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!

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

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