Bustard Flat in Badajoz

We woke early to fog lifting and drove a rural road through the steppe plains from La Albuera to Valverde de Leganes to look for bustards. Despite the wet, muddy track, and our soggy hiking boots, there was no water in any of the advertised lagunas (global warming?), and the crop fields were much higher than a bustard's eye, so if there were any about we were not able to see them.

But we did hear european quail and the zitting cisticola (told from all the other cisticolas by its zitting, I suppose).  They were also hidden in the grass.  And Janet was the first to see the calandra lark (this has not, however, converted her to birdwatching).

We stopped off in Valverde de Leganes to check out their church which was built into an old ruin and was topped by several stork nests.

Storks were much in evidence today. At one point we could see at least one nest on every power pole stretching out in all directions.

After we gave up on the bustards, we checked out Olivensa, a town that was Portuguese until the early 1800s.  It was founded by the Knights Templar and due to its proximity to the border it was and remains well fortified.  The architecture in this town is highly influenced by the Portuguese style.

We drove through the outskirts of Badajoz, across the Gaudiana River from Portugal, but decided not to brave the city traffic, and turned back toward Merida, where we checked out the enormous Roman circus (hypodrome) (it's the length of 4 football fields), and the nearby aquaduct and baths.



Lastly, we checked out the Roman dam at Laguna Proserpina, still in use, though no longer connected to the aquaduct.