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nicolebouglouan | profile | all galleries >> Birding in Spain - Extremadura and Monfragüe Park - Aragon - Navarra - Doñana - Villafáfila... Trip reports >> Flying through Villafáfila - Castile-León - Spain - June 2013 tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Flying through Villafáfila - Castile-León - Spain - June 2013


We have returned to Villafáfila to meet the symbol of this region, the Great Bustard.
They are present in the corn fields, walking slowly in groups of up to 23-25 birds, usually adult males.
We saw them every morning in this area, up to 50 the same day!
So beautiful and amazing large birds!

Of course, other bird’s species have been observed, and you can see them in this gallery.

The Lesser Kestrel breeds in this area too, nesting in holes and natural cavities in an abandoned village.

But the most interesting observation was the Montagu’s Harrier male in dark morph, usually a rare sight.
We saw this dark bird hunting over the corn fields, flying low above the vegetation with dangling legs and regularly swooping down onto preys hidden in the tall grasses.
This one is a male. We can see above the usual pattern, but here, all the flight feathers are black. Usually, only the primaries are dark.
Head and underparts are almost black. However, we can see some white small patches on the underwing-coverts and the thighs.
A great find for us, after the dark female found last year in Extremadura.

In addition, we saw the Booted Eagle in both pale and dark morphs too!




GREAT BUSTARD - OTIS TARDA - OUTARDE BARBUE
gallery: GREAT BUSTARD - OTIS TARDA - OUTARDE BARBUE
LESSER KESTREL - FALCO NAUMANNI - FAUCON CRECERELLETTE
gallery: LESSER KESTREL - FALCO NAUMANNI - FAUCON CRECERELLETTE
BOOTED EAGLE -HIERAAETUS PENNATUS - AIGLE BOTTE
gallery: BOOTED EAGLE -HIERAAETUS PENNATUS - AIGLE BOTTE
MONTAGU'S HARRIER - CIRCUS PYGARGUS - BUSARD CENDRE - DARK MORPH MALE
gallery: MONTAGU'S HARRIER - CIRCUS PYGARGUS - BUSARD CENDRE - DARK MORPH MALE
WESTERN MARSH HARRIER - CIRCUS AERUGINOSUS - BUSARD DES ROSEAUX
gallery: WESTERN MARSH HARRIER - CIRCUS AERUGINOSUS - BUSARD DES ROSEAUX
BLACK KITE - MILVUS MIGRANS - MILAN NOIR
gallery: BLACK KITE - MILVUS MIGRANS - MILAN NOIR
LITTLE OWL - ATHENE NOCTUA - CHEVECHE D'ATHENA
gallery: LITTLE OWL - ATHENE NOCTUA - CHEVECHE D'ATHENA
COMMON COOT - FULICA ATRA - FOULQUE MACROULE
gallery: COMMON COOT - FULICA ATRA - FOULQUE MACROULE
BLACK-WINGED STILT - HIMANTOPUS HIMANTOPUS - ECHASSE BLANCHE
gallery: BLACK-WINGED STILT - HIMANTOPUS HIMANTOPUS - ECHASSE BLANCHE
EURASIAN SPOONBILL - PLATALEA LEUCORODIA - SPATULE BLANCHE
gallery: EURASIAN SPOONBILL - PLATALEA LEUCORODIA - SPATULE BLANCHE
BLACK-HEADED GULL - CHROICOCEPHALUS (LARUS) RIDIBUNDUS - MOUETTE RIEUSE
gallery: BLACK-HEADED GULL - CHROICOCEPHALUS (LARUS) RIDIBUNDUS - MOUETTE RIEUSE
GREATER SHORT-TOED LARK - CALANDRELLA BRACHYDACTYLA - ALOUETTE CALANDRELLE
gallery: GREATER SHORT-TOED LARK - CALANDRELLA BRACHYDACTYLA - ALOUETTE CALANDRELLE
CRESTED LARK - GALERIDA CRISTATA - COCHEVIS HUPPE
gallery: CRESTED LARK - GALERIDA CRISTATA - COCHEVIS HUPPE
CORN BUNTING - EMBERIZA CALANDRA - BRUANT PROYER
gallery: CORN BUNTING - EMBERIZA CALANDRA - BRUANT PROYER
NORTHERN WHEATEAR - OENANTHE OENANTHE - TRAQUET MOTTEUX
gallery: NORTHERN WHEATEAR - OENANTHE OENANTHE - TRAQUET MOTTEUX
ROCK SPARROW - PETRONIA PETRONIA - MOINEAU SOULCIE
gallery: ROCK SPARROW - PETRONIA PETRONIA - MOINEAU SOULCIE
EURASIAN JACKDAW - COLOEUS MONEDULA - CHOUCAS DES TOURS
gallery: EURASIAN JACKDAW - COLOEUS MONEDULA - CHOUCAS DES TOURS
WHITE STORK - CICONIA CICONIA - CIGOGNE BLANCHE
gallery: WHITE STORK - CICONIA CICONIA - CIGOGNE BLANCHE
 BERBEROMELOE MAJALIS
gallery:  BERBEROMELOE MAJALIS
VILLAFAFILA - CASTILE-LEON - LANDSCAPES
gallery: VILLAFAFILA - CASTILE-LEON - LANDSCAPES