We spent October half term at the H10 Timanfaya Palace in Playa Blanca on the Carary Island of Lanzarote.
The island is desolate with the only vegetation planted around the villas and hotels, consequently there are few birds about. The desolation has been caused by the volcanic activity of the 18th and 19th century, great fields of lava cover the south of the island, the last eruption in 1824. But it is all rather daunting.
The weather was mixed, always a wind, the first 3 days sunny with broken cloud, then it had a few very heavy showers for 2 days, after which it was very windy and cloudy. Still we managed some sun bathing and a bit of a top up of the summer tan.
We hired a car for three days to have a look at the rest of the island.
The birding -
The hotel grounds had Collared Dove, Yellow Legged Gull and Spanish Sparrow, and a walk to the lighthouse, about an hour each way, added Common Sandpiper. Ringed Plover, Turnstone and Wimbrel on the rocky beach, Great Grey Shrike, and more sparrows on the hotel side of the path. Sandwich Tern was fishing over the sea.
The Salinas de Jubilo are a working salt pan operation just east of Playa Blanca and we visited on the first day we had the car, entering them from the beach. Redshank, Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, and Black Winged Stilt represented all the waders we could find whilst Berthelots Pipit hopped amongst the rocks. A flock of about 12 Black Necked Grebe were on the main lagoon and a wreck of 30+ Corey's Shearwater were in the bay off the beach.
Driving around the island we dipped on Canary at Haria and Barbary Falcon at the Mirador del Rio, but added Hoopoe, Raven, Feral Pigeon, Kestrel and Cattle Egret to the list.
El Rubicon - Due to thr fact that the Canary Islands observe BST we were at breakfast by ourselves at 7 instead of when it opened at 8 !!!! Consequently we got to the El Rubicon tracks before 9 !! We found the track behind the cement works and noticed some hunters out on the plain with dogs, that didn't bode well.
But at the far end of the track closer to the LZ2 road we found 4 Cream Coloured Courser near to the track and close enough for some photos, perhaps pushed our way by the hunters. As we turned to come back we saw some movement close to the track, WOOHOO, Houbara's Bustard !!! We watched another 4 feeding close to the track and at one point actually crossing the road giving us great views. This was the bird we'd dipped on in Fuerteventura in February, so we were well pleased. A lifer !!!!!
The only other bird we added to the list was Little Egret on the beach the day before we came home.
We don't think we'd go back to Lanzarote for the birding or the scenery, but the hotel, people and food were good, it would have been ok with a bit better weather.
A total of 22 ticks for the week was rather miserly, but worth it for the Coursers, and, of course, the Bustards.
The island is desolate with the only vegetation planted around the villas and hotels, consequently there are few birds about. The desolation has been caused by the volcanic activity of the 18th and 19th century, great fields of lava cover the south of the island, the last eruption in 1824. But it is all rather daunting.
The weather was mixed, always a wind, the first 3 days sunny with broken cloud, then it had a few very heavy showers for 2 days, after which it was very windy and cloudy. Still we managed some sun bathing and a bit of a top up of the summer tan.
We hired a car for three days to have a look at the rest of the island.
The birding -
The Salinas de Jubilo are a working salt pan operation just east of Playa Blanca and we visited on the first day we had the car, entering them from the beach. Redshank, Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, and Black Winged Stilt represented all the waders we could find whilst Berthelots Pipit hopped amongst the rocks. A flock of about 12 Black Necked Grebe were on the main lagoon and a wreck of 30+ Corey's Shearwater were in the bay off the beach.
Driving around the island we dipped on Canary at Haria and Barbary Falcon at the Mirador del Rio, but added Hoopoe, Raven, Feral Pigeon, Kestrel and Cattle Egret to the list.
El Rubicon - Due to thr fact that the Canary Islands observe BST we were at breakfast by ourselves at 7 instead of when it opened at 8 !!!! Consequently we got to the El Rubicon tracks before 9 !! We found the track behind the cement works and noticed some hunters out on the plain with dogs, that didn't bode well.
But at the far end of the track closer to the LZ2 road we found 4 Cream Coloured Courser near to the track and close enough for some photos, perhaps pushed our way by the hunters. As we turned to come back we saw some movement close to the track, WOOHOO, Houbara's Bustard !!! We watched another 4 feeding close to the track and at one point actually crossing the road giving us great views. This was the bird we'd dipped on in Fuerteventura in February, so we were well pleased. A lifer !!!!!
We don't think we'd go back to Lanzarote for the birding or the scenery, but the hotel, people and food were good, it would have been ok with a bit better weather.
A total of 22 ticks for the week was rather miserly, but worth it for the Coursers, and, of course, the Bustards.
