TOP 10 SPECIES

Top 10 lists are voted upon by the participants at the completion of each tour.

SPAIN:
27 April - 10 May 2004

April 27, Day 1: We met mid-morning at the Madrid International Airport. Barbara, Peter, and I had come in the day before. Ruth had come in early as well so we were the first ones to meet and greet. I had remembered Barbara and Peter from our time together in Costa Rica. Jo and Ken arrived on time, soon followed by Bob, so the whole gang was here. I knew Jo, Ken, and Bob from two separate Kenya safaris so their faces were very familiar and a welcome sight. Steve West, a British born bird guide living in Spain for the past 15 years, soon met us. I think the binoculars gave us away. We were soon on our way in our Citroen van, eager to see some birds. Once outside of Madrid we stopped for a quick lunch, and while there Barbara and Ruth spotted our first Eurasian Linnets and Red-legged Partridges. It was nice just seeing a new countryside on our way to the Extremadura region west of Madrid. Steve took us on a side road and this paid off with four Little Ringed Plovers, our only Black-shouldered Kite (an uncommon and local bird in Spain), several Red Kites with the more numerous Black Kites, a Booted Eagle, a fly-by Eurasian Sparrowhawk, a pair of Eurasian Thick-Knees, numerous Eurasian Bee-eaters, our first Hoopoe, a pair of Grey Wagtails along the river, and other more common species like White Stork, Woodchat Shrike, Corn Bunting, and Stonechat--an excellent start to the trip. Once in Serrajon, we followed the winding narrow roads of this small, quaint village to our hotel, which was more like a very pleasant B&B. Bob, Jo, and Ken were very tired, having flown all night, so off to bed after an early dinner - 8:30 PM. They eat very late in Spain, which took some getting used to. Bird of the day was voted the beautiful Eurasian Bee-eater by the group.

April 28, Day 2: Up at the crack of, well, 7:30 AM, we had breakfast at 8:00 (they eat breakfast late in Spain as well), and then headed off for a very good day of birding in nearby Monfrague Natural Park. The landscape here is very dramatic with rocky outcrops, a river, cork tree groves, and even large farms of an unusual looking silvery pig. We all agreed that if we come back in a future life as a pig, this is the place to live! At one of the first stops Steve heard a Western Orphean Warbler and soon we were watching this uncommon bird. Another stop yielded an even more local species, a female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. Other notable birds en route to the park were Eurasian Nuthatch, Short-toed Treecreeper, Mistle Thrush, and the gorgeous Azure-winged Magpie. Our next stop was at a cliff face within the park. Here we watched Eurasian Griffons, nesting Black Storks, Ruth found us a nice Subalpine Warbler, a few of the large and local Cinereous Vultures, and a delightful singing Winter Wren. The highlight here though was getting fantastic views of the endemic Spanish Imperial Eagle both perched and in flight. The white leading edge to the wing and the golden-white nape were very visible. Next stop gave us great views of a perched Short-toed Eagle on an electric tower. Its large, owl-like head and piercing eyes certainly made an impression on us. Further along we saw our first Egyptian Vulture sitting on its nest in a cliff wall. We continued to the Interpretive Center of the Park for a rest room stop, these stops became a common occurrence throughout the trip, which we all joked about. I could map out a rest room tour of Spain if anyone is interested. A stop at the Pinnacles, another spectacular rocky cliff, gave us more views of nesting Black Storks and Eurasian Griffons, Common Ravens, Black Redstarts, and Blue Rock Thrushes. We had a nice pack lunch along the river consisting of fruit, a sandwich, and a salad complete with local olive oil. "To the castle!" cried the young warrior and off we went up a winding road leading to a very old castle right on top of the mountain. The view from above was breathtaking. We also saw Red-billed Chough and Alpine Swift while taking in the view and a dainty Long-tailed Tit was added on the descent. We birded just beyond the park and found Spanish Sparrow, Cirl Bunting, and a stunning Black-eared Wheatear among other birds before backtracking our way through the park. It was on this return trip that we scored great views of a pair of the local Bonelli's Eagles. After a quick check for Kingfisher along the river and proving that Nightingales do exist, though Ruth was still hesitant, we headed back to our B&B for a nice dinner. This, no doubt, was one of the best days of the tour and the bird of the day was difficult to decide. The majority concluded it had to be the Spanish Imperial Eagle.

April 29, Day 3: Another great day of birding. We started off pre-dawn in hopes of seeing a Eurasian Eagle Owl returning to its day roost on a well-known cliff face. Dipped on the owl but while we were waiting in the cool darkness we managed to call in a Red-necked Nightjar which sat spotlighted in the road. It was nice to hear the dawn chorus as it echoed off the cliff walls. We saw our first of many Red Fox on the trip on our return drive. We went back to our B&B for breakfast and then headed south to the grasslands around Belen, our target being the Great Bustard. Southern Grey Shrikes were fairly common in this area as were displaying Calandra Larks. Before long we were watching a group of distant Great Bustards, the heaviest flying bird in Europe. Steve heard the odd call of the male Little Bustard and soon we were watching a beautiful male through the scope. Common Quail were also heard but stayed out of sight, typical for this species. Driving the many roads in this area produced a few Cinereous Vultures, two more Short-toed Eagles, several graceful Montagu's Harriers, our first Lesser Kestrels, more Red-legged Partridges, Little Owl, many Hoopoes, and the darling Whinchats among the more common White Storks, Crested Larks, and Spotless Starlings. In one of the last fields before reaching Belen we came across a stunning male Great Bustard at close range which soon took flight, landing while still in view. We had a nice lunch in a city park in Trujillo then walked up to the famed church. The square in front of the church was crowded with booths and people visiting a wine and cheese festival. The whole place smelled like aged cheese! Eurasian Jackdaws and Lesser Kestrels were a delight to watch and with persistence we picked out a few Pallid Swifts from the hundreds of Common Swifts, both known to nest underneath the roof tiles of the buildings around the square. We then drove the roads near Santa Marta, picking up our target bird there, the electric European Roller. While leaving this area, Steve spotted our first Black-bellied Sandgrouse of the trip, a group of five feeding in a stubble field. A wetland reserve was our next stop. Here we watched nesting Great- crested Grebes at close range along with its smaller cousin, the Little Grebe. En route to our B&B we drove back through Monfrague Natural Park for the last time; we had a wonderful time here. It was another memorable day of birding with European Roller taking honors for bird of the day, narrowly beating out the impressive Great and Little Bustards. After another good dinner it was off to bed for a deserved rest.

April 30, Day 4: Mostly a travel day, we woke this morning to a change in weather, specifically windy and cold. We were heading to the plains some distance away and hoped to get out of this cold front, oh how wrong would we be. An early morning try for Hawfinch was futile considering the winds so we said goodbye to the Extremadura region and the Azure-winged Magpies and made our way toward Madrid. En-route we stopped at a large lake adding a few distant shorebirds to our list, all of which we would see much better in the Ebro Delta. A stop for gas near El Gordo beyond Madrid produced displaying Sky Lark. We stopped at an old Castle for our lunch getting good views of Rock Sparrow. Continuing toward Belchite we made a stop in the birthplace of the famous painter Goya and visited the museum there. Just outside of Belchite we made another stop at the picturesque bombed out church caused by Franco pre WWII. We had a little time to bird at the El Planeron Reserve which gave us a nice introduction to the this area. At a seasonal lake we had our only Common Pochard, a nice male, our first of many Western Marsh Harriers, Common Greenshank, Wood Sandpiper, Bank Swallow, and Yellow Wagtail. Later, we scoped out the area where we would come at dawn in hopes of seeing the secretive and very local Dupont's Lark. We had quick views of a Little Owl on a rockpile and another pair of Eurasian Thick-Knee on our way to Quinto which would be our home for the next three nights. Our hotel was modest; all rooms on the third floor, the meals would be served about 1km down the road at a restaurant. Luckily our table was in a side room away from the heavily smoke-filled bar. We found dinners to be interesting throughout Spain on this trip. Being mostly a travel day, choosing the bird of the day was quite limited. The displaying Sky Lark that was singing his heart out ended up winning the award.

May 1, Day 5: On a pre-dawn drive to the Dupont's Lark location it was quite apparent that the weather had not changed, nor would it. Upon arriving we could hear first the Lesser Short-toed Larks and then the Dupont's Lark, several in fact, and seemingly quite close. After much patience and searching we failed to see a feather of this recluse plains inhabitant. Our reward for making the effort came as we were driving back for breakfast and Steve spotted two Eurasian Dotterels in a field. A stunning female, as in Phalaropes the female is the most colorful, and a first year bird. The scope was soon on them both but they flew just before everyone could see them well. They were quickly joined by another individual in flight and disappeared well into the distance. This is a rare spring migrant through Spain and we were very fortunate to find them even though it was brief. Back for breakfast which was very good, even an egg and potato kiesh. We returned to the plains and another try for Dupont's Lark. First we explored some rolling hills made up of a mosaic of plowed fields, grassland, and natural habitat. Here we had distant but definitive views of 4 Pin-tailed Sandgrouse amongst about 25 Black- bellied Sandgrouse. Little Owl and Spectacled Warbler made an appearance on our short walk as did displaying Greater Short-toed Larks and a lone Tawny Pipit. The Common Quail continued to taunt us with its call. We also added Northern Wheatear which were now common along with a few stunning Black-eared Wheatears. We returned to the Dupont's Lark site and were encouraged to find them still singing. After diligent searching we still failed to pick one out of this treeless habitat, strike two! We had our no frills lunch here with Dupont's Larks still calling around us. We decided to try another area for the lark, en-route we had good views of our first Eurasian Hobby circling above us. We soon arrived to La Lomaza Reserve just north of Belchite and within minutes we could hear several Dupont's Larks calling. We waited patiently and finally one flew out of the thick grass, gave a wonderful mid-air display, and then landed out of sight, double off the wall, (following the baseball theme, two strikes, etc)! With the wind and the cold we were quite happy to get those views. Further along we came across several Thekla Lark and a male Spectacled Warbler, both showing us their charming and unique display flights. We returned to the warmth of our hotel, well, out of the wind at least, and had another interesting dinner. After the effort we had put forth we voted that the bird of the day had to be the Dupont's Lark.

May 2, Day 6: This would prove to be a very good day of birding. We headed east toward Bujaraloz making a birding stop in a grove of trees on some hills. Walking along these hills we found our first Dartford and Willow Warblers, European Pied and Spotted Flycatchers, a nice male Common Redstart, a pair of Tree Pipits, and a stunning pair of Great Spotted Cuckoos, one of which posed for fantastic scope views! The next stop was at a small lake with a nice colony of Black-headed Gulls and a couple of Yellow Wagtail. At another lake closer to Candasnos we met up with some birding friends of Steve. This lake was teeming with birds including breeding plumage Eared (Black-necked) Grebe, Red- crested Pochard, Common Redshank, a pair of Collared Pratincole, five Black Terns, Alpine Swifts amongst the many Common Swifts, Eurasian Reed-Warbler, and its larger cousin the Great Reed- Warblers which perched up singing, showing us the brilliant red lining to its mouth. Quite a pond! Steve's friends then took us to a location where they had just recently discovered a roosting Eurasian Eagle-Owl. Soon we were watching this impressive owl through the scopes as it was resting in a shallow cave high up on an escarpment. It is always sweeter when you pick up a bird after a failed earlier effort as we had done that pre-dawn in Monfrague. While there, a Golden Eagle soared in from behind the ridge, another impressive bird. After thanking his friends we headed north stopping to eat our uninspired lunch. Several Red-billed Choughs, a pair of Stock Doves, another lone Tawny Pipit, and a lovely group of Eurasian Bee-eaters were taken in as well, visually that is. We made another birding stop along a bridge at Rio Alcanadre. Common Nightingales were very vocal and some of the group had their first views of this loud but secretive songster. A very responsive Melodious Warbler was indeed melodious and we also watched a pair of wary Great Spotted Woodpeckers coming to their nest hole a few times. On to Sarenene and its nearby lake reserve. Within minutes we added three nice birds, Garden Warbler, the handsome Eurasian Penduline-Tit, and the little Cetti's Warbler. Further down we saw Purple Heron and heard the low boom of the Great Bittern from deep within the reeds. Near a hide we scoped the lake and found a pair of Great Cormorants, our only Northern Shovelers of the trip, distant views of Purple Swamphen, and a lone Whiskered Tern amongst several Black Tern. Our attempt to call in Water Rail did bring them quite close but unfortunately not within view. We made our way back to Quinto fully satisfied with what we had seen this day. The bird of the day was pretty easy to decide, Eurasian Eagle-Owl.

May 3, Day 7: We awoke to find a cool morning with steady drizzle. We first visited the gallery forest along the river very close to Quinto. The Common Nightingales were not shy today, one even perching in the road for all to see well. We also noted a perched Eurasian Hobby dining on quite possibly an unfortunate migrant. In the constant drizzle Steve heard a Eurasian Wryneck, an odd member of the Woodpecker family, which eventually responded, windshield wipers necessary to see it more clearly. Blackcaps made an appearance along with several brief views of Common Kingfisher. We also had Purple Heron and a Black-crowned Night-Heron along the river. We loaded up to make our way from the rainy plains of Spain, I had to put that in, through the Pre-Pyrenees, and eventually to the high Pyrenees near Hecho. We enjoyed the new scenery and the colorful Red Kites in this new area. A fly- bye Peregrine was seen en-route. Another stop to eat our uninspired lunch at a pass near Puerto de Monrejos in the Pre-Pyrenees gave us our first views of the adorable Firecrest and Dunnock. We decided to try the ski resort area of Astun in the high Pyrenees along the border of France as there was a considerable amount of snow on the ground giving hope for Alpine Accentor and possibly Snowfinch. In the wind and cold we did not find these two species but had a great time watching Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush, the attractive Yellowhammers, groups of Alpine Chough, a few Red-billed Choughs at close range, many Northern Wheatears and Water Pipits, and spritely Black Redstarts. Making our way back down the mountain we stopped for distant views of White-throated Dipper, a species we would see much better two days later. We arrived to Hecho in time to go to the gorge for our first attempt at Wallcreeper. The wind was howling through the gorge and I could not imagine this small bird even being able to hold on to the cliff face, strike one! We did add Crested Tit in this area and enjoyed another view of a Eurasian Nuthatch. We checked into our lovely hotel, happy to get out of the wind and cold. After a nice dinner we were deadlocked 4-4 on the bird of the day. We scored it a draw between the Eurasian Wryneck and the smashing little Yellowhammer. I suspect had we seen the Wryneck under better conditions it would have surely won.

May 4, Day 8: A check outside the window of the hotel the next morning showed no change in the weather, still cold and very windy. We would still have an excellent day of birding however. After breakfast, I will not soon forget the giant blackish croissants shaped like the head of a bull, we drove a short ways to a refuge for our hike. A couple of Song Thrushes were heard at our first stop but refused to show themselves. On the ascent Peter spotted a Great Spotted Woodpecker that apparently had better places to be. A refuge in Spain is not a wildlife refuge as you would expect but more like a shelter and restaurant for hikers. Unfortunately it was closed on this day, a hot cocoa would have been extremely welcomed. The yard around the refuge was covered with Chaffinch, Yellowhammers, and a few Rock Buntings. Around the refuge itself we added a fly-bye Common Cuckoo, Coal and Marsh Tits, the precious European Robin, and another Dunnock. We slowly made our way to another site for Wallcreeper. En-route we had our first though distant views of several Lammergeier working along an enormous cliff face across the valley. No Wallcreeper, but further along on the trail a stunning adult Lammergeier soared in just above our heads, you could even see the beard! The scenic views we had along our hike were absolutely amazing! As we descended the trail we saw a migrating group of 27 Eurasian Honey-Buzzards. Back at the refuge we had our meager lunch, entertained by a displaying male Egyptian Vulture swooping down with wings folded then gliding up, seemingly coming to a stop in mid air. The female soaring nearby seemed quite impressed. I see darling little baby vultures in their future. While driving back down the mountain we came along several Eurasian Jays, a pair of Eurasian Treecreepers, and a male Goldcrest. After a brief stop at the hotel, we went back to the gorge to find the weather conditions unchanged from the previous day. This is where I invented the wool socks for gloves fashion, which I don't think, will hit the Paris runways any time soon. We aborted this birding plan thinking it might be better to try some more sheltered valleys lower down. Our first side road produced a nice Western Bonelli's Warbler along with other more common species. Lower down on our second side road we had better luck. While in the middle of a very silly joke I remembered from fifth grade I caught a small gray bird with broad reddish wings flying along the right side of the van. It flew across the small river, over the road, and then landed on the opposite small cliff face. There is some confusion on what was said next, mostly on my part, but basically the words, "Stop!" and "Wallcreeper!" came out quite clearly! I think I was out of the vehicle and opening the side door before we had even come to a proper stop. The Wallcreeper had landed on a small cliff face and soon everyone was admiring not only its beautiful coloration but its behavior as well. It crept along the cliff face, flicking those crimson wings out as it searched for small insects and arachnids. We spent about 10 minutes watching this highly sought after bird at close range. What a treat to find it under these conditions after braving the high winds and cold in the upper valley, and a male as well! We knew we would not beat that but continued up the valley. From the vehicle, Ruth spotted a snazzy Red-backed Shrike along the edge of a pasture, our only one of the trip. We stopped at another refuge at the upper end of this road; this one was fortunately open. That was some of the best hot cocoa I have ever had! Back to the hotel to get warm again and to have dinner. Ruth voted the Lammergeier as her bird of the day as she had seen the Wallcreeper before in Bulgaria, otherwise it was a clean sweep for Wallcreeper. In the end, the Wallcreeper would also win the honors of being voted the bird of the trip! This was my second time to see the Wallcreeper but it remains one of my favorite birds I have ever seen.

May 5, Day 9: Ken usually took an early morning walk so I would ask him what the weather was doing. Cold and windy was again his reply on this day. Breakfast found us staring again at the Blackened Bull's Head Croissants; it was hard to know how to even attack this monstrous pastry. Today was our last morning in the high Pyrenees so we targeted our missed species for this area and thought that Anso near the French border would be our best chances to see them. The drive over to the next valley started off well with great views of a male Cirl Bunting and a cooperative pair of Song Thrushes. We did not expect them to be the highlights of our morning efforts however. Upon reaching the upper altitudes of the valley it was clear that the sky was not going to cooperate. Soon we found ourselves driving in snow. There were a few birds along the way, notably Water Pipit, Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush, Northern Wheatear, and Yellowhammers. There was also dramatic scenery every direction you looked. It was quite cold. I noticed my thick socks for gloves idea was catching on. Ruth's plastic grocery bags over your shoes to keep your feet dry idea had not been so contagious. Once the snow-plough came through we were able to reach the top to find the open French border and that was about it. We slowly made our way back down the mountain. A couple of stops en-route gave us much better views of White-throated Dipper. We said farewell to the Pyrenees and headed for the lower Pre-Pyrenees. Surely the weather would be more conducive there.?. At a lower altitude we stopped for gas and some snacks, I don't remember even eating lunch that day, and while there a pair of Lammergeier were seen along the cliffs. As we were nearing Arres we had nice views of Sardinian Warbler, its red spectacles showing clearly and yet another pair of Lammergeier! A soaring Short-toed Eagle overheard was very impressive. Beyond Arres we stopped in a valley covered with short spikey brush and we searched in vain for Ortolan Bunting. We wondered if the weather had something to do with their absence. Eurasian Linnets were appreciated and birding some small trees near there we lucked into a migrant trap. Migrants seemed to be piling up, waiting for the weather to clear in order to cross the Pyrenees and continue their migration north. There were Melodious, Willow, and Garden Warblers, Blackcaps, Greater Whitethroats, our first male European Pied Flycatcher, Spotted Flycatchers, Whinchats, a female Common Redstart, along with the resident Subalpine and Dartford Warblers. We were not far from our destination but unfortunately a road collapse along the direct route earlier that week had made it impassable. We ended up making a large swing through Jaca and Huesca in order to reach Loarre. As we approached this quiet village we could see the impressive Loarre Castle on the hill, parts of it built right into the rock. We arrived to our nice hotel in the village in time for showers, dinner, and the checklist. Our options for dinner that night were quite different but delicious and very well prepared. The male European Pied Flycatcher was voted bird of the day by the slimmest of margins.

May 6, Day 10: A new hotel with an old friend, Giant Bull's Head Croissants, but amber not blackened. The weather had gotten even colder, the wind penetrating. We went up to the castle whose gates were closed and did have great views of three Wood Lark in the parking lot. A drive in the forest above the castle produced very little in the frosted trees. We then took a drive west to the town of Riglos nestled below some giant red cliff walls. Other than the spectacular scenery the most interesting sight here was watching several groups of climbers scaling these high cliffs. We were entertained by soaring and perched Eurasian Griffons, Egyptian Vultures, Eurasian Kestrels, and Common Ravens, all of which were nesting in the cliff face. The hotel had prepared us a very nice lunch, a welcomed change from the previous two hotels, but finding a spot out of the cold wind seemed impossible. How can wind blow on all four sides of a large square building? Jo, Ken, and myself decided to get out of the wind and found a nice warm coffee house to finish our lunch and have a beverage. Later we were joined by the others, all thinking the same thing I would suspect. We left Riglos and made our way toward Huesca. En-route we saw our first Eurasian Golden Oriole hovering in the steady wind above a field. Our target bird north of Huesca was Black Wheatear and it did not take long before we were watching a lovely pair in some barren hills. Thekla Larks were also present. The next area we visited was Salto de Roldan (Roldan's Leap) with its rolling brush covered hills, rocky outcrops, and great vistas. Apparently someone had offended the Ortolan Buntings as they were no where to be found. We enjoyed views of Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush, Black-eared, Northern, and another Black Wheatear, Dartford Warbler, Red-billed Chough, and Eurasian Linnet along with many raptors seen at eye-level at the top. We returned toward Loarre and headed south to Montmesa Reserve, a lake in the plains which was very full after the recent rains. A Eurasian Bee-eater hanging in the wind just above the road was quite a sight. We also had our best views of European Turtle-Dove, a pair feeding in the road. A walk in an adjacent field failed to flush the Common Quail which had been calling, secretive little buggers! While returning to Loarre we saw our only Merlin of the trip. It had been a tough day of birding due to the weather but still enjoyable and with great scenery. Black Wheatear had little competition for bird of the day. No squid ink on my chicken, thank you.

May 7, Day 11: We loaded up after breakfast to bird a wetland area near Lleida. The weather was better but still cool and slightly windy. Once off the main road, we flushed several different pairs of Eurasian Thick-Knees and also a Common Quail which flew alongside the vehicle before darting into the grain field. These are typical views of this secretive bird and we were fortunate to see it as well as we did. Around the lake and muddy fields we found a single Black Tern, Little and Common Ringed Plovers, Common Greenshank, many stunning Common Redshanks, Dunlin, six Temminck's Stints, a Sanderling, three Black-tailed Godwits, and about a dozen Ruff including one white phase male already beginning to molt into its shaggy hooded spring plumage. On the drive out we had nice views of two Eurasian Hobbies perched in a stubble field. Next stop was a gas station in Lleida for rest rooms, snacks, and a Monk Parakeet colony. Endemic to southern South American, these introduced parakeets are expanding rapidly in many areas of the world. We had another delightful pack lunch, this time at a city park in Lleida. The birding was excellent here with many migrants including Eurasian Wryneck and a very cooperative Common Nightingale. A pond in the park produced a pair of Common Kingfisher, one giving a nice hover over the water in front of the blind. We continued birding just outside of town in an area Steve said was good for Eurasian Green Woodpecker. I would say so, with six individuals seen. We also had a lovely pair of Eurasian Golden Orioles, more Red-legged Partridges, and a distant view of a Eurasian Honey-Buzzard. The Lesser Grey Shrikes are typically late migrants and come in from the east and not the south. The weather in the Pyrenees probably held them up even longer than normal as none were present in this usually dependable site. Our final birding in this area was around the plains further south of town. In a small grove of trees we were extremely fortunate to flush two separate Red-necked Nightjars. We watched them land on the ground then crept up for fantastic views of these large nightjars complete with golden-red napes. In the fields we saw many old friends including a Little Bustard showing us its white wing pattern, more Eurasian Thick- Knees and Eurasian Hobbies, Hoopoes, and Calandra Larks. We had a bit of a drive ahead of us so we headed south to the Ebro Delta. Dinner that night was interesting, fried calamari and the advertised paella which did not live up to its billing. The salad and bread was nice! Is there a Pizza Hut in town? Even though we had seen Red-necked Nightjar earlier in the trip, that cool pre-dawn outing in Monfrague on Day 2, it won bird of the day as the views this time were tremendous.

May 8, Day 12: Bob, Ruth, Steve, and myself opted for the early morning birding at a reserve on the vast Ebro Delta. At first the weather seemed cooperative but just minutes into our drive the wind proved us wrong. We saw our first Squacco Herons, Greater Flamingos, Common Shelducks, Audouin's Gulls, Pied Avocets, and Caspian Terns, all of which we would see commonly over the next two days. The wind and cold at reserve were intense and all of the skulkers stayed well hidden in the reeds out of the elements, something I envied at the time. After breakfast we returned to the reserve with the full group in order to catch the others up on the early morning birds. Other notables were Great-crested and Little Grebes, Purple Heron, many Red-crested Pochard, Western Marsh Harrier, scores of Whiskered Tern, and Purple Swamphen. A drive along the southeast beach gave us close views of Greater Flamingos, a stunning bird in flight. Along the spit we added the attractive Slender- billed Gull, spring plumage Black-bellied Plover, Snowy (Kentish) Plover, Little Stint, Ruddy Turnstone, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Bar-tailed Godwit in breeding plumage, Sandwich and Common Tern, and a nice male migrating Common Redstart looking for shelter. On our way to bird some possible migrant traps we had our first definitive views of European Starling, I have not seen a group look so intently at the field marks of this widespread pest, myself included! A lone Glossy Ibis was also noted on the drive. The trees along the coast produced a possible rarity in the form of a female Ficedula old world flycatcher. The jury is still out but it may turn out to be a vagrant Semicollared Flycatcher. Peter photographed it so when I receive the photo I will send it to some English birding friends who are more familiar with these look alike female old world flycatchers. Our meager lunch was supplemented at a small café while we watched an array of captive ducks at the aviary next door. On the road again and while scanning some flooded rice fields we were able to pick out Whimbrel, Red Knot, Curlew Sandpiper, and a few Temminck's Stints. A drive out to the beach produced the fairy- like Little Tern. A check at several observation towers produced a male Eurasian Wigeon, a male Garganey, the uncommon Great Egret, more Purple Swamphen, a fly-bye immature Mediterranean Gull, and a tagged Red-knobbed (Crested) Coot which has recently been reintroduced into the Ebro. While waiting for this coot to reappear in order to see its "knobs", we spotted a stunning male Little Bittern perched up in the reeds. A fitting end to a nice day of birding. Another interesting dinner, boiled mussels and clams, and a noodle dish with chopped squid. The salad and bread were nice though! The highlight of the meal was the birthday cake and champagne that Barbara arranged for Bob Coley's 49th birthday, (Bob, that will be our little secret...). Jo and Barbara even brought him presents from the states! For three nights we did our checklist in the lounge area on the second floor of our hotel. The light was on a timer so every three minutes I would turn the lights back on. Bob and Ruth marked their checklists from behind bars on their patio that faced the lounge area. A very odd sight indeed but seemed to fit the dinner that night perfectly. Bird of the day was the radiant male Little Bittern we saw late in the afternoon from the tower.

May 9, Day 13: Finally a break in the weather. We took advantage of this at the reserve by targeting Savi's Warbler and Reed Bunting. Both showed nicely with the warbler perched in the open giving its insect like buzz call for minutes on end. Soon after we were delighted to find a Common Cuckoo sitting in the middle of a side road eating a very large caterpillar. After hearing its distinctive call nearly throughout the trip and catching it in flight twice, this was a very welcomed sight. En-route to the northern part of the delta we found eight nice adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls in a rice field. In the north delta we had many repeats from the previous day including close views of a perched Collared Pratincole, another lone Glossy Ibis, more breeding plumage Bar-tailed Godwits, Audouin's and Slender-billed Gulls, and better views of Little Tern to mention a few. We had our pack lunch at a beach bar place, the many tourists seemed anxious for the cold weather to leave so they could enjoy the beach. It was definitely not bikini weather! A check at another tower produced more of the same. Jo and I were with Barbara on the tower when she spotted another Little Bittern. I never did see this particular one but was happy they had great views. We then attempted to actually see Water Rail which is not easily accomplished. While looking down a narrow break in the reeds I found the responsive bird. Everyone lined up but only got back end views of this secretive rail walking across this narrow tunnel on several occasions. That would be our final new bird of our trip. Back to the hotel and a steak and egg dinner. We did the checklist again under the three-minute strobe light with Bob and Ruth behind bars. Bird of the day was awarded to the Savi's Warbler for its tireless singing display.

May 10, Day 14: We started early this morning in order to get the first people to the Barcelona airport on time so after a quick breakfast we loaded up and were on our way. Bob had the first flight, then Jo and Ken so we said our sad goodbyes to them and then went to a reserve near the airport for some last minute birding. We did not add any new species to our list but a stunning male black phase Ruff at close range was quite a sight. We had our last looks at Common Redshank, Eurasian Bee-eaters, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Greenfinch, and many others before heading back to the airport where we all went our separate ways. Ruth caught her flight back home, Barbara and Peter stayed in Barcelona a couple of days to take in the sights, Steve went home to his wife and two boys in Lleida, and I went to a local hotel to rest up before my early flight the next morning. We had had a wonderful trip with lots of great birds, spectacular scenery, copious amounts of free wine at each dinner, some strange meals, snow, cold temperatures, gale force winds, socks for gloves, plastic bags for boots, plenty of laughs, and most of all good company. Thanks to the participants for making it possible and to Steve for finding us so many birds.