Friday, March 31, 2006

Birdwatching at Punta de Teno & Teno Alto

Mentioned before on these pages are various birds that I've spotted locally, even without trying, since living here.

The birds mostly just come to visit me, however, some people come from far and wide to get the chance to add interesting local sightings to their lists.

Some of the birds you might see in the Teno areas are; Barbary Falcon, Rock Sparrow, Plain Swift, feral pigeon, Kestrel, Raven, Buzzard, Cory's Shearwaters, Pallid Swifts, Berthelot's Pipits, Linnet, Spectacled Warbler, Sardinian Warbler and flocks of Island Canaries.

This Birding Trip Report for Tenerife will tell you more.

It is interesting to note what they say about the road to the Punta de Teno itself, "Once we had arrived a sign appeared to say that the road around the cliffs was closed! However, a lot of people seemed to be ignoring this and so we did likewise." Yes, I have also arrived there and found the road seemingly blocked, yet everyone drove onward. Whilst I don't know the "official policy", it is believed that this is to deter large numbers of people from going down the, frankly, eerie road with long tunnels and to the peaceful point itself. It seems that when "too many" people have gone down, the police will suddenly turn up to the barricade and start meaning it. Maybe they have a counter thingy in the road?

Field Guide to the Birds of the Atlantic Islands by Tony Clarke, Chris Orgill (Illustrator), Tony Disley (Illustrator). The first comprehensive field guide dealing exclusively with the birds of this spectacular region. It covers all resident, migrant and vagrant species found in Macaronesia which comprises the Canary Islands, Madeira, Azores and Cape Verde.

Tags: Tenerife, Canary Islands, Canarias