Lanzarote 1^st December - 8^th December 2005

by Dave Pearce 

Although this was a "family" holiday, there was time for birding as my wife and daughter could entertain each other while I went off.  I concentrated on the El Jable region for Houbara Bustards and the salt-pans of Salinas de Janubio for waders.  Weather-wise we were lucky on two accounts.  We missed the worst storm the Canary Islands had had for decades by a few days (tourists were required to stay in their hotels) and the storm was probably responsible for the large numbers of waders and ducks on the salt-pans.  We had hot sun and little wind every day and swimming in the sea was a pleasure.  

Salinas de Janubio Saltpans 

Most waders were near the sea end of the tidal lagoon rather than on the salt-pans (i.e. between the two car parks shown in the Birdwatchers' Guide to the Canary Islands by Clarke and Collins).   There were at least 500 waders (perhaps exceptional) as follows: 

100 Sanderlings looking very white in their winter plumage;

35 Ringed Plovers (some displaying);

35 Dunlins showing a range of bill lengths;

10 Little Stints (all very busy);

25 Kentish Plovers with some males in breeding plumage;

75 Black-winged Stilts with a few first winters and very loud insistent alarm calls;

50 Turnstones;          20 Common Sandpipers;          30 Grey Plovers;          25 Greenshanks;

20 Redshanks;          2 Bar-tailed Godwits;          2 Knots;           2 Whimbrel;   

4 Shelducks;           1 female Shoveler;              1 female Teal;          2 Scaup;        

40 Berthelot's Pipits. 

The Scaup were interesting.  They were both in identical plumage (as shown in Collins for adult female in winter but with the pale cheek patch) - the only difference being that one had the yellow eye of an adult and the other a dull brown/red.  This was not a trick of the light as they were close and I saw them several times. However, the juvenile female Scaup in BWP is shown to have an eye of this colour.  If it was a hybrid I could not detect any other difference in plumage and both had identical classic Scaup bills. 

Near the first car park which is high above the salt-pans (still making salt here - perhaps for the tourists though) there were about 75 Trumpeter Finches on each visit.  They were in the small canyon below the level of the road.  They liked lying in the sun, in the sand on their side, almost on their back, motionless with their eyes shut.  They also made quite a bit of noise with their odd calls and the adults were very pink.  

Nearby is the green lagoon of El Golfo, which has high cliffs above it.  When I was here last in 1994 I had noted there was a rather pale Peregrine in a hole in the cliff.  At the time I did not know that Barbary Falcon was more likely and judging from the whitewash I suspect it is breeding here.  There was no sign of one at this time of year - only a Little Egret and two Ravens.  Four Dolphins/small whales were off shore. 

The Plains and sandy wastes of El Jable 

I approached the area from the Teguise to Yaiza road, and near Teguise took the road to La Caleta.  After 1 km from the junction I turned left on a dirt road and then down a dirt road to eventually join a second dirt road, which is 2 km from the junction.  I saw 5 Houbara Bustards with very good views provided I stayed in the car.  Otherwise they tended to walk away.  They made curious sudden faster walks with their neck kept low and forward but their head turned to one side until they appeared to pick something from a plant or the ground.  I think they were spotting beetles or grasshoppers at a distance using both eyes together but as they closed in, they preferred to keep it under observation with one eye only.  Perhaps as they came close, they could not see dead ahead with both eyes together. 

On two visits I saw a minimum of five Houbaras each time and in different places and on one occasion possibly eight.  I avoided the third dirt road which goes to a farm since it had a no-entry sign.  I went down the fourth dirt road which goes from the La Caleta road to Soo and here saw four together.  There is less cover here from bushes for them and so maybe they are not so frequent towards the coast.  One always has to stop and scan slowly to find them.  Near the coast there was a flock of 300 Linnets. 

On the second visit I turned left on the dirt road 2 km from the junction and found three Houbaras sand-bathing together.  Eventually they moved off and I started to walk the 50m to where they had been in order to see what they had been up to.  I heard an unfamiliar contact call and looked around and realised there were 30 Stone Curlews observing my progress.  There were probably 50 within 500m.  I then put up a minimum of eight and probably ten or even twelve Short-eared Owls, which had been roosting together.  They in turn flushed many Stone Curlews so the sky was quite busy for a while.  All birds came down nearby, within sight, so no harm done and the Stone Curlews continued to cry eerily as dusk was approaching.  

A super habitat but there were quite a few farmers trying to grow crops in this desert.  Lads were driving vans, motor bikes and quad bikes around at ridiculous speeds along the dirt roads of this "Reserve".  The worst offenders were two Land Rovers full of tourists going at 40 mph - the drivers had huge grins but the tourist looked white with fright.  BWP notes that Houbaras are now very scare on Lanzarote.  However, Clarke & Collins also notes that this area has the highest density in Lanzarote or Fuerteventura.  The latter has more birds but from my experience more potential habitat and so much lower density of Houbara and therefore more difficult to find. 

The plains held many calling Southern Grey Shrikes - there was always one or more in view and many hundreds of Lesser Short-toed Larks.  The latter give a very good imitation of a Corn Bunting singing before eventually uttering more melodious notes.     

Nearby, on the way back I saw four Cattle Egrets flying towards me a few feet above the tarmac road.  They swooped up at the last minute and passed only a few feet above the car then continued on their way.  

Costa Teguise 

Here there was a small circular rocky inlet open to the sea and 20 Sandwich Terns were present together with a single Greenshank, Sanderling, Whimbrel and Little Egret and also Turnstones, Kentish Plovers and Ringed Plovers.  

Other Birds

A few Hoopoes, Southern Grey Shrikes, Kestrels were seen every day.  Also plenty of Berthelot's Pipits, many Linnets, Collared Doves, Spanish Sparrows (not so heavily marked as some on the continent but maybe this was due to the time of the year) and Yellow-legged Gulls.  The surprise was that there was only one Cream -coloured Courser seen (at Playa Blanca) and none at all at El Jable, despite covering a fair area including down to the sea.