Fuerteventura Birding Trip Report - Day 3 (Wednesday 26th October 2016)

Day 3:

Moved in to a new (hopefully flood proof) apartment at the other side of the complex, having already seen most of our expected main Fuerteventura targets for the trip we decided to spend another day seawatching on the outside chance of connecting with a Red-billed Tropicbird off the coast. Setting up base on the eastern side of the island at Caleta de Fuste, we positioned ourselves near Caleta Corcha Bay and around the Hotel Elba area where a number of Red-billed Tropicbird sightings had occurred in recent years.

Sadly on this occasion our efforts didn’t bear fruit on the Tropicbird front, but we were treated to a steady and continuous stream of Cory’s Shearwaters passing off the coast along with around 30 Bulwer’s Petrels, their thin black wings powering across the waves and all heading south. A new species for me, the distance of the birds had me unsure as to whether they could be Sooty Shearwaters, but a helpful email from the Fuerteventura e-bird co-ordinator once home confirmed Alex’s initial suspicions that they were in fact the smaller Bulwer’s Petrels – Sooty Shearwaters being extremely uncommon in Fuerteventura waters in October. An excellent bird, and one I hadn’t fully expected to see on our trip. Scanning the rough seas for any white and red shapes, we spotted a large number of Gannets offshore, both adults and juveniles, while two adult Pomarine Skuas complete with spoons were a nice and unexpected find.

With our seawatching not yielding anything more of note bar a handful of close in Sandwich Terns, we instead ventured over to the Barranco de la Torre, another good site for Fuerteventura Chat and Trumpeter Finch. 

With the dark thunderous rainclouds threatening ominously over the mountains as we approached the site, we had barely taken a few steps out of the car when the heavens opened and large splashes of water showered our optics. 

With cracks of thunder and lightning putting on a dramatic show directly overhead, we legged it back to the car, a lone but close Berthelot’s Pipit the only reward for our efforts.

Berthelot's Pipit

After the weather had calmed slightly, we gingerly ventured outside once more, exploring the reedy fringes of a small pool at the end of the track. Here several more Spectacled Warblers moved stealthily around the scrubby edges, while a small flock of Spanish Sparrows chirruped noisily from the twiggy branches. 

Spanish Sparrow

Scanning the water, four Black-winged Stilts - our first birds of the trip - took flight, circling in the sky before alighting back down to feed in the reedy edges. Several Moorhens, again our first for the trip, bobbed up and down on the pool’s surface while another pair of Ruddy Shelducks sat peacefully on the bank. 

With the rain threatening to come in once again, we decided to call it a day at the Barranco, four Egyptian Vultures circling high up between the two mountain valleys our most notable birds at the site, making an appearance as we left.

Egyptian Vulture

The goats at Barranco de la Torre!

With the afternoon to spare and with Reserva de El Jarde having delivered so spectacularly on our first day, we decided to end the day there in an attempt to try and get some better photographs of either the bustards or the Trumpeter Finches. 

Sadly, neither species put in an appearance on our second visit, although we did encounter presumably the same pair of Ruddy Shelducks from two days ago, this time sitting slightly closer to the track and allowing us much better views as they navigated the rubble strewn terrain. 

Ruddy Shelduck

The usual Berthelot’s Pipits once again perched in the cacti decorating the sparse gardens, while the Canary Island races of Buzzard and Raven soared overhead.

The Traditional Cheese Trail!

Deciding to explore a bit more of the twisted tangle of tracks incorporating the “Traditional Cheese Trail” on the site, we encountered four more Egyptian Vultures, this time perched on the telegraph poles and quite possibly being the same four birds from an hour earlier at Barranco de la Torre.

Egyptian Vulture

A Southern Grey Shrike of the Canary Islands subspecies koenigi put on a great show at the side of the road, providing our closest views to date, while once more the flock of Spanish Sparrows fed greedily on the spilt seed at the goat farm. 

Southern Grey Shrike

Taking a closer look amongst the goats revealed no fewer than 10 Hoopoes foraging in the mud and we spent an enjoyable ten minutes or so watching this classic and iconic species as they fluttered around the farm.

Hoopoe!

Lesser Short-toed Larks

The larks were very well hidden!

Once more the air was filled with the sound of hundreds of Lesser Short-toed Larks as they fed in one huge superflock amongst the tiny plants and stones on the plains, interspersed by the distinctive pig-like calls as a flock of Black-bellied Sandgrouse wheeled overhead. Remaining distant during our trip to Fuerteventura, luckily we had enjoyed excellent views of this species on mainland Spain several years earlier, only managing to get distant record shots in flight on this occasion.

Black-bellied Sandgrouse - honest!

With time pressing on and with no sign of the Trumpeter Finches around the goat farm, we headed back to our (thankfully dry) hotel room for the night to relax, enjoying a tasty Italian meal from a nearby restaurant and stocking up on the mandatory fridge magnets and keyring souvenirs to bring home as mementos of our trip.