Trip Report: Lanzarote (Canary Islands), March 17-30, 1997
Jens Erik Nygård, Drammen, Norway;
jenygard@sn.no
I went to Lanzarote with my family from 17. to 30. of March this year. I
found very few trip reports on the Internet, so I will give you a resume of
what I saw there.
My main impression is that there is not a great abundance of birds at the
island, neither in terms of species nor individuals. Some of them are
endemic to the Canary Islands, so I came back with 8 new lifers, and was
quite satisfied.
We stayed in the village of Playa Blanca, at the southernmost end of the
island. The hotel and its beach is called Playa Flamingo. I rented a bike
for 3 days and a car for 5 days, and visited most
parts of the island.
I saw a total of 39 species:
- Cory's Shearwater (Procellaria diomedia) - very common in windy weather at
Punta Pechiguera, at the southwest end of the island.
- Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) - single individuals seen 5 days, along the
the stony shores.
- Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) - one observation at La Isleta on the west
coast.
- Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) - very common, seen every day, often very
close.
- Houbara Bustard (Chlamydotis undulata) - one observation close to the
urbanizacion Atlante del Sol at the southwest coast.
- Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) - once at the Playa Flamingo
- Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus) - common at the salt pans Salinas
de Janubio
- Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) - seen at Salinas de Janubio and La
Isleta
- Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) - seen at La Isleta
- Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius) - seen at Salinas de Janubio and
La Isleta
- Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) - seen three times, along the stony shores
- Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) - seen at the sandy beach of Playa Flamingo,
and at La Isleta.
- Sanderling (Calidris alba) - twice at Salinas de Janubio
- Redshank (Tringa totanus) - common at Salinas de Janubio
- Greenshank (Tringa nebularia) - common at Salinas de Janubio
- Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola) - seen at Salinas de Janubio
- Ruff (Philomachus pugnax) - seen at Salinas de Janubio
- Common Sandpiper (Tringa hypoleucos) - one? individual stayed at the beach
of Playa Flamingo
- Creamcolored Courser (Cursorius cursor) - seen once at the stony plain of
El Rubicon, close to the road
- Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) - very common, and the only gull seen. Both
light and dark types.
- Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis) - common along the shore.
- Rock Dove (Columba livia) - two of them flew from a cave in the shore
cliffs at the southwest coast.
- Collared Dove (Steptopelia decaocto) - seen twice in Playa Blanca
- Lesser Short-toed Lark (Caladrella rufescens) - common on the plains
- Swallow (Hirundo rustica) - seen three times
- Swift (Apus apus) - seen once at the top of Montana Roja, near Playa
Blanca.
- Hoopoe (Upupa epops) - seen once east of Playa Blanca
- Bee-eater (Merops apiaster) - 4 of them seen once in Playa Blanca.
- Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba) - seen once in the harbour of Arrecife, the
capital
- Berthelot's Pipit (Anthus berthelotii) - the most common bird, it's almost
everywhere.
- Tawny Pipit (Anthus campestris) - seen twice near Punta Pechiguera
- Great Grey Shrike (Lanius excubitor) - common, seen 5 different days.
- Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) - singing in a hotel garden in Playa Blanca
- Spectacled warbler (Sylvia conspicillata) - seen twice, at the El Rubicon
plain, and at Playa de Afe east of Playa Blanca.
- Blue Tit (Parus caeruleus) - canary subspecies, in the Haria valley in the
north.
- Trumpeter Bullfinch (Rhodopechys githaginea) - common, seen 6 different
days, pairs and small flocks.
- Linnet (Acanthus cannabina) - seen twice near Playa Blanca
- Spanish Sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis) - very common where people live.
- Raven (Corvus corax) - seen three times.
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May 5, 1997