Gran Canaria.
End of October- family holiday, south of the island not far from Maspalomas, 30 deg c every day.
Large hotel with lush vegetation within the grounds, a short walk from the beach, some birding done in the hotel grounds where I got 3 Lifers, and a very productive area on one of the short paved alleyways to the coast path.
I didn?t stray too far from the hotel as it was mainly a built up area and no real opportunities to explore any decent habitat.

- Canary Island Chiffchaff (Lifer)
These were everywhere, numerous individuals seen in the hotel grounds everyday, seen in nearly every hotel garden whilst walking to the beach. A very different song and call, not shy neither.

- Atlantic Canary (Lifer)
Again these were seen and heard everywhere, some singing on treetops within the hotel grounds, but seen pretty much all over the resort.

- African Blue Tit (Lifer)
I had a fleeting glimpse in Lanzarote but wasn?t seen convincingly so this ill class as the Lifer.
Not many seen, 3 pairs and a few singles, none near the hotel, the first pair seen in an alleyway near the beach (this alleyway would become significant as the holiday went on). Lovely little things with their bright blue plumage and contrasting black & white head markings.

- African Collared Dove (Lifer)
Thought I had a few candidates in Lanzarote a couple years ago, but these individuals I saw here were even better and I felt far more confident with these, cute and dinky looking with pale underparts and as pointed out to me ? white undertail coverts. Possibly a few seen in amongst the Collared Doves but the best example was right there in the hotel grounds near the pool.

- Common Waxbill (Lifer)
2 single birds seen but very elusive, gorgeous little things with their 1 outside the hotel with Spanish Sparrows, and 1 with a C.I.Chiffchaff and 2 African Blue Tits near the entrance to Palmitos Park Dolphin show up in the mountains, no images managed of either.

- Hoopoe
Pure quality looking birds, not many seen - 9, but some were in same area on a different day so possibly duplicates, 1 seen near hotel, 1 in a hotel garden, the others around the alleyway near the beach. Probably not as common as some people make out they are.

- Plain Swift
Small groups some mornings and evenings seen from the balcony, then one evening I had a group of about 10 but believe it or not it was hard to be certain as they are very fast and their flight pattern is quick with random sudden turns, I think it was 10.

- Yellow-legged Gull
Plenty of flyovers and sometimes in groups of 20+ as it was getting darker in the evening, only a few close-ups seen and with no harbour anywhere within easy reach I wasn?t sure where they were hanging out! Disappointingly few Gulls and even Lucas said I know it?s a good Gull to see Dad but it?s not as good as watching them all at Redgate, and I had to agree.

- Sardinian Warbler
A single, very inquisitive bird in one of the bushes on the alleyway,

- Cattle Egrets
Pretty much like in Lanzarote - lots of them, they gathered on the grassy centres of roundabouts in groups of 10-20, a few flyovers, some exploring roadside ditches, and a close individual down near the coast path near Maspalomas.

- Spanish Sparrow
In good numbers, seen every day in most locations, their loud chirping have them away. One group outside the hotel had a Tree Sparrow in amongst them

- Common Kestrel - canariensis
A few Kestrels seen but they were either in poor light, heat haze, or too distant. One however was fairly close and a bit confiding so it was nice to see

- Whimbrel
2 on the beach and another nearby on the grass infront of a shopping centre

- Sanderlings
Small groups on the beach and on the rocks feeding

So to the alleyway I mentioned near the beach, basically a busy open walkway about 15 yards long that split 2 properties overlooking the sea.
During a walk one afternoon I was gobsmacked when literally seconds after finding a Hoopoe in a tree on the corner of the alley, I found another one and then another, but not only that, there was a whole host of birds in the tree and then they were moving down the alleyway.

So in 1 tree I had ..
- 3 Hoopoe
- 2 Canary Island Chiffchaff
- 2 African Blue Tit
- 1 Atlantic Canary
- small group of Spanish Sparrows
- 1 Sardinian Warbler
- Collared Doves
We nicknamed it the Hoopoe Tree.


-- Edited by Rob Creek on Tuesday 5th of November 2024 04:43:26 PM