The Dehesas of Monfrague at Saucedilla lie en route with some wetland and dry country species ... but first back to the Bay of Biscay where one of the few birds seen from the boat was this Whimbrel ... strangely heading south ...
... and in the Gredos foothills a Wryneck showed rather distantly in some deep shade ...
and a Thekla Lark perched up on the rocky hillside ...
... then dropping down to the plain at Saucedilla a little group of Spotless Starlings showed off their glossy plumage ...
... Zitting Cisticolas, Cetti's Warblers, Stonechats and a Southern Grey Shrike all along the sandy track leading north from the village ...
... and the occasional fly over Purple Heron ...
... and then off to the fabled Monfrague...
... where a young Eagle Owl made occasional half-appearances in the shadow of its rocky cave ... before a Black Stork came flying by in front of the face of the crag ...
... with resident Griffon Vultures flying by ...
... while others attended their nest sites ...
... and a little distance away an Egyptian Vulture was on its nest ...
It was nice to see truly wild Red-legged Partridges scuttling by ...
... many of the Sardinian Warblers sculked in the scrub but this bird was unuaually showy ...
The flat plateau area around Villareal de San Carlos hosted Crested Larks and highlighted their differences from the earlier Thekla Larks ...
... and as the midday sun gained power a Corn Bunting took shelter in the shade ...
Back at the campsite Iberian Magpies provided entertainment as we too shelterd from the punishing sun ...
... the site also had Scop's Owls every dusk and dawn and the occasional European Nightjar churring ...
The old town of Trujillo had Lesser Kestrels at the bullring ...
Back on the Villareal plateau a Short-toed Eagle passed over in the cool of the morning ...
... and a pair of Woodchat Shrikes displayed prominetly ...
... and with a sudden burst of raptor activity a Bonelli's Eagle drifted along the ridge and conveniently circled to give nice views ...
... and passed by a pair of previously sleepy Black Vultures ...
... and moments later a pair of Spanish Imperial Eagles circled very distantly against the wooded hillside ...
Another Egyptian Vulture drifted over ...
After by-passing Cacares a minor road led to an area of steppe ... a scan of the vast grassy plain rvealed a Great Bustard which strutted steadily across ...
... and the lark-fest included Short-toed, Crested and the wonderful Callandra Larks ...
By the Alcollarin Reservoir a pair of Cattle Egrets flew by in the evening sun and a White Stork circled overhead ...
