This was the final day of legitimate birding in Europe. This sad realization became my motivation and drive to make the final excursion worth it. I decided that I wanted to bird somewhere in Spain, outside of Zaragoza, known for boasting two species of sandgrouse and bustards. Unfortunately, motivation wasn't quite enough fulfill my yearning. It turned out we didn't know how to get there! Despite having the directions on my phone, we were incapable of figuring out how to get there. We endeavored and kept on searching, but after driving for about 2 hours without any idea if we were approaching or distancing ourselves from the preserve, we decided it was time to head home. I was upset, and I didn't want do anything but mope around for the remainder of the day. But then my dad remembered of this reserve where he used to go biking when he was younger. This was the "Parque Nacional de las Bardeñas Reales". Once we arrived, my enthusiasm started increasing again, and I was ready to bird there.
Spain is a very arid country, and much of its terrain is actually dry, open steppe. This is exactly what this environment was like: dry and arid, and not to mention hot. As I was admiring this unforgiving terrain, I noticed a long, gray bird perched on a wire. I immediately told my dad to pull over so I can observe it, and thank goodness I did so because this bird ended up being my lifer Southern Gray Shrike. This species was once known as the Iberian Gray Shrike, and rightfully so because its range extends throughout much of the Iberian Peninsula. Although it is also found in parts of southern France, so that name had to be corrected.
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| Southern Gray Shrike (notice the long body, the gray head, and the black mask) |
We continued driving and I noticed European Goldfinches and Eurasian Linnets along the side of the road. A European Bee-Eater made an appearance as it hovered around, chasing some flying invertebrates. And best of all, my lifer Corn Bunting flew onto the road, directly in front of the car. The most distinctive field mark on this bird to me was its uniquely shaped bill, although the streaking all along the body was also a tell-tale field mark I paid attention to.
As we drove, a large flock of passerines emerged from the ground. I could tell these were all larks. But, they were flying so quickly and so high up, that identifying them was very difficult. On one of the larks, I noticed a black undertail which I learned, after referring to my field guide, was characteristic of a Greater Short-toed Lark, my first lifer. I was able to snag a shot of it when it landed on the ground which shows some of the field marks.
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| Greater Short-toed Lark (notice the broad supercilium, and the bare chest) |
Another species of lark in this flock, and more abundant too, was the Calandra Lark, a more widespread and distinctive species. This larger species was easy to pick out of the flock, as it looked remarkably different from the other species.
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| Calandra Lark (notice the orange on the crown and the supercilium) |
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| Calandra Lark (notice the supercilium, the back pattern, and the overall chunky appearance) |
The flock flew further off, and decided to continue down the empty road. The heat was sweltering and it became extremely uncomfortable. In the back of my head, I was actually hoping that the auto-tour route was coming to an end, but as I thought this my next lifer flew into view. It was a Black-eared Wheatear, a species I really wanted to see! With its upright posture, it perched elegantly atop a rock. Far from modest, this bird knew it was handsome and was showing it.
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| Black-eared Wheatear (notice the black face and wings, and the light beige elsewhere on the body) |
Another unexpected surprise was a Tawny Pipit that skittered along the side of the road. I hadn't this species since I was in the Camargue National Reserve, so it was a pleasant sight indeed.
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| Tawny Pipit (notice the Anthus structure, and the black markings on the face) |
Finally the auto-route ended, and we were homebound. However, just before leaving, I noticed two starlings perched on a wire. Anywhere else in Europe I wouldn't have paid much attention to them, but in Spain there are two species of starlings: the ubiquitous European Starlings, and the sought-after Spotless Starlings. We pulled over, and to my excitement, these birds were indeed Spotless Starlings! My final lifer of the day, I was ecstatic to see this species because this species was part of the reason why I wanted to go out to Spain. Unfortunately, the only shot I was able to take of this species was rather distant and blurry.
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| Spotless Starlings (no distinctive field are visible in this photo) |
This concluded my day in Spain, and basically my trip to Europe. I managed to rack up a total of a little under 150 species, and I got 97 lifers! This was a fantastic trip, and I cannot wait for my next trip to Europe. Any birder visiting Europe should really take advantage of it and bird as much as they can, because you never know what you will find!
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| Parque Nacional de las Bardeñas Reales |
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