Birding On Tenerife - January 2019

Another January, another trip to Tenerife to briefly escape our winter! We were based in Playa La Arena, near Puerto Santiago on the touristy west coast, as last year.

This time though I was better prepared to find some of the endemics and other European rarities that I had not previously seen on the island. Help was on hand from David Gosney’s excellent “Finding birds in the Canaries”. So although the total of my sightings this year was only 36 species, there were some great ones in that total and I got to visit quite a few new and interesting places.

Here is a free map of the island that I downloaded. [click on an image for a larger view]

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And here is one of the best known symbols of the island – El Drago Milenario. This is the weird looking Dragon tree at Icod de los Vinos, now surrounded by its own botanical garden.

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Dracaena draco is apparently not a tree at all, but a member of the asparagus plant family. Having no tree rings it cannot be dated accurately. Once reputed to be over a thousand years old (hence the local name), its age is now estimated to be a maximum of 365 years. Still, it is the oldest living specimen of this Canarian native. The red sap that it excretes when cut was known as dragon’s blood. Reportedly that has been used in dyes, medicines, etc., since ancient times.

To remind ourselves of the island’s place in the world, Tenerife is the largest of the Spanish Canary islands, lying some 180 miles to the west of Morocco just above the tropics. It is dominated by Mount Teide. At over 12,000 feet this quiescent volcano is the highest mountain in Spain. This year there was no snow on the tops when we were there. However, for most creatures that part of the island is a forbidding place at any time of the year – except perhaps for raptors.

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The habitats where I went looking for birds were lower down. These were mainly:
(1) the forests of endemic Canary pine on the lower slopes of the mountain (individuals can be seen sprouting from the black volcanic ash in that image);
(2) the surviving areas of the ancient dense laurel forests that once cloaked Europe until the last ice age;
(3) the undeveloped parts of the rocky coasts and their scrubby hinterland in the west and south;
(4) a few golf courses and their environs (lush turf dotted with fresh water pools and a variety of trees and shrubs), and;
(5) the parakeet colonies of the dilapidated park in the centre of the Ten Bel development.

The Pine Forests

There are two large picnic sites in the upper edge of the pine forests – Chio and Las Lajas. Surprisingly at first sight, these sites abound with birds, though of a limited number of species – the endemic Blue Chaffinch, Berthelot’s Pipits, Canaries, Woodpeckers, and a few Ravens. No doubt used to humans, the birds come regularly to drink at the numerous water troughs provided for picnickers and to scavenge for crumbs and leftovers. Here is an image of the Las Lajas site, with one group of barbequers doing their thing.

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Top of this list of our sightings here was the endemic Blue Chaffinch. Here is a smart male.

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And here is a dowdy female, standing on one of the water hydrants and deciding whether to drop down for a drink.

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Small groups of Canaries joined the many Chaffinches from time to time at the water troughs. The male bird is splendidly handsome. This is my best photo of the species this year – a male singing away in a square near our hotel.

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The Ravens on Tenerife (there are no crows) are the smaller African subspecies of our Northern hemisphere bird. This doting pair (they pair for life apparently) flew from tree to tree, cronking periodically, and eluding my efforts to photograph them - until they decided to start preening each other. Typical are the heavy bill and shaggy chest feathers.

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The best sightings here were not in fact the Canaries, Chaffinches, Ravens and Pipits, but Great Spotted Woodpeckers. We saw at least four or five. This of course is the Canary islands subspecies – with grey-brown on the belly (instead of white) and more extensive orangey-red on the vent. At the Chio site this pair flew down to one of the water troughs together to drink (somewhat mucky water after use no doubt by the picnickers).

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But the male (with the typical red band on its nape) was keen to find a cleaner supply of water. So he then flew to a hydrant and proceeded to stick his beak and long tongue into the water tap.

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These woodpeckers must be so used to human company that another male, at the Las Lajas site, played peek-a-boo with me at the bottom of a pine tree, before dropping to the ground a few yards away. It then flew up to this pine cone, almost as near, and started to attack it vigorously for the seeds. Such a handsome bird! And surprisingly intelligent and amusing too! What a treat!

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The sightings did not finish there. Up in the air, above the bare slopes of Tiede, a Common Buzzard flew lazily by. It was accompanied by a much smaller falcon. This was a Barbary falcon, a slightly smaller version of our Peregrine. The falcon then proceeded to mob the Buzzard, including folding its wings in an impressive stoop.

The Laurel Forests

In the north west, in the Ruiz gorge near Icod Alto and particularly in the Macizo de Teno (see map), there are large tracts of Laurel forest. I read that the Canaries were just warm enough during the Ice Age to enable these trees to survive where elsewhere in Europe they succumbed to the cold.

Here is my photo of the main tract of forest, taken from the wooden lookout platform on the main hiking trail through the Teno forest.

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This is the habitat for the two species of pigeon endemic to the western Canary islands. They are found nowhere else in the world – the White-tailed Laurel Pigeon and Bolle’s Pigeon. I had never seen either.

No luck here though. From under the canopy on the trail I spotted one of them fluttering about in the tree tops, but impossible to see which it was. The foliage is so dense. Bird song there was from smaller birds, but so dense is the foliage that only on the fringes of the forest did I get to see even a Great Tit (in remarkably bright colours) and a Canarian Chiffchaff.

Better luck was had in the Ruiz gorge, further north. Here I spotted a single Laurel pigeon perched low down on a bare branch, but off it went whilst I fetched my camera! So I have to fall back again on Pinterest for this illustration.

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They are quite a big bird, slightly larger than our Wood Pigeon. Whilst I watched and searched, suddenly it flew across the gorge into some dense foliage. But at least it had showed me its prominent white tail.

On the tortuous windy road back from the forests I also spotted a resident Sparrowhawk mobbing a Common Buzzard overhead.

The Rocky Coast and Los Gigantes Cliffs

This popular coastal walkway from Playa La Arena to Alcala is usually a good area for spotting waders on the rocks. This year was no exception.

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Here was a Whimbrel taking a nap – with a Turnstone hurrying across a boulder behind it.

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And here were two Grey Plover foraging near the edge of the water.

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Single and small groups of Ringed Plovers too were present most everywhere on this rocky coast, usually on the move, such as here. Pity they are in rather dull winter plumage.

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No shortage of Yellow-legged Gulls as well of course. Here is a fine example, perched on the wall of a disused banana plantation by the coastal path.

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The scrubby areas inland of the path were full of rubbish, rocks and low vegetation - but ideal homes for some species of birds. Resident diminutive Berthelot’s Pipits, like this one, picked their way amongst the rocks, chirping away.

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And here and there amongst the low shrubs, resident Spectacled Warblers, like this one (a male), announced their presence with a loud rasping call. They are a sort of mini version of our Whitethroats.

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Overhead there we also saw a small flock of resident Plain Swifts and the inevitable Kestrels hunting their territories.

No doubt part of the latter’s diet is this pretty creature, Gallot’s lizard (aka the Tenerife Lizard), seen here emerging from its hidey-hole to catch some rays on the prom at Puerto Santiago. Though common on this island, it is apparently only to be found on Tenerife and neighbouring La Palma.

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According to Wikipedia, at popular sights, notably Mount Teide, the lizards have become rather tame and an attraction of sorts themselves. It is quite popular to bring some ripe bananas along for the lizards, which are a most favourite food of this species and will provide travellers with good photo opportunities as the animals scurry over the rocks and even onto visitor's hands to catch a bite.

Courtesy of our hotel (as a quid pro quo for suffering the ongoing development work there) we took a trip from Los Gigantes harbour out to sea to look for Short-finned Pilot Whales, a common species in these waters. We were in luck! As part of a larger group, Mum and offspring are seen swimming together in this shot.

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Returning to harbour, our boat stopped off by the cove at Masca (supposedly for a swim- though unsurprisingly no takers) under these spectacular cliffs - the Los Gigantes themselves.

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All along the cliffs, which abounded with gulls and Rock Doves/Feral pigeons, I searched in vain for resident Barbary falcons. No luck! But at least I did spot one of the resident Ospreys, flying. Reportedly there are now only three pairs left here.

Further east along this coast, just beyond the airport, is the very long beach at El Medano – reportedly the best beach on the island. Unusually for the island, the sand is generally sand coloured, rather than black. Gosney’s guide recommended a freshwater pool there, just back of the beach behind sand dunes. Here it is.

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Unfortunately there was not a bird to be seen! But it is a pretty place and we had some fun watching the armada of kitesurfers and windsurfers – apparently a top spot in Europe for those activities.

Ten Bel Park

The Ten Bel development (1960s I guess) on the Costa del Silencio near Las Galletas (see map) has a large ornamental park in the centre. Unlike the properties themselves, the park has been allowed to go to rack and ruin. But parakeets love it. As a result the whole place is very noisy. I am surprised that the human residents can put up with it!

One very large tree, for instance, has a huge number of enormous apartment type nests built by Monk Parakeets. Here is a pair looking at me from inside their room on the ground floor.

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The bird is quite attractive, as shown in this image of a perched and snoozing individual in the same tree.

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But not, in my opinion, quite as attractive as the also resident Rose-ringed Parakeets, which prefer the palm trees of the park, as here.

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Golf Courses

There are a couple of full sized golf courses bordering the sea on the Costa del Silencio and recommended for birders. But my favourite is the huge Abama course and associated housing development near San Juan, further west and inland.

We always see Grey Wagtails there, pottering about near the pools on the course, as this year. In the past we have also seen a Grey Shrike and Barbary Partridges, though not this year.

The development further up from the course itself also has a large landscaped reservoir. On the water was a great quantity of Coots but nothing else – apart from a big flock of local gulls which had dropped by to splash about for a fresh water bathe.

But on the main road back down from the clubhouse we spotted this Hoopoe foraging in the verge. It was not the slightest bit bothered when I drew up, lowered the window and took this great shot of the bird just outside the car door. Never been so close to this species!

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……………………………………………………………..

Back at the airport on our last day on the island we waited outside the terminal in the sunshine. Collared Doves abounded, picking up crumbs from the snacking tourists. But this pair suddenly appeared and sat in front of us. With such dark plumage I think they must be the so-called Barbary Doves.

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Barbary Doves are described as the domesticated version of the African and/or the Eurasian Collared Dove. Originating from escapes or releases from dove fanciers, these doves are reported to breed freely now on the island. Clearly the plumage is far darker than the normal Collared Dove.

Peter Morgan
February 2019

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