Birding in Lanzarote 15-28 January 2026

Another January, another visit to Lanzarote but this time it was a very different island to the one we have seen for the last ten or eleven years we have been visiting in winter. As a result of a rare, very wet winter that had already seen two Atlantic storms by the 15th of January, the whole island was transformed and was carpeted in green with yellow and blue flowers adorning what looked like huge meadows. Of course the green was just a thin covering but it totally changed the appearance of the volcanoes and lava fields. Rain is supposed to be a cue to the Houbara Bustards and other birds to start courtship with the prospect of an abundant food supply encouraging them to display.

As usual we saw a good group of Turnstones and a Common Sandpiper at Marina Rubicon. There were also Yellow-legged Gulls, Collared Doves and Spanish Sparrows which are very common everywhere.

Birding 19th January 2026

At the Salinas de Janubio on the 19th of January, high winds and very cold weather militated against much birding. Also, we found that the reserve had been closed off even more with the big overlook position above the Salinas (where you could walk right out and look down on the furthest pools of water) being totally closed off to the public. Scoped views were still possible for the water’s edge nearest the main road into Playa Blanca and this proved to be quite productive on a later trip. For this first visit we had to settle for Black-necked Grebes (about 120 of them) and Anne saw a Whimbrel. There was also a Berthelot’s Pipit hopping around the car park.

We drove up to El Jable via La Geria, Campesino, Mozaga, Tiagua, and Munique. Got two Common Kestrels en route. The desert is incredibly green after all the recent rain and I had high hopes that the rain would have encouraged the Houbara out. We parked at the usual place just outside Munique and walked down the track a bit then turned right to where there is an elevated piece of track. About ten minutes later I found a distant Houbara (maybe two) and after a little while it started to go to the higher ground where we could see it much better against the skyline. We eventually dragged ourselves away from it and went looking, unsuccessfully, for Cream-coloured Coursers. There were plenty of twittering birds that would not stay still enough to identify though they were undoubtedly Lesser Short-toed Larks and/or Berthelot’s Pipits.

We drove the short distance to Soo and stopped at the outskirts where there is a layby opposite C. los Pescadores where we had previously had good luck with Stone Curlews. This time they were less obliging being well hidden but Anne found them and in the end I think we saw five of them. A later trip would give us some other birds.

Birding 21st January 2026

On the 21st we tried our luck again at the Salinas de Janubio. we got the flock of about 70 Black-necked Grebes and three Ruddy Shelduck from the car park. From there we drove to Los Hervideros then on to El Golfo. En route we got Canarian Raven and Common Kestrel. We stopped at El Golfo for a drink and returned home via the Mirador Salinas de Janubio where we got a different angle on the salt pans and were able to add 8 Black-winged Stilts, a Greenshank and a Kentish Plover.

Birding 23rd January 2026

Had breakfast at the Hacienda – it was a dry start to the day for once. Then we drove up to El Jable via Timanfaya. Saw a pair of Canarian Ravens on our way there but not much luck at El Jable where we got fabulous views of a Short-toed Lark rising into the air singing but that was all we got apart from a Kestrel. We had a good look round but then went on to the farmhouse at Soo to see if we could spot any Stone Curlews. No luck with them but we did get two Partridges. I keep wanting them to be Barbary Partridges but I’m never quite sure that they aren’t just Red-legged Partridges. When we looked at pictures of both species Anne was convinced that they were Barbary.

That was about the sum of the birds we saw in Lanzarote this time round. It is much more difficult at the Salinas now and we didn’t venture into the countryside at Tias or Haria so we could have got more birds if we tried but the weather was the wettest we have ever experienced in Lanzarote so sometimes we just opted to stay where we would be dry!

The map below is a reminder of where we go to see the Stone Curlews and Red-legged (or Barbary) Partridges.

Bird Sightings : Lanzarote January 2026

Species	No
Berthelot’s Pipit	10
Black-necked Grebe	150
Black-winged Stilt	10
Canarian Raven	3
Cattle Egret	20
Collared Dove	40
Common Kestrel	2
Common Sandpiper	1
Rock Dove	20
Greenshank	1
Houbara Bustard	2
Kentish Plover	1
Lesser Short-toed Lark	2
Red-legged Partridge	2
Ruddy Shelduck	6
Ruddy Turnstone	8
Spanish Sparrow	30
Stone Curlew	6
Whimbrel	1
Yellow-legged Gull	20