Friday, July 29, 2011

24 days in Madrid

The last 3 1/2 weeks have I spent in Madrid due to a scholarship I got from the spanish government. It was in first place a scholarship to learn spanish and to getting to know the spanish culture and in fact I saw very much culture. But nevertheless I always kept an eye open in search of animals and well I was successful: 18 new bird species! Also tons of new butterflies and over all, many new friends! I spend my time there with 14 other german students and some Spanish students who lived in the same house as we. Madrid is a very beautiful city and Spain a very beautiful country. I hope that I'll return soon and I also hope that I'll see the other germans again.
Here's a list of NEW and interesting species I saw in Spain:
Little Egret
Black-crowned Night-Heron

White Stork
Griffon Vulture
Black Vulture
Booted Eagle

Montagu's Harrier
Black Kite
Red Kite
Lesser Kestrel
Stock Pigeon
Bee-eater
Hoopoe

Great Spotted Woodpecker ssp. hispanus
Green Woodpecker ssp. sharpei
Red-rumped Swallow
Crag Martin
Golden Oriole
Raven
Magpie ssp. melanotos
Azure-winged Magpie

Coal Tit ssp. vieirae
Long-tailed Tit ssp. irbii
White-throated Dipper
Black Redstart ssp. aterrimus
Cetti's Warbler
Moustached Warbler
Great Reed-Warbler
Melodious Warbler

Grey Wagtail
Great Grey Shrike ssp. meridionalis
Woodchat Shrike
Spotless Starling
Goldfinch ssp. parva
Serin
Cirl Bunting
Pictures follow in the next post...