APRIL 11TH - GAUCIN TO MALAGA AND THEN ON TO MADRID

MALAGA TO MADRID WITH STOPS AT THE LAGUNAS AT LILLO (90KM) SOUTH OF MADRID.

Tarja went home today, we drove into Malaga and dropped her at the airport at 10am. Paul and Claire came with us and then joined me as I drove to Madrid in preparation for the 7-day Tour of Extremadura and Coto Donana.

We listed 24 birds from the bus as we made our way along the excellent Spanish motorway system. At 3pm we turned off the route and made a 2hour detour to look at a series of lagunas found at Lillo where we listed another 27 species. The main Laguna held many Common Shelduck, a few Northern Shoveler and a large flock of Greater Flamingos. Several Gull-billed Terns fed of the surrounding fields and we saw many Corn Buntings, Linnets, Goldfinches, Crested Larks, a few Yellow Wagtails and a couple of Marsh Harriers..

As we drove deeper into the countryside along a dirt track more birds appeared: Red-legged Partridge, Northern Lapwing, Eurasian Hoopoe, Woodchat Shrike and a nice male Subalpine Warbler. But the best bird by far was Great Bustard, we found 3 walking in a grass field not too far away, great stuff.

Visiting another laguna we found a Rock Sparrow, more Common Shelduck and not much else so we headed back towards the autovia and as we did so 3 more Great Bustards were seen in flight, super show but no photographs today.