Wildlife

James Lowen

I had forgotten quite how beautiful the Extremadura landscape was. Cracking dehesa, steppes and rocky hillsides. Wonderful. I can't wait to go back in May!

Now for a few scenery pics. I was enchanted by Trujillo, where White Storks were already back on nests, and there were decent roosts of House Sparrows (several hundred), Spotless Starlings ( a few thousand) and Crag Martins (nearly 30, on a building in the central square).

We only saw two species of mammal during the trip, both in Monfrague national park. A few female Red Deer were hanging out, but even better was a single Otter watched fishing along the base of the cliffs at Salto de Gitano. A bit distant, but made for some nice scenic shots, such as the one below. Monfrague harbours several regular locations for Otters - and we were grateful to the group of young Spanish birders who tipped us off about this particular individual.

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4 Feb 2017 Extremadura, 3

The third and final blog on my recent press trip to Extremadura. Cranes are covered in a blog here, and other birds here. This short blog will focus on places and other wildlife. A distinct trip highlight was the chorus of Natterjack Toads that kicked off - the first of the year - on my final night at Casa Rural El Recuerdo. These were easily audible from Martin and Claudia Kelsey'sgarden (indeed, there were probably some in the garden), and I tracked two non-calling individuals down to a drain in the village proper. Cracking amphibians!

Click here to check out my gallery of Spanish wildlife images on my photographic website.