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Bird watching on Fuerteventura

Of all the Canary islands, Fuerteventura claims the greatest number of birds both nesting and migratory as well as its own native species.

Bird watching on Fuerteventura presents its own challenges.

The quiet and unspoiled coastlines around the island offer a great attraction to birds while the mountainous inland areas appeal to various birds of prey such as the osprey and Egyptian vulture.

Just outside Caleta de Fuste the salt marshes at Las Salinas and ponds provide a haven for migratory flocks of birds.

The best times are usually before 10am and after 4pm but forget about quantity. Instead, there is a wide variety of breeds that do not seem too opposed to close human contact.

On the Pajara to Betancuria road through the mountains, you can not only find breathtaking views but also Spectacled Warbler, Trumpeter Finch, Berthelot's Pipit and Barbary Partridge as well as Southern Grey Shrike and Egyptian vultures.

In Betancuria itself, bird watchers may find the Sardinian Warbler.

The shy Fuerteventura Chat with its tell-tale white collar can also be found in hilly areas where it hides among the shrub land.

In Pajara itself, look out for Hoopoe and Garden Warblers.

Three other main species to watch out for are the Houbara Bustard, Cream Coloured Courser and Black Bellied Sandgoose which can be found in the Costa Calma region.

Towards Los Molinos and the reservoir, you may find Black-bellied Sandgrouse Barbary Partridge, Barbary Falcon, Spotted Redshank, Black-winged Stilt, Greenshank, Common Sandpipers, Ruddy Shelduck , Hoopoe, Southern Grey Shrike, Coot, Little Egret, Grey Heron and Trumpeter Finch

On the Isle of Lobos, a protected national park lying just off the coast of Corralejo, several species go to nest high on the crags including Cory's Shearwater and the Herring Gull.

The Egyptian vulture

Unfortunately, one of Fuerteventura’s birds is on the verge of extinction. The Guirre or Egyptian vulture which stands up to two feet tall, tips the scales at up to two kilos and has a wingspan of up to 1.5m is usually a migratory bird but a few have set up home on the island.

It has been catalogued as "vulnerable" in Spain and "endangered" in the Canary Islands. A rare bird in Europe, there just 1,800 breeding pairs. with irregular distribution around the Mediterranean region. The Spanish population, with 1.500 breeding pairs, is around 83% of the continental population.

Fuerteventura holds the most southern population in the EU and they only belonging to the Canarian subspecies with only 150 birds.

Its strange diet includes excrement, rubbish and dead goats. They lay only two eggs a year in April and only one survives.

Within about 12 weeks, the young have learned enough basic skills to take off on their own. In 1987, it was estimated there were between 26-31 pairs in Fuerteventura … ten years later the figure was down to 20.

Houbara bustard

The houbara bustard, whose Canary Islands subspecies is in danger of extinction, is to benefit from a conservation project over the next four years.

One of the main steps was to buy the Cercado del Jarde farm in the centre of Fuerteventura to the east of Antigua in a well conserved area where over a dozen houbara bustards can be found.

Other endangered species are also in the area.