of the ravine.
Although there were rough conditions underfoot, David coped remarkably well, without a trace of a stumble or a slip, despite his disability.
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Birds in the barranco were quite large numbers of ROBIN, BLACKBIRD, CANARY CHIFF CHAFF, ATLANTIC CANARY, BERTHOLOTS PIPIT, and SARDINIAN WARBLER. Butterflies were represented by CANARY SPECKLED WOOD, CANARY BLUE, MEADOW BROWN, and a RED ADMIRAL.
Following a group photograph we travelled a short distance down the hill to look at a favoured Long Eared Owl roost, which was empty. Butterflies were pretty good ’though at this spot, giving us CLEOPATRA, CANARY SPECKLED WOOD, PAINTED LADY, and our one and only BROWN ARGUS.
Following a fond farewell to his family, we endured a high speed run to Los Christianos for the 1400 ferry. We found a parking spot right up against the entrance to the ferry terminal, where we ate our picnic lunch and an ice cream. On this occasion of course we were not taking the vehicles, so we boarded the ferry together, once more getting lost in the process. We also picked up a lone British birder, with a ‘scope who provided an additional pair of eyes. Mike Crewe in fact knew him slightly.
We took up our accustomed vantage points on the rear of the top deck. This time there were few other passengers to get in our way.
We left the harbour in the company of the usual mass of COMMON TERNS, and were soon into large rafts and flying groups of COREYS SHEARWATERS, some giving fabulous close views. A pair of gorgeous Spanish girls in their twenties kept accosting me to ask what we were looking at. I tried to tell them in my halting Spanish, but that failed to get rid of them, I even showed them Coreys Shearwaters through my binoculars, and they still kept on trying to talk to me. As we got clear of the land the wind got up and the sea got rougher, in fact very rough. My lady friends quickly departed below. My so called friends were most amused. I told them that they were interested in my body, but Martin said that it was my legs they were interested in. I was in fact wearing shorts as was Martin. Barbara Horsfield said that they certainly wouldn’t have been interested in his legs, but was that all I was showing them?
A shout from our lone birder that he had a small petrel got everyone interested, but he lost it, and no one else could find it. I was by now wrapped around my faithful ventilator, with elbows on the top, scanning the ocean.
“Bulwers”, shouted Dave Crewe, and this time everyone saw them. Two large dark birds, only about twenty metres from the ship. By this time I had taken Tony’s advice, and was ignoring anything more than a third of the distance to the horizon and was doing much better. So that was another new bird in the bag; BULWERS PETREL. By this time, the wind and the sea were desperate, with the horizon moving about forty five degrees. We arrived in the lea of the
land quite suddenly, and the sea smoothed out and thankfully the wind dropped. Our lone friend headed off to the park, but didn’t see much, whilst we sat in the ferry terminal, and had a drink. We couldn’t do a lot as there was only one hours turn around time.
We set off at 1715, and once clear of the harbour found that the wind had risen as had the sea. Waves were by now fifteen to twenty feet high, and I was wrapped around my ventilator, trying to ignore the horizon going up and down. COREYS SHEARWATERS were still around in large numbers, and two BULWERS PETRELS were spotted, although some distance away. At one point, I realized that I was the only person on my side of the ship, at which point “sod’s law” came into play. A LITTLE SHEARWATER appeared almost under the bows of the ship, and drifted past about twenty metres away. I yelled fit to bust, but no one could hear me because of the wind, and the
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crashing of the waves. When I made my way across and told them they all came to my side, but by that time it was long gone. I was justified however when both Mike Crewe and Tony also spotted Little Shearwaters albeit some distance away, but not everyone saw them.. A triumphant arrival at Los Christianos harbour was accompanied by some twenty COMMON TERNS, we also counted another forty perched on a small boat.
A swift run back to Vilaflor followed arriving at 2000. No time for shower or drink, just straight in to indulge in a magnificent stew for our dinner.Following this a shower and change were indulged in and we all met for a farewell drink on the terrace. When it started to get dark at 2200, all except the leaders, Martin, Jane, Roger and myself headed off to bed. We had a hilarious evening reinforced by much drink. The talk flowed with Tony and Dave telling us many humerous anecdotes of their teenage years etc. We covered virtually every subject from football to pop music. At midnight Roger left for bed, and at 0200, I too left, and I could see that Thomas the barman was beginning to get irritated and ready for bed.
As I went to the room, I found Roger sitting on his terrace, definitely not a happy bunny. “Are they still at it”; he said, “I want to get to bed” When I confirmed it he said “ I’m going to roust them, I’m sick of this”.
As I packed my bag for the morrow, I fully expected to hear sounds of conflict from Roger and Jane next door, but all was quiet.
After packing, I took to my bed at 0230.
A wonderful nights sleep, and a lie in! Breakfast not until 0830
Our last day on the island, with our flight back to the U.K. scheduled for take off at 1550 from Reina Sofia. My worries about getting home from Gatwick to Derby had resurfaced, since I only had fifty minutes between scheduled landing time and the train leaving. If I missed that, I wouldn’t be getting home until 0230, and furthermore would have to pay full fare. If the flight was only slightly delayed; or the baggage took a long time to appear, I would be in trouble. In fact, I was beginning to think that I had been too optimistic and had cut things too fine.
Putting these worries behind me I headed for breakfast, noting that I had heard no signs of conflict from next door: Jane and Rogers room.
Most of the party were already sitting on the terrace; including Roger and Jane, behaving normally towards each other. Although the resident CANARY CHIFF CHAFF wished us a good, if rather hot and sticky good morning, the resident Buzzard and Kestrel were taking the day off.
Following an excellent breakfast, we paid our bar bills and said a fond goodbye to Anna and the hotel; and were in the buses for 0930, with the temperature already at 26deg.C(78F).
Tony informed us that since we were unlikely to see any new birds, today’s mission would be butterflies, and specifically the Canary Grayling, for which he knew one or two good sites, although it was possibly a little too early in the year.
We returned up the mountain to Los Lajos, our first day’s Blue Chaffinch picnic site. Apart from ourselves and a couple of forestry workers the site was deserted by people, butterflies and birds.
Most of our party wandered all over the area for over an hour, with no success. Hard searching on my part turned up a very close flock of ATLANTIC CANARY and a pair of COMMON CHAFFINCH, the inevitable CANARY CHIFF CHAFFS and BERTHOLOTS PIPIT, a GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER ss canariensis with a buff breast, and a solitary female BLUE
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CHAFFINCH, although others did see a male. Butterflies were even sparser, producing only CANARY BLUE, although Mike Duffy during the course of his ramble found an INDIAN RED ADMIRAL, but no sign of our target. During a group photo shoot Tony thought he saw a possible, but we couldn’t relocate it.
Giving it up as a bad job, we returned down the mountain to a spot half a mile north of Vilaflor to a mirador(viewpoint), dominated by an absolutely colossal pine tree reputed to be four hundred years old and the largest on the island.
A pleasant spot, but no result. We said farewell to our last ATLANTIC CANARY, CANARY BLUE TIT, CANARY CHIFF CHAFF and BERTHOLOTS PIPIT. Plenty of butterflies here, but they were CANARY SPECKLED WOOD, CANARY BLUE, SMALL TORTOISHELL and PAINTED LADY but no Canary Grayling.
So it was down the mountain towards the coast, seeing little but the odd KESTREL and a number of PLAIN SWIFTS.
We fetched up on the beach at Las Galetas close to the airport, where we relaxed in the sun and ate our picnic lunches.
Martin and I discovered a very pleasant bar, where we sampled our last bottles of the very enjoyable Dorada beer. Although we were the first, it didn’t take the others too long to find it and join us. We sat there dozing in the sun, and watching the COREYS SHEARWATERS gliding over the waves until Tony alerted us that it was time to go.
Our last Canary birds were a couple of SPANISH SPARROWS outside the airport terminal. Following our check in, we all gathered in the departure lounge, where I said my goodbyes to everyone explaining that when we reached the U.K, I would be in a tearing hurry.
We took our seats on the B757, sitting next to Martin, and Jack. We took off more or less on time with me looking at my watch regularly, in order to assess my chances.
The flight was long and boring with a perfectly awful children’s film on the television and nothing much to see through the windows.
My two companions of the flight outwards were sitting in front, so I had a word with them. The older man with the bad health was quite sociable, but his drunken associate was this time cold sober, and obviously did not recognize me.
We landed slightly early, to my relief to a beautiful English evening, then it was the next obstacle: baggage reclaim. I seemed to wait an eternity, all the while consulting my watch. Some of the team waved to me and David, Jackie and Martin came to shake hands.
My bag arrived in the second batch at 2025, leaving me twenty minutes to get to the station. Mike Crewe came over to say goodbye, and point me in the direction of the station, where I arrived on the platform with ten minutes to spare.
Our rattling Thameslink train dropped me in Bedford with twenty minutes to wait for the Derby train, I was relieved to find that it did indeed stop at Bedford. “Oh ye of little faith”.
I phoned Pat from the platform, just before I boarded the HST for Derby where I arrived at 0020 . I reached home by taxi ay 0040, to find Pat waiting up to greet me. Went to bed at 0100, and slept like the proverbial dead.
Last thoughts on the holiday
An excellent week with good companions who all got on well together.
Superb spectacular scenery, with wonderful wildlife and flora
A superb friendly hotel with good food and excellent surroundings
Two extremely good leaders with an interest in all wildlife; not just birds, who were also incidentally fast and totally competent drivers.
One question always asked is what was the bird of the week. My two birds were Coreys Shearwater, and the different and very tame Canary Blue Tit, which I wouldn’t be surprised to see classified as a full species before very long
Lists all species recorded on the Canary Isles between 4th July
and 11th July 2003.
A new “Lifer” is indicated *
Found in all habitats ##
Found in all suitable habitats #
Bulwers Petrel *
Coreys Shearwater #
Little Shearwater *
Grey Heron
Night Heron
Little Egret
Spoonbill
Egyptian Vulture
Sparrowhawk
Common Buzzard
Osprey
Kestrel ##
Barbary Falcon
Barbary Partridge *
Moorhen
Common Coot #
Houbara Bustard *
Black Winged Stilt
Cream Coloured Courser
Kentish Plover
Sanderling
Little Ringed Plover
Whimbrel
Greenshank
Yellow Legged Gull #
Gull Billed Tern
Common Tern
Black Bellied Sandgrouse
Rock Dove
Bolles Pigeon *
Laurel Pigeon *
Collared Dove #
Turtle Dove
Laughing Dove
Monk Parakeet *
Alpine Swift
Plain Swift * #
Pallid Swift
Hoopoe ##
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Lesser Short Toed Lark
Common Swallow
Red Rumped Swallow
House Martin
Berthelots Pipit ##
Grey Wagtail
Robin
Fuertaventura Chat *
Blackbird
Spectacled Warbler *
Blackcap
Canary Island Chiff Chaff * ##
Canary Island Kinglet *
Blue Tit
Southern Grey Shrike
Raven
Spanish Sparrow #
Rock Sparrow
Common Chaffinch
Blue Chaffinch *
Atlantic Canary *
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
Linnet
Trumpeter Finch
Corn Bunting
Provisional Total 66 Species
(14 “Lifers”)
The total is considered provisional due to the mysterious duck on Fuertaventura, which may yet be identified, also the presence of 22 sub species; many of them endemic, which may shortly be granted full specific status
Note that all Canary Islands sub species were seen by the party.
Long Tailed Blue- Lampides boeticus * ##
African Migrant- Catopsilia florella *
Small White- Artogeia rapae ##
Large White- Pieris brassicae ss cheiranthi
Canary Blue- Cyclyrius webbianus * ##
Canary Speckled Wood- Pararge xiphoides * ##
African Grass Blue- Zizeeria knysna #
Bath White- Pontia dapldice
Indian Red Admiral- Vanessa indica ss vulcania *
Red Admiral- Vanessa atalanta
Small Tortoishell- Anglais urticae
Painted Lady- Cynthia cardui
Geranium Bronze- Cacyreus marshall *
Monarch- Danaus plexippus
Plain Tiger- Danaus chrysippus *
Langs Short Tailed Blue- Syntarucus pirithous
Cleopatra- Gonepteryx cleopatra ss cleobule
Meadow Brown- Maniola jurtina ss hispulla
Clouded Yellow- Colias crocea
Brown Argus- Aricia agestis Total 20 ( 7 “lifers”)
Other Wildlife noted
Humming bird hawk Moth
Emperor Dragonfly
Crimson Darter
Rabbit
Barbary Ground Squirrel
Short Finned Pilot Whale
Fuertaventura Lizard
Tenerife Lizard
Gomera Lizard
Tenerife Wall Gecko
Note
In the case of sub species recorded in both birds and butterflies, these are found in the Islands generally as the endemic island form. The full nominate species does not occur.
General Impressions of the Canary Isles:- 4th to 11th July 2003
We visited three of the islands, twice by ferry to La Gomera, and one overnight trip to Fuertaventura, in order to see that islands specialities not found on the others. The remainder of the time was spent on Tenerife.
Tenerife
- had not improved since our last visit, some eleven years previously. The southern and western coastal strip some three or four miles wide had about as much charm as a working gravel pit, or a building site after the building was complete, and the builders had dumped their surplus materials. This is generally where the holidaymakers stay, and is the driest and sunniest part of the island, with little greenery to be seen. This strip was traversed by a four lane main road; the Autopista Sud, which was a nightmare of dense, fast moving traffic. Apparently the traffic on the island has increased 60% in the last five years, and it is indeed noticeable.
- Once the ascent to the mountains commences, greenery and trees start to appear, as do hairpin bends, steep hills, and frightful drops under the vehicles wheels
The north coast is much more respectable; and very green, even the Autopista Norte seems quieter and less frantic than it’s southern counterpart.
The real kings of the island are the central mountains dominated by the 3718 metre (12,198 ft) still active volcano; Mount Teide. These are worth a visit in their own right, the amazing lunar landscape of the caldera known as Las Canadas national park is truly amazing as are the unique plants which grow here, and on the other mountains. In fact in general the plant life is both unique and worth a second glance on all the islands.
La Gomera-
is generally greener, and more steeply mountainous although on a
smaller scale than Tenerife, and does not possess a sordid coastal strip.
The capital; San Sebastian is a very pleasant little town. In fact
La Gomera is very quiet and attractive. The volcano; Garajonay at
1487 metres (4,878ft) is of a different construction to Teide, having
no central caldera. The mountain is the dominant feature of the
Garajonay parque natural(National Park).
Fuertaventura-
is less mountainous than the other two, and very similar to desert
Morocco, even in the style of the buildings. In fact the whole island
is one arid desert, the only greenery being introduced producing
some astonishingly green oases around the villages, and the very
upmarket hotel complexes. The mountains, virtually bare of vegetation,
run along the west coast, dominated by Gran Montana, 708m (2,327ft)
in the centre, and Jandia, 807m(2,647ft) at the extreme southern tip.
-
CANARY ISLES with Limosa Holidays, 4th to 11th July 2003
Personnel on the tour, and the weather during the trip
Weather:-
Friday, 4th July:- Fine warm morning in the U.K, with variable
amounts of cloud. Total cloud cover during the flight, until
crossing Spain, then clear to Tenerife. Fine sunny day in the
Canary’s. Strong breeze on coast. Temp:-24C(75 deg.F)
Saturday, 5th July:- Warm in Tenerife with a strong breeze, which
increased on the sea. Breeze dropped on La Gomera except at
high altitude. Temp:- 25C(77deg F) on sea and at La Gomera.
Over 3,000 ft, cloudy with a strong chilly breeze.
Temp.:- 15C(58deg.F). Back in Tenerife 28C(82deg.F), with
strong breeze on the coastal strip.
Sunday, 6th July:- Hot and sunny except under the temperature
inversion clouds. Temp:- 30C(86deg.F)
Monday, 7th July:- Hot and sunny, 25C in Tenerife. Fuertaventura
even hotter and dustier. Little breeze. Temp:-32C(89Deg.F)
Tuesday 8th July:-Hot and sunny, little breeze.Temp.31C(87deg F)
Back in Tenerife 32C (89degF),little breeze.
Wednesday 9th July:- Hot and sunny. Windy on the coast, little
breeze inland. Temp.31C(88deg F)
Thursday 10th July:- Warm and sunny, windy at sea. Temp. 27C
(80deg.F). Back in Tenerife, breezy on coast, inland Temp.
35C(95deg.F)- sweating cobs.
Friday 11th July:- Hot and sunny, little breeze, even on the coast.
Temp.35C(95deg F). Back in the UK at 2000 hours, a pleasant
20C(68deg.F)
NOTES ON SUB SPECIES OF BIRDS AND BUTTERFLIES FOUND IN THE CANARY ISLANDS
The foregoing account and species list features many sub species. As mentioned earlier, the list below features those sub species occurring in the islands, where the full species does not occur. Where the species is mentioned in the account, it always refers to the sub species, and not the nominate species although the account does not always qualify the sub species. Also as mentioned earlier, our party in fact saw all the sub species on the islands.
Sparrowhawk. Occurs on Tenerife as the endemic sub species A.n.granti
Common Buzzard Occurs in the Islands as the endemic sup species
B.b.insularum
Kestrel Occurs on Fuertaventura as the endemic sub species F t dacotiiae
and on Tenerife as the endemic sub species F.T.canariensis.
Barbary Partridge Occurs in the Islands as the endemic sub species
A.B.koenigi
Houbara Bustard Occurs on Fuertaventura as the endemic sub species
C.U. Fuertaventurae.
Yellow Legged Gull Birds on the Canaries are said to be of the Atlantic
Island form L.m.atlantis,however there is some doubt
as to the origin and status of this sub species.
Rock Dove Occurs as the endemic sub species C.i canariensis
Great Spotted Woodpecker. Occurs on Tenerife as the endemic sub species
D.m.canariensis
Grey Wagtail Occurs on Tenerife as an endemic sub species M.c.canariensis
Robin. Occurs on Tenerife as an endemic sub species E.r.superbus. Recent
studies suggest that the Canaries forms constitute separate species.
This seems to be the first, but certainly not the last candidate for full
specific status.
Blackbird. Occurs on Tenerife as an endemic sub species T.m. cabreae
Spectacled Warbler. Occurs as an endemic sub species S.c.orbitalis
Sardinian Warbler. Occurs on Tenerife s an endemic sub species
S.m.leucogastra.
Blackcap. Occurs on Tenerife as an endemic sub species S.n.Heineken
Blue Tit. Occurs on Fuertaventura as an endemic sub species P.c.deneger
and on Tenerife as an endemic sub species P.c.teneriffae.
Southern Grey Shrike. Occurs on the islands as an endemic sub species
L.m.koenigi
Common Raven. Occurs as the endemic sub species C.c tingitanus
Chaffinch. Occurs on Tenerife as an endemic sub species F.c tintillon.
Goldfinch. Occurs in the islands as an endemic sub species C.c.parva
Linnet. Occurs on Fuertaventura as an endemic sub species C.c harterti,
and on Tenerife as an endemic sub species C.c meadewaldoi
Many of the above sub species are under consideration for full specific status, but not always those which are of distinctly differing appearance from the nominate species. Endemic species are isolated races confined to the named island, and not occurring elsewhere. Similar comments also apply to butterflies.
Many birds and butterflies e.g Turtle Dove, and Small White appear very different from the nominate species, but are not classified as a recognised sub species, although this of course may well change in the future.
Indian Red Admiral Occurs on the Islands as an endemic sub species
V.i.vulcania
Large White. Occurs on the islands as an endemic sub species
P.b.cheiranthi
Cleopatra. Occurs on the islands as an endemic sub species G.c.cleobule
Meadow Brown. The form occurring in the Islands is the African sub species
M.j.hispulla
Colin Barker 31st July 2003 |
