Tristan Norton, Eduardo Garcia-del-Rey, Tim Walker, Richard Facey and Rhyan Law-Cooper

A fantastic two-week trip to Fuerteventura, managing to catch up with all but one of the key bird species and do some important research in the process. The first week was spent with the guys at a Government Research Station in La Oliva and included a couple of days ringing plus some birding, the second was more relaxed with my wife in a lovely house in the mountains at Rosa del Taro near Triquivijate. Winter 2008/9 had been a wet one in Fuerteventura, with many days of rain and some cold weather. This had left the island looking extremely verdant and allowed us to do a great deal of botanising. Weather was generally warm to very warm but with a chilly breeze and occasional rain.

17th February

After a hefty fried goat lunch, Eduardo and I headed to a small barranco at Casillas del Angel where the tiny stream and pools held a number of Little ringed plover, Common sandpiper, White wagtail, Grey wagtail and Moorhen. The tamarisk scrub held the ubiquitous Sardinian warblers in addition to several migrant Common chiffchaffs. Berthelot’s pipits are ubiquitous too. The entrance to the barranco is home to a large colony of Spanish sparrows, nesting in the cracks in a stone wall. Unfortunately, the area did not seem to be holding the usual pair of Fuerteventura stonechats. A small group of feeding swifts comprised both Plain swift and a few Pallid swift.

After collecting Tim from the airport we all headed to Los Molinos. Pulling in at the goat farm at the start of the reservoir track, we were greeted by very good views of flocks of both Trumpeter finch and Lesser short-toed lark feeding amongst the animals. More of a surprise was the group of five Ruddy shelduck standing out amongst the rocky desert. The reservoir was as usual with a couple of Greenshank, a Redshank, 2 Black-winged stilts, Coots, several Little ringed plovers, a Common sandpiper and a solitary Little stint. A small party of Plain swifts whizzed overhead.

18th February

An early start saw us drive through the village of Alcogida with a pause to listen to a singing Song thrush and a calling Stone curlew. Every telegraph wire held a pair of Collared doves.

Arriving at Barranco de la Torre, we unpacked the ringing gear and walked along through the tamarisks, flushing several Hoopoe and seeing the odd Southern grey shrike. A pair of Ruddy shelduck were flushed from a large pool, as were several Common snipe.

The aim of the ringing was to catch some Fuerteventura stonechats in order to take sperm samples for a study into sperm evolution by Sociedad Ornitologica Canaria. Setting up just a single 18m mist net, we then concentrated on setting several spring taps for the chats - we’d seen two pairs along the way. The taller shrubs at the gulley bottom were alive with Sardinian warblers and Spanish sparrows whilst the low thorn scrub was the home of surprising numbers of Spectacled warbler. To cut a long story short, we trapped only a single Sardinian warbler – and a retrap! It had been ringed there in 2008. The lively worms seemed to be very attractive to the chats – we had both male and female jumping around over the traps, tugging at the worms – but the traps were set too tight and didn’t work!

After packing up and heading off to the airport to pick up Richard and Rhyan, we headed to the very ugly municipal rubbish tip west of Puerto del Rosario to see what was about. Besides the many hundreds of both Yellow-legged gull and Lesser black-backed gull, we saw a circling group of five Common buzzard, two Grey heron plus a distant hirundine flock comprising Plain swift, Barn swallow, House martin and Sand martin.

After this we headed off for a Houbara hunt at Tindaya. The flat plains here are situated to the south and west of the ancient scared mountain of the Mahos, the original inhabitants of the island. Did they hunt Houbara?

An hour’s searching in the heat haze yielded very little except to distant Cream-coloured coursers. But then Eduardo spotted a bird on a nearby rise – sure enough a spanking Houbara! As we watched it suddenly flattened its head and neck backwards, puffed up its white ruff and started running madly in circles – an awesome sight. Seeing this first hand you can see why it happens – in this landscape the only colour to stand out over a distance is white – it’s like waving a bright flag. 

19th February

Another early start and another stab at ringing in the Barranco de la Torre – this time with more success. Setting five mist nest over the stream and several spring traps in the chat territories we struck gold almost immediately with a pair of chats in one of the nets. Processing the birds at base, we delicately extracted a sperm sample from the male before releasing the birds unscathed.

No sooner had we process this pair than we trapped another in the spring traps – both pairs! Again, having ringed, measured and taken the samples the birds were released. Besides the chats we also trapped several Sardinian warblers, several Common chiffchaffs and a few Robins.

Packing up about midday, we headed off to Salinas del Carmen for a seafood lunch and some relaxed birding. Scanning the coastal pools and sea yielded Grey plover, Redshank, Little egret, Ringed plover, Whimbrel, Sandwich tern and several Kittiwake – apparently there has been a mini invasion of this species in Canarian waters this winter.

Stopping off at the Casillas barranco we managed to add a pair of Laughing dove, Barbary partridge, Common kestrel and a solitary sub-adult Egyptian vulture. Before heading back home to La Oliva, we headed out to Los Molinos and Las Parcelas where, amongst the hordes of Muscovy ducks we managed to trap a single Berthelot’s pipit. We also saw a very troubling site – a chicken ‘forcing itself’ onto a duck...most unnatural and disturbing. Seawatching produced a good number of Cory’s shearwater plus several Manx shearwater.

20th February

A relaxed day today. After a late breakfast we headed we dropped in on the open fields close to the college in La Oliva. The irrigated grassland here held abundant Lesser short-toed larks, plus We then headed west to the Betancuria massif in search of two of the island’s most tricky to see species – Fuerteventura Blue tit and Atlantic Canary. The village of Betancuria is very picturesque, found nestled within a green valley after a steep climb over mountains with fantastic panoramic views. Climbing up along an overgrown water channel, through dozens of new plants and bagging two new butterfly species – Greenish black-tip and Green-striped white – we arrived at a scrubby gulley. Several Turtle doves were purring and soon enough a single male Canary flew into view and perched on a dead tree. Linnets were plentiful. The origin of Canaries on the island is unclear and current opinion seems to be that they arrived under their own steam. Who knows? Having said that I did come across numerous wild-type Canaries in various aviaries all over the island. I also was appalled to see three unringed Trumpeter finches in a shabby cage at Bar Cofete – no doubt they were wild-caught.

The walk back along a rough track found us face to face with a pair of nesting Blue tits, using an old nest box from Eduardo’s studies eight years ago.

Moving on from Betancuria we drove up to the mirador overlooking Las Peñitas, where some white staining on the opposite rock face gave away the location of an old vulture nest site. The mirador is a popular location for tourists to feed the bloody Barbary ground squirrels and therefore the piles of peanuts and bread attract Ravens. A pity that the reservoir here is totally silted and dry – apparently this is due to conservationists insisting that local farmers stop de-silting this and other waterbodies in case nesting waterfowl are disturbed – end result, no birds! Clever.

Moving on past Pajara, and lunch, we headed off to Rosa de Catalina Garcia where, unbelievably, the bird hide is locked – we had to get it opened (reluctantly) by a jobsworth guard. Why does a hide that nobody ever visits need to be locked?

Anyway, from the relative comfort of the hide we were able to view many Coot, several Moorhen, a pair of Spoonbill, Greenshank, Little ringed plover and Black-winged stilts.

Moving north, we turned right after Tiscamanita to take a look at the vulture feeding station way out on the flat expanse of rocky plain. Sure enough, the festering goat carcasses seem to do the job and we logged about 30 or so birds wheeling overhead, with more birds sat on pylons in the distance.

Late afternoon saw us at the eastern end of the Barranco de la Torre. After about 1km we came to a sign showing that the route was closed during the vulture breeding season. Going no further, we watched a pair of chats buzzing around. I was watching a lone shrike when I noticed it acting strangely – following it again I saw it drop down into a spiny bush. Sure enough a quick peek into the bush revealed a nest containing four beautiful eggs (a week late the nest contained four newly-hatched chicks!).

Before Eduardo headed off to the airport to go home, we dropped in at the horrific golf course at Costa Antigua (why would you fly thousands of miles just to play bloody golf??). Anyway, the greens held no birds (probably pesticides) but the odd pool held Ruddy shelduck and Coot.

21st February

Exploring the north of the island, we drove west from Corralejo along the very rough coastal track. Tim managed to find a dead raptor on the beach. Initially identified as a buzzard, it became clear that it was an immature Barbary falcon – oddly, both of its feet had been severed. Continuing the dead bird theme, a Kittiwake corpse was found near our parked car.

Birding from the rocky shoreline yielded a couple more Whimbrel, as well as several Ringed plover, Turnstones and a gorgeous pair of Kentish plover. I managed to watch these two birds very closely over the next hour or so and they were very obliging.

A beer stop further down the coast at El Cotillo gave us more foraging Turnstones plus two clockwork Sanderlings moving about amongst the naked sunbathers.

An evening jaunt back to Tindaya saw a Houbara at close distance plus four coursers and two vultures.

22nd February

A bit of an epic drive to Punta de Jandia. Stopping at the horrifically cheesy Costa Calma on the way we strolled through the planted woodland and had flocks of Linnet, Chaffinch, Greenfinch and Goldfinch, plus migrant Chiffchaff, Song thrush and a single Blackbird. A White wagtail was also there. The last 16km to the Punta are over a very winding, very rutted dirt track and by the end you feel as if your teeth are loose. Having got there, the Punta is a great spot to enjoy – rugged, black coast full of huge rockpools. The larger pools are crammed with gobies and small mullet, plus the occasional crab and plenty of shrimps. Bird life here was limited – the coastal plains supporting the usual larks and pipits plus a flyover vulture. The rocky shores held Whimbrel and Ringed plover, the Faro de Jandia had a dead Kittiwake and seawatching produced just a single Cory’s shearwater.

23rd February

Spent the morning at Betancuria again, driving up the planted pine forest just south of the village. Deserted except for a picnicking family, this site is well worth an explore as it provides a real treat for botanists. The steep barranco stretching upward to the radio masts is a riot of colour, with the acid-yellow of the abundant Euphorbia obtusifolia offset perfectly against the deep red soils and the various blues, yellows, purples and oranges of the multitude of flowering plants – a wonderful sight.

Walking a little way up the gulley yielded a pair of nervous Barbary partridge, a singing male and a nest building female Canary, several Ravens, a few Blue tits, a pair of Buzzards and two vultures. I was half hoping to blunder across a Long-eared owl – the first confirmed successful nesting attempt took place here in 2008. ON the way down the gulley Tim and I managed to catch an Essex-Y moth.

Just before dusk we wandered down the road from our house in La Oliva to try and see the Stone curlews we’d been hearing all week. After a short wait a lone bird flew in not 50m from where we were sitting and starting calling – we had amazing views of this superb bird, a real treat at the end of the day.

24th February

Changeover day, with Tim departing and my wife arriving. After Tim left in early afternoon, we headed to our accommodation at the beautiful Atalayita Rosa del Taro, just north of Triquivijate. The house is nestled in a small valley, overlooked by stony, green hillsides. A quick walk around the local area in the early afternoon yielded a pair of chats plus shrikes, linnets, pipits and ravens.

25th February – 3rd March

Most of the following week was spent doing typical holiday stuff like swimming and visiting museums, ut there was opportunity to do a bit of birding and botanising. I managed to get to grips with nearly 50 plant species, most of them Canarian endemics. Highlights had to be the numerous yellow spikes of Cistanche phelypaea breaking the dry earth around the north-western coastline and the bizarre cactus-like Caralluma burchardii seen in the lichen-clad malpais west of La Oliva.

 

Birding highlights included success with a Houbara hunt, having a lone bird mooching about not 20 yards from the car; a party of four coursers feeding not 10 yards away; getting to within 2 yards of a pair of chats; plus adding Black redstart, Starling, Barbary falcon and Spotted redshank to the list.

Another treat was bumbling across a female Kentish plover with two tiny, pom-pom chicks feeding in the dunes south of Corralejo and the stumbling across a nest, wit the female trying her utmost to convince us she had a damaged wing – sights to remember for sure.

All in all a fantastic trip – Fuerte is a magical island away from the trash resorts (and even they’re not that bad). Take time to explore the little villages and archaeological sites and you’ll get a real taste of the true Canarian vibe – great wildlife, stunning landscapes, savage coasts, fascinating history and delicious food.

Systematic List

Cory’s shearwater	Calonectris diomedea	Several of most coastlines
Manx shearwater	Puffinus puffinus	Several off Playa de Los Molinos
Gannet	Morus bassanus	Immature seen off Salinas del Carmen
Little egret	Egretta garzetta	Regular at coasts and all inland waterbodies
Grey heron	Ardea cinerea	Occasional at several inland sites
Eurasian spoonbill	Platalea leucorodia	2 at Catalina Garcia
Ruddy shelduck	Tadorna ferruginea	Max. 78 + 9 young at Los Molinos. Regular at water all over island
Common teal	Anas crecca	2 birds at Los Molinos
Egyptian vulture	Neophron percnopterus	Regulat all over island. Largest flock 30+ at Tiscamanita feeding station
Common buzzard	Buteo buteo insularum	Regular across island
Common kestrel	Falco tinnunculus dacotiae	Regular across island
Barbary falcon	Falco pelegrinoides	Single male at La Puertita, nr Costa Calma
Barbary partridge	Alectoris barbara	Pairs seen at Casillas del Carmen, Betancuria and Rosa de Taro
Common moorhen	Gallinula chloropus	Regular at all large waterbodies
Eurasian coot	Fulica atra	Regular at all large waterbodies
Houbara	Chlamydotis undulata fuerteventurae	2 birds seen well at Tindaya
Black-winged stilt	Himantopus himantopus	2 each at Los Molinos and Catalina Garcia
Stone curlew	Burhinus oedicnemus insularum	Occasional across island. Seen well at La Oliva
Cream-coloured courser	Cursorius cursor bannermanii	Seen often at Tindaya
Little ringed plover	Charadrius dubius	Frequent in all wet barrancos
Common ringed plover	Charadrius hiaticula	Frequent on western coast
Kentish plover	Charadrius alexandrinus	Occasional on western coast. Nest and chicks seen in dunes at Corralejo
Grey plover	Pluvialis squatarola	Single at Salinas del Carmen
Sanderling	Calidris alba	2 birds at El Cotillo
Turnstone	Arenaria interpres	Regular along all coasts
Dunlin	Calidris alpina	Single at Catalina Garcia
Little stint	Calidris minuta	Single at Los Molinos
Common sandpiper	Actitis hypoleucos	Regular at freshwater
Common redshank	Tringa totanus	Occasional at coast and inland water
Spotted redshank	Tringa erythropus	Single at Los Molinos
Common greenshank	Tringa nebularia	Regular at Los Molinos and Catalina Garcia
Whimbrel	Numenius phaeopus	Regular on all coasts
Common snipe	Gallinago gallinago	Several flushed at Barranco de la Torre
Yellow-legged gull	Larus cachinaans atlantis	Abundant
Lesser black-backed gull	Larus fuscus	Abundant
Black-legged kittiwake	Rissa tridactyla	Several seen offshore at Salinas del Carmen. Dead birds found at two coastal locations
Sandwich tern	Sterna sandvicensis	Regular on all coasts
Rock dove	Columba livia	Abundant
Eurasian collared dove	Streptopelia decaocto	Abundant
European turtle dove	Streptopelia turtur	Common in quieter valleys
Laughing dove	Streptopelia senegalensis	Occasional  - Betancuria, Casillas del Angel
Nightjar sp.	Caprimulgus sp.	Unidentified bird flushed from road at night near to Alcogida
Pallid swift	Apus pallidus	Several seen over Casillas del Angel
Plain swift	Apus unicolor	Frequent across island
Eurasian hoopoe	Upupa epopos	Common
Ring-necked parakeet	Psittacula krameri	Single at Corralejo
Common skylark	Alauda arvensis	2 birds at La Oliva fields
Lesser short-toed lark	Calandrella rufescens polatzeki	Abundant
Sand martin	Riparia riparia	Single bird at rubbish tip
Barn swallow	Hirundo rustica	Occasional birds across island
House martin	Delichon urbica	Many over Costa Antigua Golf
Berthelot’s pipit	Anthus berthelotii	Abundant
Meadow pipit	Anthus pratensis	5 birds at La Oliva fields
White wagtail	Motacilla alba	Occasional across island
Grey wagtail	Motacilla cinerea	Occasional in wet barrancos
European robin	Erithacus rubecula	Several at Barranco de la Torre and Costa Calma woodland
Black redstart	Phoenicurus ochruros	Single in Tindaya village
Fuerteventura stonechat	Saxicola dacotiae	Common in barrancos and hillsides
Common stonechat	Saxicola torquata	Single male at La Oliva fields
Song thrush	Turdus philomelos	Common at Costa Calma, occasional elsewhere
Common blackbird	Turdus merula	Single at Costa Calma woodland
Blackcap	Sylvia atricapilla	Regular across island, many at Costa Calma woodland
Sardinian warbler	Sylvia melanocephala	Common in taller vegetation
Spectacled warbler	Sylvia conspicillata	Common in low spiny scrub
Common chiffchaff	Phylloscopus collybita	Occasional across island, many at Costa Calma woodland
African blue tit	Cyanistes ultramarinus degener	Uncommon at Betancuria
Southern grey shrike	Lanius meridionalis koenigi	Common across island
Common raven	Corvus corax tingitanus	Very common across island
Common starling	Sturnus vulgaris	4 birds over Villaverde
Spanish sparrow	Passer hispaniolensis	Abundant
Common chaffinch	Fringilla coelebs	Common at Costa Calma woodland
Common linnet	Carduelis cannabina harterti	Regular across island
European goldfinch	Carduelis carduelis meadewaldoi	Common only at Costa Calma woodland
European greenfinch	Carduelis chloris	Occasional at Costa Calma woodland
Atlantic canary	Serinus Canaria	Uncommon at Betancuria
Trumpeter finch	Bucanetes githagineus amantum	Abundant in right habitat
Corn bunting	Miliaria calandra	Abundant at La Oliva and Tindaya

Total = 78 species