Lanzarote

This was our first visit to Lanzarote and was undertaken with my son and family including grandchildren aged four and six so you will understand that this was in no way a ‘birding’ holiday. I have included information that may be of interest to the whole family as well as the birder hoping to seek out the local specialities...

This was a two-week family holiday with my wife Gerda and brother Tony, 18th December – 1st January to escape the dreadful Cornish weather. Having already visited the islands of Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura on more than one occasion, the Canaries hold no new bird endemics for me but none of us had visited Lanzarote before and we just love this volcanic archipelago at this time of year when daytime temperatures are 24 degrees C and wall to wall sunshine is the order of the day. Lanzarote did not disappoint.

A short report of our recent holiday in Playa Blanca, Lanzarote from 26/2/16 to 4/3/16. It was not specifically a birdwatching holiday - more of an excuse to get away for a week for some sunshine and relaxation.

...This trip was organised for us by Carmen Portella, leading light of Lanzarote Active Club and founder of Desert Watch Lanzarote. She invited us to the island to experience for ourselves the birding opportunities in this unique environment...

To escape from the cold Dutch winter, we decided to go to the Canaries for just one week to enjoy the good weather and for me to do some birding.

Having never birded in the Canary Islands, Lanzarote seemed like a good choice for a combination of seeing some new wildlife and getting some warmth during the UK winter. Flights were with BA from Gatwick with a hire car from Avis for the duration. We chose to stay away from the main resorts in what turned to out to be a fantastic choice‐ the village of Tabayesco near Arrieta in the north‐east of the island.

We went to Playa Blanca, Lanzarote for 10 days, at the beginning of November, staying at the Marconfort Atlantic Gardens, adult only apartment hotel. It lies just off the promenade mid-way between the port and the lighthouse. A very peaceful hotel set in well kept gardens.

...The first bird I saw on heading to pick up the car opposite the terminal was a lifer – a Plain Swift, darting and swooping quite madly about in a much less deliberate way than one might see a Common Swift do. A couple of individual Collared Doves made an appearance (little did I then know that this species would appear to outnumber humans on the island quite considerably!) and a flock of Feral Pigeons shot by...

Birds find refuge in the Chinijo Archipelago (the small islands to the north of Lanzarote) where several threatened species live (Osprey, Falcons, Petrels, shearwaters etc.) and in the arid zones where the Houbara Bustard, the Cream-Coloured Courser or the Stone Curlew are found

Photoblog

Francisco Javier Garc