Lanzarote - 13-17 Dec 2013

Every winter we have the same conversation. "I'm fed up with the weather, let's go somewhere warm for long weekend." This year Lanzarote was the lucky recipient. The criteria were, as always, good weather, good hiking and (hopefully) good birds...

Day 1 - We flew Easy Jet from Gatwick - arriving at sunset and drove down to Playa Quemeda, had a meal and settled in for the night.

Day 2 - Got up at dawn and walked along the clifftops to Puerto Celero. There was nothing out to sea except for a large flock of Yellow-Legged Gulls.

As with just about everywhere we went there were plenty of Berthold's Pipits around, at least four pairs on this short walk. There were a pair of Little Egrets on the rocks near the marina at Puerto Celero.

Heading back through the Playa Quemedathere was a flock of at least 30 Spanish Sparrows in some palm trees, a handful of Collared Doves and a White Wagtail. In the hills beyond the village we added a Kestrel and a possible Barbary Falcon.

Driving to and walking around Yaiza we saw at least six Kestrels, here's a couple of them.

Day 3 - Woohoo, time or some serious birding. We headed down to the Rubicon Plain, a real desert area, hoping to see Houbara Bustards, Cream-Coloured Coursers, Black-Bellied Sandgrouse and Stone Curlews. That'd be a no then, not one, nada. Only a little bit daunted we decided to do some easy birding and walked from the desalination plant to the Laguna de Janubio and it's attendent saltworks.

The first pleasant surprise was a small flock of five Trumpeter Finch next to where we parked, plus a couple of Spanish Sparrows.

Our first Trumpeter Finch

It was a fairly windy day and the breakers were pounding against the rocks, with a couple of Sandwich Terns plunging into the sea. We woke this Whimbrel up as it was dozing out of the wind.

There were a number of Yellow-Legged Gulls that were more than happy to pose for photos.

In the small ponds approaching the Laguna, there were two Little Egret and two Grey Plovers. We also added our first Southern Grey Shrike and a very inquisitive Bertold's Pipit - one of the few birds that will run towards you.

The Laguna

In and around the Laguna were 8+ Black-Winged Stilts, 3 Turnstones, 20+ Sanderlings, 2 Redshank, 3 Common Sandpiper, 1 Greenshank, 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 2 Sandwich Terns, 2 Ruddy Shelduck and some Yellow-Legged Gulls.

Day 4 - This was a tourist day, so no birding done, especially since we spent half the time underground! However, we were woken up by a faint wheezing noise - Trumpeter Finches just outside our apartment window. Another family group of five, searching the verge for seeds.

Mr Angry - what a glare!

Despite our hanging around tourist attractions this Spanish Sparrow kindly offered to pose.

While every carpark had its resident Berthold's Pipit.

Day 5 - we were flying out around noon, so didn't expect to do much - I'm sitting outside, fortunately with camera to hand when this guy comes and perches at the end of the balcony.

Then four Cattle Egrets flew overhead. The farmer had just let his goats out and it looked like this was part of the egrets' daily routine. We went for a quick walk and met up with both the goats and the birds.

A nice mini-break with some good birds - five lifers for me in fact. Missing out on the big desert birds gives us an excuse to go back, which can't be bad!