The Purple Penguin

Last day in Coto Doñana so up to pack after breakfast. The light was really lovely, so Joe headed out for some photos before we packed back into the van, We drove to the top of the Charco where we saw lots of water birds, including storks, graylag geese, shelducks, shovelers, lapwings, grey herons, as well as hoopoe, kestrel, red kite, iberian magpie, crested larks, and spottless starlings. The area is really lovely.

We then went to another of the visitors’ centres where they have captive lynx who have been used in the breeding programme. They are retired from the programme and maintained in an enclosure as they wouldn’t do well released. You have to be accompanied out to the inclosure and can only spend about 20 minutes there. The enclosure was smaller than expected but that meant we saw the two lynx – though they were having a nap! There are also information boards about the lynx and the breeding programme. The area was also good for birdwatching and we saw several species (some listed above!).

As it was cold – there was a brisk cold wind – the guide decided we’d stop on the way to Los Pinos to get a hot lunch rather than a cold picnic lunch, so off we headed for Andújar Natural Park stopping at a truck stop near the Seville Airport along the way for lunch. Lunch was really good with paella, soup, sausages, salmon, and puddings, so we left stuffed. Because of the lunch the drive to Andújar was sleepy. The hotel is 14km from Andújar, up the mountain in the park – Los Pinos. The road is narrow and twisty and steep and there were watch for cyclist warning signs. I told Joe you’d have to be mad to cycle up that.

Joe and I had two rooms up a narrow twisty stair, which was a good thing as Joe snored.