18th - Another sunny and warm day as we headed North to the Monfrague National Park. On arrival at the peak at Penafalcon we could see a number of Griffon Vultures both perched on the rocks and gliding on the thermals high above us. They numbered around 30 birds. On the opposite peak I spotted an adult Egyptian Vulture amongst the Griffons. After another 5 minutes 3 Black Storks flew across the lake to the south and landed in amongst the trees where their nests were located. I scanned the scree slope to the north of the main peak and soon managed to pick out a single Black Wheatear as it hopped around the rocks and boulders. A much hoped for sighting ! Then a male Blue Rock Thrush appeared at the top of the scree and performed well for a few minutes. We continued along the road past Villareal de San Carlos and stopped high on the sierra to scope some of the raptors that were soaring over the ridge. These were mainly Griffon Vultures and Black Kites but occasionally joined by the odd Black Stork, Short-toed Eagle or Egyptian Vulture. After 15 minutes I managed to spot my main target, a superb 2nd year Spanish Imperial Eagle that stayed within range for a good 5 minutes. These birds number only 11 pairs in the Monfrague Park so it was something of an achievement to spot one. It was the only one we saw all day ! In addition to all the raptors I spotted a flock of 12 Spanish Sparrows as they flew over and heard Sardinian, Spectacled and Subalpine Warblers, all within 10 minutes. We crossed a low bridge over the dammed River Tajos which played host to around 100 pairs of House Martins that had built their nests under the overhang of the bridge. It was here that I spotted a pair of Alpine Swifts and 3 White-rumped Swifts in with the hundreds of martins and swallows. We followed the road to Barrajos and stopped along the way to watch a pair of soaring Black Vultures, several Woodchat Shrikes, a single adult Booted Eagle and a huge spiral of raptors which included Griffons, another Booted Eagle and an adult Bonelli's Eagle. On the return journey I noticed a field close to the road with a large earth mound and on it were 3 adult Black Vultures. They proved to be extremely accommodating and allowed us to get some excellent pictures. Further along I got a brief flight view of a Rufous Bush Robin as it disappeared into the trees. Its white-edged tail a distinctive marker. We stopped at Villareal on the way back for refreshments and I got a brief look at a male Golden Oriole as it flew into the shade of a nearby tree.