Monday 4 May 2009

Playa Blanca, Lanzarote


The week in Lanzarote was never supposed to be a birding holiday, but I took along my old 350D and Sigma 70-300mm lens, just in case anything interesting cropped up. I was actually surprised at the sort of birds around, considering how close to Africa the resort is - nothing really spectacular, though it has to be said, I didn't spend a great deal of time looking!

Highlights included a hoopoe (seen from the coach window on the way back to the airport) and an Egyptian vulture, typically seen when I was reading a book on the apartment balcony. So no pics of either of those!


The resort (Playa Blanca) was home to masses of sparrows and collared doves mainly. I did see a pair of kestrels hunting near the 5 Star hotel (must have taste) and something bright yellow flashed by one afternoon, flying like a woodpecker. Not sure what it was though.


On the shoreline were common sandpipers, whimbrels and turnstones, plus a few herring gulls, though these mainly stayed over the sea. And on the patches of rough ground between complexes, flocks of pipits busied about.

It was good to see a number of swifts darting around the skies too, though I didn't even attempt to photo these.




1 comment:

midlands birder said...

do you think the mystery bird could be a golden oriole.they summer around that area