Iberian Lynx Quest

January 2023: Lynx Quest (Episode 2)

After failing to see Iberian Lynx on a previous trip six years ago, we elected to give it another go and the four of us booked onto a six day long Naturetrek trip. With an early morning flight from Stansted on a Sunday morning we decided to take the easy option and book a hotel room for Saturday night. We met up at Liverpool St station in the early afternoon for the train. Engineering works on the line meant there was no express train and we had to decant at Bishops Stortford for a short coach transfer to the airport. We had booked into the Radisson Blu hotel as it was just a short walk to the terminal. We had dinner in the hotel and a relaxing evening.

Day 1: Sunday 22nd January

We checked out at 6.30 and headed over to the baggage drop-off desks. Once through security there was time for a sit-down breakfast in one of the restaurants before boarding our RyanAir flight to Seville. We met one of the leaders, Taea, and some of our fellow participants as we were queuing up. We left half an hour late but made up a little time and we landed in bright sunshine at 1pm in slightly warmer temperatures than in the UK. We were met by the main leader, Byron, and all of us piled into two minivans and were soon on our way to the Coto Donana. We stopped off for a late lunch where we had our first views of birds that were going to become regular companions during our trip: Black Redstart and Iberian Magpie.

We carried on to the town of El Rocio where our hotel was. The town was straight out of the Wild West with wide sandy tracks instead of roads and the main means of transportation for locals was the horse and many houses had a stable at the back. Even the bar across the road had a frame for tying up horses.

El Rocio Main Street

Our hotel

The bar by our hotel

Our interest though was avian, as the hotel backed onto a large lagoon and we were soon scoping Flamingos, Spoonbills, Stilts, Ibises and a Swamphen.

Black-winged Stilt

Glossy Ibis

Greater Flamingos with a drake Pintail

After sundown we met up at the hotel bar for drinks and then dinner.

Restaurant & Bar

Day 2: Monday 23rd

After breakfast we were met by one of the local wardens and boarded 4x4 vans for our first attempt to find the Lynx. The favoured area began just outside of town and we drove up and down this stretch several times.

Stone Pines

Although we didn’t see any cats there were plenty of birds around such as Iberian Green Woodpecker, Iberian Grey Shrike, Little Owl and Thekla’s Lark. We went for a walk about and saw Hoopoe, Booted Eagle and Black-winged Kite.

Little Owls

In the afternoon we went to a different area which should normally be a marsh at this time of the year but there hadn’t been much rain this winter. Along the way we stopped for a roosting Barn Owl and then saw hundreds of Cranes flying over.

Common Cranes

White Stork

We went into the visitor centre to scan the lagoon for wetland birds in the hope of Marbled Teal but they weren’t visible. We received word that another group had seen a Lynx but it had gone to ground by the time we arrived.

Day 3: Tuesday 24th

The morning was a rerun of yesterday, driving around but failing to see any Lynx. It’s really a matter of luck as there’s so much cover with limited viewing. We went back to the hotel to pack up and had a last look over at the lagoon before lunch and then a long drive to Andujar. This is up in the mountains and was the same area we had been to before to look for Lynx. At our accommodation, which was a group of self-catering cabins, we had a short wander around the grounds and saw two Hawfinches flying over.

Spotless Starlings

Day 4: Wednesday 25th

As we waited outside the restaurant for the doors to open we were joined by the local cats that were looking for titbits as well as warmth, as the early morning temperature was below freezing. After breakfast we headed into the hills to look for Lynx. This involved a different strategy to earlier in the week. We stood by the roadside and scanned the hillsides looking for movement.

Here be Lynxes...

There were various other groups and individuals up and down the road and we kept an eye on them as well. It also gave us time to look for birds and we soon picked up Griffon and Cinereous Vultures and Spanish Eagle up in the skies plus Rock Bunting, Little Owl and Blue Rock Thrush.

Spanish Eagle

Cinereous Vulture

Rock Bunting

Male Blue Rock Thrush

There were other mammals to see including a little group of Mouflon and two Spanish Ibex including one male with a hefty set of horns. At other times we also saw Wild Boar, Red Deer, Fallow Deer and plenty of Rabbits, the preferred prey for Iberian Lynx.

Mouflon

Spanish Ibex

We walked down the road to a picnic site overlooking a reservoir for lunch where there was also Crested Tit.

Mountain reservoir

The rest of the afternoon was spent along the road until Byron got a message and we all piled into the vans and sped up the road. As we piled out again and joined a large twitch an Iberian Lynx sauntered out from behind a close bush and walked up the hill a little way and then sat directly behind another bush. We could just about see it preening behind the bush but it didn’t want to come out. Eventually a Magpie flew down and landed nearby which made the Lynx emerge from cover. It looked down the hillside at us then slowly made its way up and out of view.

Iberian Lynx

Back on the road, everyone was happy, having now seen this rare and elusive cat. There was a lot of celebrating in the bar later in the evening.

Day 5: Thursday 26th

We started the morning at a different spot, down by a dam to look for Otter in the river.

There were a few different birds around like the flock of Rock Sparrows that flew over. Later, we returned to the same stretch of road as yesterday and began our vigil again. There was a lot of Lynx activity throughout the day with several being seen, although not everyone saw all of them. We all saw distant views of a female with her 18 month old youngster and some of us saw another male running up the hillside.

Black Redstart

Day 6: Friday 27th

Our last day began back at the river but there was still no sign of the Otter, although there were several Firecrests around and a flock of Iberian Magpies raiding the picnic area.

Iberian Magpie

All too soon it was time to head back to our rooms for final packing and then lunch. We drove back to Seville airport for our 17:40 flight back to Stansted and then the train back into London and home.

  

January Week 3

For the third week of January I continued visiting new sites in Greater London for this year's challenge as well going to other places in the wider London Area.

Site 16: Gladstone Park, January 15th

This is another of my local parks within walking distance and is named after a former Prime Minister who was a regular visitor to the area. Although it first appears to be much like any other London park consisting of open grassland and London Plane trees, it does have a few quiet scrubby corners for wildlife to make a home.

Gladstone Park at dawn

The remains of Dollis Hill House and Gladstone's plaque

I heard a Mistle Thrush singing as soon as I entered the park and diverted towards the tennis courts to try and find it. After that success I carried on with a full circuit of the park. There are several colonies of House Sparrows in the gardens backing onto the park. I heard Jackdaw a couple of times which was a new species for the park list and I also came across a pair of Egyptian Geese which I hadn't recorded here before although they were on the list.

Egyptian Geese are quickly colonising all of London's parks

Singing Mistle Thrush, a declining species.

The lake at the top of the park held the usual Mallards and Moorhens and it was too early in the day to look for raptors so I left the park at the NE corner and walked through Dollis Hill to the North Circular and had a quick stroll around Brent Res.

News broke late on Sunday of a Lesser Scaup at Staines Res so my original plans to visit Beddington went out of the window and on Monday morning I headed down to Waterloo. Typical Monday rush hour chaos on the tube as I arrived at Neasden station to find the southbound Jubilee service suspended. I quickly hopped on the train heading north then swapped over to the Met Line and then changed at Baker St. I met John & Janet at Waterloo and we were soon on our way to Staines. 

We arrived on the causeway mid-morning by which time news was out that it was still present and we went straight to the huddle of people watching it. Surprisingly for the first morning there were only about 10 people there. We soon picked it up in a group of Pochard but it remained fast asleep. That gave us time to scan the North Basin for the Black-necked Grebes - we saw a flock of three but six were seen later on.

The Lesser Scaup thankfully decided to wake up and started preening so we were able to get conclusive views. It's been present a month but was over the far side so its identity remained unknown until yesterday. Satisfied with our views and feeling the intense cold beginning to bite we headed back to the station for a hot drink and then home. According to my records on eBird I've now visited Staines Res 64 times, I would have guessed it was less than half that number.

Site 17, Primrose Hill, January 18th

I took an early bus over to Childs Hill (still not looked into this name yet) and then another one down to St John's Wood station. It was then a short walk over to Primrose Hill, another new site for me. It's best known as a visible migration spot in spring and autumn and regular watching began in the 1950s. I wasn't expecting much in the middle of winter but thought it was worth a wander round and there is more habitat than I was expecting.

View looking south over central London

Looking SE

Looking back up the hill from the southern end

I ended up recording 15 species, more than I was anticipating. It would be good to come back on a nice day in spring when there's a decent movement of birds. I left the park at the southern end and crossed over the road to my next site.

Blue Tit

Site 18, Regent's Park, January 18th

I've always visited the park via Baker Street so going in this time from the north was totally unfamiliar. I crossed over the canal then wandered down the western side to the Chat Enclosure where I saw Pied Flycatcher last autumn then cut across the middle to the lakes. Usually I only visit the park to see something specific such as Red-throated Diver or Iberian Chiffchaff so it was nice to just amble around. 

Regent's Canal

A frosty Chat Enclosure

One of the islands on the main lake

There's always a good number of birds in the park, even in the middle of winter and I recorded 42 species including woodland birds such as Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch and Coal Tit.

Crow looking down from the rugby goalpost

Jay checking for food in the leaf litter

I did have an additional reason for visiting - to find a couple of exotic ducks. It didn't take long to find some Red-crested Pochards and amongst the captive birds were a few free-flying ones but I couldn't locate any Mandarins today. I checked out the other ducks as well to see what else was 'wild'.

A free-flying drake Red-crested Pochard

A wild Shoveler

On Thursday I headed up to Brent Res to complete the monthly WeBS count. There was some ice and duck numbers are still low after the big freeze-up earlier in the winter. Snipe have started to return since then and there was a single Lapwing. I left the site at the NE corner by Hendon Magistrates Court and crossed over the Edgware Road to my next location.

Site 19: Rushgrove Park, January 19th

This park in Colindale is so tiny that it doesn't currently have a hotspot on eBird but I've requested one so it should be available for anyone to use in the future. I visited here a few times when I was doing survey work for the last LNHS Bird Atlas so I know it quite well. It runs alongside the Silk Stream which flows into the Brent Reservoir.

Silk Stream

Rushgrove Park

There's even a tiny pond

It doesn't take long to do a circuit of the park and I recorded a reasonable total of 22 species including two singing Goldcrests, Coal Tit, several Redwings and best of all, a pair of Teal on the stream.

Redwing

Site 20: Walthamstow Wetlands, January 20th

I met up with John & Janet for the second time this week, this time at Tottenham Hale station. We walked the short distance along Ferry Lane where another birder alerted us to the presence of a Kingfisher. It stayed for a few seconds then belted up the stream.

Kingfisher

We walked into the north side first and went up to the Lockwood. Walthamstow seems to be suffering the same malaise that is affecting all the other reservoirs I've been to in London this year - a lack of wildfowl. I don't know if it's the after effect of the freeze-up when a lot of birds would have departed or something more sinister like Avian Flu.

An empty Upper Maynard

Another empty reservoir at Walthamstow

We tried scanning distantly for the Scaup on Number 4 but couldn't pick it up from any public vantage point. It was noted prominently on their blackboard of birds around which is rather taking the p*ss when you're not even allowed to go to the reservoir it's on!

We carried on around to East Warwick where the now resident Great White Egret was to be found on the island.

Great (White) Egret and pair of Gadwall

At the end of the third week of January I've now visited twenty sites. I've exhausted all my local ones so I'll have a bit more travelling and exploring to do for the rest of the year.