Great Bustards and Lesser Kestrels
Great Birding Spots in Spain
There are several good birding spots on our route between UK and França, NE Portugal. One that always provides something of interest is the 100 kms between Palencia and Benevente, on the N-610. It takes us through part of Castile y León known as the Tierra de Campos.
It is a gently undulating and heavily cultivated area, of immense skies and few trees. An old cable straddling wooden poles runs alongside much of this section of the N-610, and offers a good vantage point for buzzards and other species of perching birds. It’s a great spot for raptors. https://woodcockwood.com/red-kites-and-black-kites/
- & 2. The stripped hare in a field of poppies – perhaps a fitting memorial
We’ve travelled the route numerous times over the last 15 years, but one trip stands out. In early May 2017, as we approached Valdunquilla, we stopped to photograph a display of poppies. As we left the van and made our way along a dirt track we saw a pair of crows mobbing what we thought was a female Harrier.
At the site of the dispute was a finely dissected hare. Furry ears and socks were all that remained on the skeleton. The rest, no doubt, had made a good meal for whatever caught it, and for the crows. Later we decided it was probably too big a prey item for a Harrier, and it was unlikely that a Harrier had joined the feast, as they are not carrion eaters.
Whatever the bird, it was joined by a mate, and they bobbed and floated over the fields of cereal. We followed along the track, but they were always just too far to get a clear view. From their flight they appeared very harrier-like, but from the behaviour of the mobbed bird, they might well have been kites – beautiful and intriguing anyway. It would be boring to be certain every time!
The Lesser Kestrel
But of course the story doesn’t end there. The illusive pair led us to a group of 8 or 10 Lesser Kestrels hovering in a loose group over the field, and these we could see clearly – amazing birds to watch, with their swift-like appearance as they hawk for insects.
The Lesser Kestrel is a summer migrant to the southern Mediterranean, and Spain and parts of Portugal are particular strongholds. They are gregarious birds, nesting in colonies on rock faces and under the roof tiles of old buildings. We’ve watched the evening return of a large colony to the bullring in Trujillo and have come across a number of other substantial colonies around Spain.
Their flight is light, and they hover less frequently than the Common Kestrel. Their backs are strongly coloured, and their undersides are light, appearing almost white (pic 3).
Whenever we see a small flock of kestrels hunting we assume they are the Lesser Kestrels. But of course the Common Kestrel is not averse to joining hawking groups of the Lesser Kestrel, and you do see individual Lesser Kestrels.
Distinguishing between Lesser and Common Kestrels
Seen as individuals, the Lesser Kestrels are very similar in appearance to the Common Kestrel. With a clear view, it is relatively easy to distinguish between adult males. The females however are very similar, and as always, the plumage of adolescent males is designed to confuse.
4. & 5. Male Lesser Kestrel showing the unmarked chestnut back and lightly marked chest. The tip of his wings reaches his black tail bar. He conveniently turned to show off his full finery as I was taking the shots!
The male Common Kestrel has a speckled back and more heavily speckled chest than the Lesser Kestrel, and the face markings of male and female Common Kestrels are stronger than the Lesser Kestrel’s.
While the above are all important distinctions, they are also relative distinctions. Fortunately there are two invariable differences between the Lesser and Common Kestrel that cut across gender and age. The wings of the Lesser Kestrel are longer than the Common Kestrel’s, and when the wings are folded back the tip of the wing of the Lesser Kestrel reaches the black bar at the end of the tail. In the Common Kestrel they reach just short of the bar. The claws of the Lesser Kestrel are white, while the claws of the Common Kestrel are dark.
6. & 7. A female Common Kestrel. The dark claws can just be made out in both photos. The female Common Kestrel’s tail is barred from the rump down. The male’s tail is grey from the rump to the end bars.
There is no doubt, when watching kestrels in the field, behaviour and flight are the key factors to help distinguish between them. Wing tips and claw colour are perhaps more in the photographer’s domain.
But where are the Great Bustards in this story?
… well, actually while we were intently watching the group of Lesser Kestrels, to our right six Great Bustards were walking in a stately manner, line abreast through the cereal field to the brow of the hill. Their pace was unhurried. They moved on sedately as we watched, no doubt completely aware our presence, but seemingly in complete control.
Bustard habitat
Bustards depend on wide areas of grassland with uninterrupted views, which is characteristic of Tierra de Campos. It is believed to be the area with a highest concentration of these endangered birds in Spain.
8. From the white being displayed on the birds, this is a group of male Great Bustards.
Social Behaviour of Great Bustards
Bustards are birds of the steppes, of uninterrupted grassland. Under ideal conditions they form large winter flocks that split into smaller male and female groups in spring. The males are considerably larger than the females, and stand about 1 metre high. When sexually mature, they undertake elaborate displays during which their brown and grey bodies are transformed into extravagant puffs of white feathers, as they move and stamp in extraordinary performance.
Following mating the females go off to nest, and the males have no further role in the nesting and rearing of young. Adolescent males and adolescent females “hang around” in their own gender age groups … hmmm, are there parallels here?
A considerable amount has been written about the extraordinary behaviour of these birds, see for example information on the birds and their reintroduction into UK. http://greatbustard.org/about-the-birds/more-about-the-great-bustard/
Bustards – endangered species
Bustards require vast tracts of open grassland, unencumbered by fencing, hedges, roads and habitation. Over the last fifty years this type of terrain has fast disappeared, and the bustard population has declined with it. National populations are now numbered in hundreds or a best thousands. Spain has around 30,000 birds.
There are still Great and Little Bustards in Estremadura, and we have seen the Little Bustard when out with Martin Kelsey. In his blog, “Elegy for the Little Bustard” he illustrates eloquently, but sadly, just how endangered this species really is. https://www.birdingextremadurablog.com/2019/01/elegy-for-little-bustard.htmlhttps://www.birdingextremadurablog.com/2018/08/gentle-dawn.html
Tierra de Campos for birding
It was our first and only view of Great Bustards on the Tierra de Campos, though in fairness it is a region we only travel through, and perhaps one deserving of a proper visit.
On many occasions in different places we’ve spent hours waiting and watching for something, and seen nothing. Thinking back on this day, from out of nowhere came this unforgettable experience, and all in the space 30 minutes!
See others in the series “Birding Spots On Our Journey”:
- Griffon Vultures in the The Desfiladero de Pancorbo: https://woodcockwood.com/of-battles-and-vultures-the-desfiladero-de-pancorbo/
- Marsh Harriers at Valbuena: https://woodcockwood.com/marsh-harrier-identification-features/
- European Bee-eaters at Valbuena: https://woodcockwood.com/the-european-bee-eater/