DAY #1 MADRID June 13, 2019
My birding in Spain occurred during a 12-day family visit with my youngest son, Jerry, wife Kelly (trip planner) and Grandson Ethan. We would meet up with Granddaughter, Megan later as she is completing her Master's in Spanish language at Salamanca University.
Landed on runway at dawn in Madrid. Uber to our apartment at Calle de Almaden in central city.
Landed on runway at dawn in Madrid. Uber to our apartment at Calle de Almaden in central city.
While waiting for the key to our apartment, COMMON and PALLID SWIFT circled over the surrounding tall buildings. Each have different voice but still come across as a repeated short whistled screech…not unpleasant to my ear. Just a presence. PALLID were fewer.
Relished the experience of new birds, behaviors, sounds.
Across the square was a vertical garden on a wall - that might ordinarily be set aside for a mural. The green garden was a visual treat and helped absorb vehicle exhaust.
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| Vertical garden on wall of building - many desert plants |
Was dismayed to have so many men and women smoking around us. This happened on every street in every city we visited.
After a morning post-travel rest and a bit to eat, we all walked about two blocks to the Real Jardín Botánico. (Royal Botanical Garden) where we meandered through beautiful gardens. Time for new birds!
COMMON WOOD PIGEON (think band-tailed USA but not quite)…abundant if nine (9) individual and independent birds makes it so.
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| WOOD PIGEON - candy-corn bill, white eye ring, wide black band at end of tail, white wing stripe |
IBERIAN MAGPIE were present in each section we wandered with EURASIAN BLACKBIRD also a frequent sighting.
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| EURASIAN (IBERIAN) MAGPIE [Spain is located on the Iberian Peninsula] |
Choice sightings included a EUROPEAN SERIN, a ROCK BUNTING at a rocky stream (thanks, Kelly) and both a EURASIAN BLUE TIT (gorgeous bird) and GREAT TIT. (think Chicadee). The SPOTLESS STARLING showed up several places but for some reason I logged in only one. Distinguishing the SPANISH SPARROW also gave me a thrill.
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| MONK PARAKEET at water feature |
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| EURASIAN BLUE TIT |
DAY #2 MADRID, June 14, 2019
Afternoon stroll with Kelly through Parque de El Retiro very close to but larger expanse of grass, shrubs, woodland, hedges and water features than at Botanical Garden yesterday. Thus, many of the birds were the same species as seen the previous day. But the one "goodie" that I had hoped to but did not imagine I would see was the GREEN WOODPECKER. Behavior is flicker-like in that it forages on the ground for grubs, insects, etc. Was not shy. Woodpecker was so consumed with digging that its face disappeared down a hole. I would see it (or another one) in a very different section of the park later that provided better photo op. Both are males since the red fills the black-lined malar (throat stripe) that, in female, is solid black.
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| GREEN WOODPECKER |
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| GREEN WOODPECKER at another location in the park |
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| GREEN WOODPECKER |
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| EURASIAN BLACKBIRD [above and below] |
DAY #3 GRANADA (including travel from Madrid by bus) June 15, 2019
Packed and ready to leave our apartment by the time Uber arrived at 8:30 a.m. for a ride through Madrid to the bus station where we boarded for Granada, reaching our destination at 12:45 p.m. Although I saw birds at our rest stop in Cordova and out in the agricultural (asparagus, artichoke, corn, wheat, olive trees) areas, none seemed new.
[I've visited only one other European country-- Netherlands - a visit to Hanny & Jannie in 2012 for three weeks where I met many new birds, identified with their books plus Collins Bird Guide for Britain and Europe, again my guide for Spain.]
Uberred to our apartment - Genteel Home Mirador de Lorca! This was a last minute arrangement by Kelly (never get mad at your bank and pull out your money after using its card to secure lodging on a trip). Her booking agent told her she was in luck as a spacious modern apartment had come available right below the Alhambra - four bedrooms and cost less than original reserved spot. Amazing place! And, fortunate as Megan and Karlea (pronounced "carly") met us there along with Karlea's unexpected cousin, Kyle (surprise to her, too) who used his vacation to visit and hang out with them/us. Full house.
First place I checked out was the rooftop patio - whoop! whoop! Up with the swifts! They move so fast!
Family visit up there for awhile; then I crashed early (9:30) for the first time since setting foot in Spain.
Day #4 GRANADA June 16, 2019
Father's Day was a good time to explore the city of Granada with all its narrow streets, shops and restaurants. This day will be included in my Cultural Journal of the trip.
DAY #5 GRANADA June 17, 2019
Tickets to visit the ancient fortress and citadel, ALHAMBRA, were purchased well in advance of our arrival. We had a bilingual woman lead our group of approximately 20 people and (except for birds) I stayed close to catch information.
In Arabic, the word Alhambra means Red Castle - made from the clay on the hill upon which it sat as a strategic military compound. Later, it became the royal residence and court of Granada during the Moorish Nasrid Kingdom in the mid-13th Century. Could not follow all the following wars/destruction/rebuilding of the place (provided by our leader) as power changed hands out from its Moorish beginnings through repeated turbulent times until taken over by Spain. Lesson learned: integrity of clay used as building material hundreds of years ago still supports these ancient buildings. Amazed me!
Of the fifteen (15) species I counted at this location, I have photos of only three.
And, as we exited via a wide dirt road, I stopped in my tracks at hearing a very nearby lilting birdsong. Kelly turned around when she sensed I wasn't following - came back and spotted it immediately. Lousy photo of a Eurasian Blackcap.
No photos of CETTI'S WARBLER (brown ground bird with tail up) nor EUROPEAN GREENFINCH (flew too fast).
As we walked through town later in the day, I always paused along the Darro River (stone wall next to our side walk) to check out any occupants. Mostly it carried MALLARD, DOMESTIC WHITE DUCK; GRAYLAG GOOSE; and, today, another GRAY WAGTAIL in its shallows.
After an afternoon of wandering the streets, we retreated again to our roof-top patio until an appropriate time for dinner, like 9:00 p.m. (totally flipping my schedule!)
Birds from rooftop patio:
View of the Alhambra from our rooftop patio:
[I've visited only one other European country-- Netherlands - a visit to Hanny & Jannie in 2012 for three weeks where I met many new birds, identified with their books plus Collins Bird Guide for Britain and Europe, again my guide for Spain.]
Uberred to our apartment - Genteel Home Mirador de Lorca! This was a last minute arrangement by Kelly (never get mad at your bank and pull out your money after using its card to secure lodging on a trip). Her booking agent told her she was in luck as a spacious modern apartment had come available right below the Alhambra - four bedrooms and cost less than original reserved spot. Amazing place! And, fortunate as Megan and Karlea (pronounced "carly") met us there along with Karlea's unexpected cousin, Kyle (surprise to her, too) who used his vacation to visit and hang out with them/us. Full house.
First place I checked out was the rooftop patio - whoop! whoop! Up with the swifts! They move so fast!
Family visit up there for awhile; then I crashed early (9:30) for the first time since setting foot in Spain.
Day #4 GRANADA June 16, 2019
Father's Day was a good time to explore the city of Granada with all its narrow streets, shops and restaurants. This day will be included in my Cultural Journal of the trip.
DAY #5 GRANADA June 17, 2019
Tickets to visit the ancient fortress and citadel, ALHAMBRA, were purchased well in advance of our arrival. We had a bilingual woman lead our group of approximately 20 people and (except for birds) I stayed close to catch information.
In Arabic, the word Alhambra means Red Castle - made from the clay on the hill upon which it sat as a strategic military compound. Later, it became the royal residence and court of Granada during the Moorish Nasrid Kingdom in the mid-13th Century. Could not follow all the following wars/destruction/rebuilding of the place (provided by our leader) as power changed hands out from its Moorish beginnings through repeated turbulent times until taken over by Spain. Lesson learned: integrity of clay used as building material hundreds of years ago still supports these ancient buildings. Amazed me!
Of the fifteen (15) species I counted at this location, I have photos of only three.
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| COMMON SWIFT |
At a water feature, I spied a GRAY WAGTAIL, below:
And, as we exited via a wide dirt road, I stopped in my tracks at hearing a very nearby lilting birdsong. Kelly turned around when she sensed I wasn't following - came back and spotted it immediately. Lousy photo of a Eurasian Blackcap.
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| Eurasian Blackcap |
As we walked through town later in the day, I always paused along the Darro River (stone wall next to our side walk) to check out any occupants. Mostly it carried MALLARD, DOMESTIC WHITE DUCK; GRAYLAG GOOSE; and, today, another GRAY WAGTAIL in its shallows.
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| GRAY WAGTAIL in shallows of Darro River |
Birds from rooftop patio:
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| COMMON SWIFT |
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| WOOD PIGEON |
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| HOUSE SPARROW |
View of our lodging area from up at Alhambra:
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| May not be our precise location but similar to center/left tall building with shade over patio |
Walked to various cultural sites including local markets and shops.
Most miles walked in one day (10) happened on Day #2 in Madrid when Kelly and I, having birded for two miles, then walked eight more with family to and through Puerto del Sol Plaza and Plaza Major, the largest. No new birds observed.
DAY #7 June 19, 2019
A hired comfortable car for all six of us (Kyle split for Boston) provided our transportation from Granada to Seville with a stop at ancient Montefrio. I wasn't enthusiastic about the ruins of the Moorish Castle of Montefrio built during the Middle Ages (5th to 15th C.).
ALPINE SWIFT favored this location! My posted count of 45 was conservative. Before we reached the Castle, I had seen several of them circling and swooping with their own high-pitched whistled call. Larger than the other swifts, they appeared stronger and faster. More were at the higher open elevation spot but many, including nests, were found right in town.
Cannot tell you how many photos I took of these "swift" acrobatic birds but all flight photos were deleted! Too swift!! Their many nests on a building in town across the street from where we ate our lunch at an outdoor cafe provided my only evidence of having seen this species!
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| Many ALPINE SWIFT at the high elevation; Gorgeous view from that highest point. |
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| ALPINE SWIFT nests were all over this one building in town across from where we ate lunch. The swifts flew in to feed nestlings - see 2nd from left, top - but could not get photo of adults. |
Online photos of ALPINE SWIFT:
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During the ride from Granada to Seville, big birds showed themselves well. WHITE STORK were easily identified by their long red bill and red legs as well as the wide black feathering on the trailing edge of its wings and fingers. Either perched on tall platform nests, in high leafless tree snags or on buildings, the storks also flew from one place to another.
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| File photo from Holland 6/23/12 |
DAY #8 SEVILLE June 20, 2019
Real Alcázar is a royal palace in Seville built on the site of a Muslim residential fortress destroyed after the Christian conquest of Seville. Renowned for its architecture and beauty, the upper levels continue to be used by the royal family as their official residence in Seville.
Jerry wanted to check it out for the scenes in Game of Thrones filmed there. . .and as we walked through opulent rooms and extravagantly decorated corridors, he would exclaim about what happened in GOT at that particular spot. (Had no clue about G.O.T.) He was cheered by being on "the spot" of particular scenes as he rattled off the characters (and movie stars) that had performed right there.
Inside the lower portion of a building, I caught sight of an adult female GARGANEY demonstrating, repeatedly, to two ducklings how to go up some stairs.
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| They tried with their tiny wings to no avail. Maybe next time, Mamma. |
Several peacocks were present there:
The Cathedral de Seville was also on Jerry's list because Knight and Day had been filmed there. (Again I drew a blank.) It wasn't open but as they explored the exterior of the full-block Cathedral I sat on a beautiful tile bench in the plaza under a tree near a water fountain. There I watched Rock Dove, Monk Parakeet and feral pigeons hanging out near the water.
Then, of course, it was time for siesta, followed by walking into and around Seville again, and finding a good place to sit out for dinner. The six of us must be adapting: our meal lasted from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. HOUSE SPARROW and ROCK PIGEON scoop crumbs around outdoor dining areas.
DAY #9 SEVILLE TO CÁDIZ June 21, 2019 While Madrid is inland from both coasts of the Iberian Peninsula (Mediterranean to the East and the Atlantic to the West), Granada and Seville in southern Andalusia Province were both closer to water.
On the ride there, we counted 25 WHITE STORKS over agricultural fields and on platforms; and 125 GREATER FLAMINGO (75 on west side of highway, 50 on east side), in the salt pans. Our driver was familiar with the birds and slowed down on the highway (light traffic) so Kelly could try for some photos. Need to check back with her.
Cádiz is a port city on the Atlantic side. While Kelly dreamed of the beach, I thought of how close we were to Gibraltar. ... Megan warned me of the monkeys there that like to steal your camera, binoculars and anything they can grab hold of. Oh, well; another time, then.
DAY #10, CÁDIZ, June 22, 2019
From our 11th story apartment windows, we had great views of gulls wheeling around. Field-study time. Took lots of photos from the distance of our room down to the concrete boardwalk and roads at the port and a few of the gulls swimming and foraging in the port. Bird identification rests on details. With no spotting scope along, I relied on my camera to help me out. Most of the gulls were LESSER BLACK-BACKED with yellow legs and feet that gave me fits sorting it from the YELLOW-LEGGED GULL.
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| LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL |
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| YELLOW-LEGGED GULL |
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| MEDITERRANEAN GULL |
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| EUROPEAN SHAG |
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| MONK PARAKEET |
DAY #11, HIGH-SPEED TRAIN FROM CÁDIZ to MADRID JUNE 23, 2019
While our comfortable train could reach speeds of 155 mph (250 km/h), it didn't always run at that speed so I entered into eBird two incidental birding lists, one with nothing new; another from over agricultural fields with a large kettle of unknown raptors. But outliers of that kettle plus birds in the fields = GREAT CORMORANT, EURASIAN MARSH-HARRIER, EURASIAN KESTREL, and COMMON RAVEN.
DAY #12 DEPARTED SPAIN FOR ATLANTA, June 24, 2019. So that was it, for my casual birding in Spain; I'm pleased with the results but know there are so many more there to see! (as always!)
LIFE BIRDS (15 species showed up as Lifers on eBird in addition to those below but they had actually been seen in Holland, so they don't count. In 2012 on my visit to Hanny & Jannie, I was a brand new birder and didn't know many of the birds I photographed in the field until I got back to the house and delved into books. This time, I was seeing and calling them in the field. Not that this makes them LIFE BIRDS, but it certainly let me know how much I've progressed with identification skills since the Netherlands. It felt like they were LIFERS! Wasn't using eBird in 2012.)
1.PALLID SWIFT
2.IBERIAN MAGPIE
3.STOCK DOVE
4.SPOTLESS STARLING
5.EUROPEAN SERIN
6.ROCK BUNTING
7.SPANISH SPARROW
8.EUROPEAN HONEY-BUZZARD
9.EURASIAN GREEN WOODPECKER
10.EURASIAN MAGPIE
11.GRAY WAGTAIL
12.APLINE SWIFT
13.BLACK KITE
14.EURASIAN HOBBY
15.CETTI'S WARBLER
16.GREATER FLAMINGO
17.MEDITERRANEAN GULL
18.YELLOW-LEGGED GULL
19.EUROPEAN SHAG
20.LITTLE EGRET
21.GARGANEY
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