A week away with the focus of seeing Canary Blue Chaffinch on Gran Canaria now that birds on this island have been split from the ones on Tenerife. There was also the possibility of a long staying vagrant, present for a couple of years now.
We started off by staying at the Parador de Tejeda up in the mountains above 1000m altitude. We arrived in howling wind and rain just before 11pm, having endured an hours delay on the plane while attempts were made to close a cargo bay door then after arrival, over an hour at the car hire firm where they tried to foist an 8 seater minivan, then low saloon car on to us rather than the Kuga SUV we had booked.
The next day we awoke to complete cloud, seeing nothing beyond the balcony. The first morning was spent in the spa. In the afternoon, we tried a couple of picnic sites, Llanos de la Pez and Bailico for the Blue Chaffinch, but being a Sunday the locals were all having picnics in the damp cold conditions. The Ravens were not in the least put off and we got some nice photos of those, and some small flocks of Canaries. We also saw and heard some African Blue Tits, brighter than ours and with a slightly different voice than we are used to.
Raven
The next day we went to the picnic sites again, managing to see the Blue Chaffinch at Bailico, despite low cloud.
Male Blue Chaffinch
The afternoon a trip north down out of the tops, leaving the mist/fog behind, where at Charas de San Lorenzo we picked up Blue-winged Teal.
There are plenty of abandoned chickens around Norfolk and it turned out Tejeda was no different.
No problems seeing this guy and his hens in the cloud.
The damp conditions along lichens and mosses to grow on tree trunks
and rocks, as well as fences.
A rare sight of sun as the rain and cloud continued providing some interesting effects
to be seen from the room and restaurant.
Cloud settling between the ridges and valleys
A run out on our 3rd day to Barranco de La Virgen to find Laurel Pigeon was to a beautiful area where most of the Fincas seemed to be abandoned.
Flowering Money plant, we have one of these in our kitchen but it's much, much smaller.
Laurel Pigeons favour the Eucalyptus Trees.
Canaries Chiffchaff
Canaries Chaffinch
Still shrouded in cloud by the end of our four days at Tejeda
we had one last look at the picnic sites as we left on our way into the heat and sunshine.
Canaries
Picnic site
The day continued with a drive to a lower altitude, checking out the picnic sites again on an unusually bright sunny day, picking up Gran Canary Blue Chaffinch this time at Llanos de la Pez.
We continued down via some very narrow and winding roads, favoured by cyclists, often speeding along and not always on their side of the road. It was enough of a worry in a car, really didn't fancy meeting any head on. We did manage to pick up a (Barbary) Peregrine Falcon above a ridge near Agualatente.
Once at our second location, the first attempt was made at Plays del Ingles - Parque Romantico for the Sudan Golden Sparrow, and we failed. The grounds of Parque Romantico were undergoing a major clean up and scrub clearance, and it was nowhere to be seen and had been absent for a few days.We were fortunate to get a fly over Hoopoe (and a parking space). Not a site we would want to visit to many times, what with the scrub clearance, fresh paint smell and lack of parking.
We then continued to the lagoon Dunas de Maspalomas. Very nice birds, if a little like a zoo with the excellent ice cream stall and fence to separate beachgoers from the birds, being located right in the middle of the main tourist area.
Great White Egret
Another day, our 5th, and the second try for the Sparrow.
African Collared Dove
Canaries palms, always straight trunked with a bulging crown where the leaves emerge.
Sudan Golden Sparrow
Success! We had given up all hope of finding the bird around the tennis courts or in with the workmen at the hotel. We began checking the sparrow flocks and found it in a bottle brush tree with Spanish Sparrows.
There was a bit of driving round to check lagoons, mostly empty or inaccessible. Chris did find a relatively unspoilt open area, Juncalillo de Sur good for a walk where Great Grey Shrike and Berthelot's Pipit were present. There was also a lagoon close to the beach with a Curlew Sandpiper and a few plovers.
Curlew Sandpiper
Mediterranean Short-toed Larks and Trumpeter Finch managed to evade us.
Another visit to Maspalmas, mostly with the same species.
Spoonbill
Moorhen
Monk Parakeets
Whimbrel
Our 6th day and we took another walk at Barranco del Polvo and got some good close views of Spectacled Warblers and Great Grey Shrike.
Spectacled Warbler
Great Grey Shrike with prey.
A run over to Arinaga to try for the Spotted Sandpiper brought a few other coastal species too.
Turnstone
Sanderling
Sally Lightfoot Crab
Spotted Sandpiper (record shot)
A visit to a farm lagoon at El Matorral where we were given an indication they were about to lock up, managed only to bring a heard Trumpeter Finch that evaded showing itself.
Our last day took us back to Juncalillo del Sure, which like other sites failed to yield Mediterranean Short-toed Lark or Trumpeter Finch. A few additional waders were seen..
Grey Plover and Bar-tailed Godwit
Berthelot's Pipit
Vagrant Emperor
Red-veined Darter
By this point, we're running out of places to visit, especially as the park, Parque Tony Gallardo which we had hopped might hold the odd Dragonfly was only open Monday-Friday 08.00 - 13.30, and good bird locations were running low, so went for a historical site, just in case it might have Rock Sparrow or Trumpeter Finch, it did not.
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