Stonechat, lark and beetle in Extremadura, Spain

This video from Spain says about itself:

More than 128,000 Common Cranes counted in winter 2013-2014 in Extremadura! Even more than last year. Large concentrations on rice and corn stubble. Amazing spectacle! Easy to watch from the car or with a short walk.

After 17 April in Extremadura came 18 April for us. Not winter any more; unusually cold spring weather. That meant still snow on the over 2,000 m high Sierra de Gredos mountains.

Corn buntings singing.

Tongue-orchids.

Quail sounds. Three bee-eaters flying.

A crested lark takes a dust bath on the dirt road.

A chaffinch sings.

An unusual insect crosses the road. It is a female red-striped oil beetle. One of the largest European insects, this species is unable to fly.

Next, a male stonechat.

A goldfinch on the road.

At a bridge across the river, the public road stops. We hear Cetti’s warbler, great tit and Iberian green frog sounds.

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