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SPAIN:- Extremadura and Coto Donana. ORNITHOLIDAYS
21st to 28th October 2000
Weather etc:-
Saturday 21st :- Overcast, in UK, 53 deg. F. Madrid:- Bright sun following
earlier heavy rain, 70 deg.F
Sunday 22nd:- Chilly morning,bright sun, rising to 72 deg F. Strong breeze at times.
Monday 23rd:- “ “ “ “ “ to 73 deg F. very little wind
Tuesday 24th:- “ “ “ “ “ to 76 deg.F
Wednesday 25th “ “ “ “ “ to 76 deg.F
Thursday 26th:- Some early morning fog, then bright sun, rising to 78 deg.F
Friday 27th Thick fog until 1130, then clearing to bright sun and 80 deg.F
Saturday 28th:- Spain:-bright sun rising to 83deg.F . UK:-Torrential rain, 50 deg. F
1) Joint Leader:- Brian Dore of Sanvensa. S France. 65, and a little deaf. Tended to get controversial at times. On the plus side,an extremely good birder with brilliant observation . An ex accountant, retired through ill health. Six Feet tall,with a full head of hair. Now living with Jaqui in Southern France. 2) Joint Leader:- Jaqui Crozier of Savensa. 61. The brains of the duo. Good organizer, but not such
a good birder as Brian, However a better all round naturalist. Has written books on the butterflies and flowers of the Pyrenees. Divorced and now living with Brian. Brown hair, 5 feet tall. Ex schoolteacher and shows it. Definitely the gaffer.
3) Colin Barker: 65. No further comment necessary.
4) Margot Cruft of Inverness. Well-built, grey hair cut in a fringe. Has some children, but no mention of husband, Very quiet melodious voice with little accent. 5 ft 8. Extremely sociable if rather quiet. 50 to 60, 5 feet eightish tall. Ex music teacher.
5) Trish Hyde of Tipperary, Eire . Pale red hair, 40 to 50 Younger sister to Betty. Together with Betty, the life and soul of the party. Has children, but no mention of husband. Obviously has money. Good birder. Extremely melodious Irish accent, 5ft 6
6) Betty Cummins of Sussex? Sister to Trish. 40 to 50 . Trish’s older sister. Pale red hair. Not quite such a strong Irish accent as her sister, but a deep sexy melodious voice. Once again has children but no mention of husband. Together with her sister game for virtually any way of seeing a bird. Somewhat keener than Trish, and something of a comedienne. Obviously has money. Good birder. 5 ft 3
7) Dorothy Graham of Sutton Coldfield. Quietly domineering,, but quite pleasant, Widowed. definitely has money and is widely travelled. Quick moving and energetic 75 years old but you wouldn’t think it. Grey hair, 5 ft tall
8) Anne Maurice of Marlborough, Wilts. 5ft 6, thin. Grey hair , 70ish .Cousin to Dinah.
9) Dinah Baxter of Marlborough. 5ft 7 , thin, Grey hair 70ish .Aristocratic features. Kindly soul
10) Olive Day of Leatherhead, Surrey , 4ft 9. Grey hair 70ish. Good fun.
11) Wendy Wetherall of Blankney, Lincs. Big woman. 5ft 9. Liked a joke and continually poking
fun at her husband, Eric. He usually got the better of her however. Noisy, ex district nurse. A good eye for birds. Together with the elderly ladies something of a botanist.
12) Eric Weatherall. Husband to Wendy. 5ft 6, bald and a little deaf. Something of a comedian although a little on the quiet side. Probably the best of the punter/birders. Ex workshop
foreman on a hugh estate.65ish. Referred to his wife as “that posh bird” Spoke with a delightful, fruity Lincolnshire accent.
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SPAIN 2000. ORNITHOLIDAYS IT00042 -CHECK LIST
Birds noted :- 21st to 28th October
# Common in most suitable habitats
## Common in most all habitats
# Little Grebe ## Northern Lapwing Short Toed Treecreeper
Black Necked Grebe Sanderling Southern Grey Shrike
Great Cormorant Common Snipe Eurasian Jay
Cattle Egret Bar Tailed Godwit # Azure Winged Magpie **
Little Egret Eurasian Curlew ## Magpie
# Grey Heron Common Greenshank # Eurasian Jackdaw
Black Stork Green Sandpiper Carrion Crow
White Stork Common Sandpiper Common Raven
Greater Flamingo Black Headed Gull ## Spotless Starling **
Grey Lag Goose Audouin’s Gull ## House Sparrow
Gadwall Lesser Black Backed Gull Spanish Sparrow
Common Teal Yellow Legged Gull Tree Sparrow
## Mallard Slender Billed Gull ** Rock Sparrow
Marbled Duck ** Sandwich Tern Avadavat **
Northern Shoveller Black Bellied Sandgrouse ** # Chaffinch
Red Crested Pochard Pin Tailed Sandgrouse ** European Serin
Common Pochard Rock Dove Greenfinch
Ferruginous Duck Stock Dove ## Goldfinch
White Headed Duck ** Wood Pidgeon Linnet
Black Shouldered Kite ** Collared Dove Bullfinch
# Red Kite Eagle Owl Hawfinch
Griffon Vulture ** Little Owl Cirl Bunting
Black Vulture Common Kingfisher Rock Bunting **
Great White Egret Hoopoe ## Corn Bunting
Marsh Harrier Calandra Lark ** Sardinian Warbler
Hen Harrier Lesser Short Toed Lark ** Dartford Warbler
Sparrowhawk ## Crested Lark
# Common Buzzard Thekla lark **
Spanish Imperial Eagle ** Woodlark
Golden Eagle Skylark
Booted Eagle ** Crag Martin
Bonelli’s Eagle Barn Swallow
Osprey ## Meadow Pipit
# Common Kestrel ## White Wagtail
Merlin Robin
Peregrine Falcon # Black Redstart
Short Toed Eagle ## Common Stonechat
Red Legged Partridge Blue Rock Thrush
## Moorhen Blackbird
Purple Gallinule House Martin
## Common Coot Whinchat
Common Crane Cettis Warbler
Little Bustard ** Sub Alpine Warbler
Great Bustard Blackcap
Oystercatcher # Chiff Chaff
Golden Plover Pied Flycatcher
Avocet Spotted Flycatcher Total 128 Species
Eurasian Stone Curlew Firecrest
Little Ringed Plover Long Tailed Tit
Kentish Plover Blue Tit
Grey Plover Great Tit
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OTHER WILDLIFE NOTED
Lepidoptera
Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides podalirius)
Large White (Pieris brassicae)
# Small White (Artogeia rapae)
Southern Small White (Artogeia mannii)
Mountain Small White(Artogeia ergane)
# Clouded Yellow (Colias crocea)
Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra)
# Brimstone (Goneopteryx rhamni)
Two Tailed Pasha (Charaxes jasius) **
Small Tortoiseshell ( Aglais urticae)
# Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
Queen of Spain
Fritillary (Issoria lathonia)
Southern Speckled (Pararge aegeria
Wood aegaria)
# Langs Short Tailed
Blue (Syntarucus pirithous) **
## Little Blue (Cupido minimus)
Iberian Brown argus (Aricia agestis cramera) Total
Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) 19 Butterflies
Provencal Short (Everes Alcetas) **
Tailed Blue
Bergers Clouded Yellow (Colias australis) **
Others
Red Deer Migrating Locust
Fallow Deer Common Grasshopper
Roe Deer Iberian Flying Grasshopper
Blue Winged Grasshopper
Common Fox
Praying Mantis
Eurasian wild boar
Spiny Footed Lizard
Adder (deceased) Osceolated Lizard
Leatherback Turtle (deceased)
As far as I’m concerned the Bird(s) of the week were Griffon Vulture and Azure Winged Magpie,despite the numbers we saw of both species. The Vulture is the most graceful thing I’ve ever seen flying, and the Magpies are just gorgeous. The butterfly of the week was the one I had an ambition to see, the Two Tailed Pasha. I just wish that I had a better view.
I saw seventeen new “lifers” during the week which are annotated ** in the bird species list. Similarly annotated are four new Butterfly “lifers”.
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