In search of the Citril Finch

For most birdwatchers it’s the special steppe birds, such as the bustards and sandgrouse, that are Extremadura’s special lure. But it’s the strong supporting cast that makes this Spanish destination so exciting, as I was reminded when I visited this special area earlier this year. My three companions and I arrived in late March to find a remarkably green landscape, for Extremadura, like much of Spain, had enjoyed a wet month until the day we arrived. I say enjoyed advisedly, for Spain is a dry country, and good rains in late winter and early spring are essential for replenishing the aquifers and the reservoirs.

Alpine Swift above the Rio Tajo

Spring arrives early in Extremadura, and we arrived to find Swallows and House Martins back in good numbers, along with the attractive Red-rumped Swallows, the latter a bird that is a rarity in Britain. In Monfragüe National Park we watched an astonishing congregation of House Martins, nesting under the bridge that spans the Rio Tajo. Stopping to see them, we also enjoyed watching Alpine Swifts, along with Crag Martins. The latter are chunky members of the swallow family, and the only one that is resident all year in Europe. This site is also a noted for White-rumped Swifts, but they are late migrants, and we were some weeks too early to see them.

Crag Martins are the only resident member of the swallow family in Europe

However, there were many migrants that were already back in good numbers. Great Spotted Cuckoos return to their breeding grounds in February. We were a little unlucky to only see two, for this is a common bird in the area. We did better with Common Cuckoos, hearing them every day. We were unsure as to whether we would see Rollers, despite the fact that a special effort has been made in Extremadura to encourage this handsome bird, with nest boxes on many roadside telegraph poles. We did eventually see two, much to our delight, for this is one of the most colourful of European breeding birds. Most arrive back later in April.

A road-side Roller

Even more colourful than the Roller is the European Bee-eater, and every day we were entertained by flocks of these birds moving north. It’s always the far-carrying flight calls of these birds that alerts you to their presence, and you usually hear them before you see them. Frustratingly, you often just hear them, and the birds themselves manage to slip past unseen. 

Migrant Bee-eaters

Hoopoes are partial migrants, and Spain supports a sizeable wintering population. I’ve no idea how many winter in Extremadura, but we encountered them commonly, their evocative onomatopoeic song one of the background sounds to our birdwatching everywhere we went.

Hoopoe in a landscape

Extremadura is famous for the thousands of Common Cranes that winter here, feasting on the acorns in the dehesas, the wonderful grasslands dotted with holm and cork oaks. The great flocks leave in early March, and we failed to find even a straggler. However, walking in the dehesa is always a delight, and here you can find birds like Woodlarks and Thekla’s Larks, Azure-winged Magpies, Nuthatches and Short-toed Treecreepers. Here we also found Rock Sparrows, birds more typical of rocky habitats, but a characteristic resident of the oak dehesas. They would be easy to overlook if it wasn’t for their distinctive nasal calls.

Rock Sparrows are unobtrusive residents of the dehesa

In the steppe the Southern Grey Shrike is quite common, but in the dehesa you find the smaller and more colourful Woodchat Shrike. We found these eye-catching small shrikes to be remarkably common, often seeing several pairs in the course of a short walk. Unlike the resident Grey Shrike, they are migrants, but they return to their nesting grounds early. In contrast, we came across very few warblers, as we were too early for them. 

Woodchat shrikes return early from Africa

Extremadura has a number of large reservoirs, many which aren’t great for birds. There are exceptions, though, such as the reservoir at Alcollarin, south of Trujillo. With its gently sloping shores it provides attractive habitat for both wildfowl and waders, and here we saw a fine variety of wildfowl. Most numerous of the ducks were Shoveler, but there were also a few pairs of Wigeon and Pintail, as well as large flock of Egyptian Geese. The latter is a new colonist in Spain, with the first recorded nests in Extremadura as recent as 2012. Conditions must suit them, as the population is expanding fast. Because the water was high, waders were few, but we did see a few Greenshanks, as well as several Spoonbills.

A Purple Heron on the Almaraz Reservoir

Extremadura’s most productive reservoir for birds is to be found next to the nuclear power station at Almaraz, as the warm water outflow from the power station makes the reservoir attractive to a wide variety of species. Here we heard and saw Savi’s Warblers in the reed beds, their characteristic reeling song revealing their presence. They shared the reeds with a variety of other species – we particularly enjoy a colony of purple herons that were nesting there. Little Bitterns proved more elusive, and only a single bird, a male, was glimpsed.

The snow-covered Sierra Gredos, viewed from our base at Candeleda

After six days in Extremadura we drove a short distance north to Castilla y León, to the town of Candeleda, and the edge of the Sierra Gredos. This is one of Spain’s major mountain ranges: it reaches  a high point of 2,592m (8,500ft). Candeleda made a good base, and here we found a rich variety of birds, from Nightingales to Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers. However, our most satisfying find was a Black-winged Kite, a bird that we had missed in Extremadura. These stunning small birds of prey are always a treat to see, as they are so different to every other raptor we have in Europe.

Europe’s prettiest raptor? A Black-winged Kite

Spanish Ibex are easily seen in the Sierra Gredos

It was still very wintery in the Gredos, with the snow line down to well below 6,000ft, ruling out any chance of finding Bluethroats, one of the specialities of these mountains. We did enjoy seeing Spanish Ibex, a handsome wild goat that the Gredos is famous for. The Ibex are used to seeing visitors, so are easy to approach. Our target bird here was the Citril Finch, a European endemic that is restricted to the Alps, the Pyrenees and a number of mountain ranges in Spain. Many years before I had stayed in the Parador de Gredos, and watched Citril Finches in its grounds, so this is where we went to look for them.

Our morning search was enjoyable but unproductive. There were plenty of birds to see, ranging from Crossbills to Short-toed Treecreepers and even a fine cock Redstart, but of our quarry not a sign. We gave up, but came back in the afternoon for another try. The morning’s sunshine had given way to cloud, and there was a chill in the air. Again, our efforts proved unsuccessful, but just as we were about to abandon the hunt I spotted two distant birds that looked likely candidates. Calling my companions back, we all then enjoyed fine if tantalisingly brief views of these smart finches. I dashed back to the car to retrieve my camera: I only managed a single clear shot (below). It may not be the best photograph from my trip to Spain, but it’s a fine memento.

In nine days in Spain we recorded 137 species, a satisfactory total for the time of the year. They were all self-found, as despite our best efforts to employ a local guide, we failed to do so. However, there’s a certain satisfaction in finding your own birds, even if you miss a few. We came home more than happy with what we saw.