Playa de Serantes, Castropol, Hotel-Restaurante Chiquín and Playa de Serantes, Asturias, Spain.

A MEGA Dip up on the Asturian Coast.

Ebird List for Playa de Serantes 1.

Ebird List for Playa de Serantes 2.

Heading North.

Paqui and I set off early heading to the North coast where an American Sora (Polluela Sora / Porzana carolina) had been seen for a few days but it had become more difficult to see so I was not really too surprised to dip the bird however I was happy to give it a try, I was also thankful for Paqui's patience as we spent most of the day there.

On the way further North.

On the way we saw a Red Fox (Zorro / Vulpus vulpus), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Northern Raven (Cuervo grande / Corvus corax) and Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) before we stopped for some breakfast in O Lar De Carmiña.

The cake we had for breakfast.

We would normally have a tostarda for breakfast but this place only did a very nice cake which went down very well when dunked in my coffee, once we were on site, which was just up the road we found several other Spanish Birders were already there but they hadn’t had any sightings of the bird, Paqui and I took up a spot with a good view of the reed-bed and waited.

The Twitch 😉😉😉

Where the Sora had been.

This first stint was just over 2 hours, during this time we saw Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), a single fly through Eurasian Whimbrel (Zarapito Trinador / Numenius phaeopus), Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), 9x Grey Herons (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Common Kingfisher (Martin Pescador Común / Alcedo atthis), Eurasian Wryneck (Torcecuello / Jynx torquilla), a hunting Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus), Sedge (Carricerin Común / Acrocephalus schoenobaenus), Common Reed (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Willow (Mosquitero Musical / Phylloscopus trochillus), Cetti's (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Sand Martin (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Eurasian Wren (Chochin paleártico / Troglodytes troglodytes), Spotless Starling, Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs).

Sedge Warbler (Carricerin Común / Acrocephalus schoenobaenus).

Sedge Warbler (Carricerin Común / Acrocephalus schoenobaenus).

Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus).

Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).

Paqui spent some time looking for the bird and then went and had a walk along the beach and spent some time chilling by the sea.

Paqui, happy on the beach.

The beach.

A couple of cliff arches on the beach.

As it warmed up I also saw Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta), Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator), Migrant Hawker (Aeshna mixta) and Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea).

Looking up to Castropol from the Boat Ramp.

Part of the Estuary on the Asturias side of the River.

Paqui came back from her time on the beach so we decided to head off and have a look at another area around Castropol on the Ria de Ribadeo or the Ría del Eo depending on which Province you look at it from, we parked near the boat ramp and walked around to the small Puerto de Castropol, on the way back we had a beer in one of the bars which came with some pretty disgusting tripe Tapas.

European flat oysters (Ostrea edulis) along with Common Limpet (Patella vulgata) and Mediterranean Mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis / Mejillones de roca).

During this walk we looked down onto the rocks in the sea below where we saw clusters of Wild native European flat oysters (Ostrea edulis) along with Common Limpet (Patella vulgata) and Mediterranean Mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis / Mejillones de roca).

Mexican Fleabane (Erigeron karvinskianus).

Back at the Boat Ramp we saw Mexican Fleabane (Erigeron karvinskianus), Rock Samphire (Crithmum maritimum), Common Mallow (Malva sylvestris), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Yellow-legged and a single Great Black-backed Gull (Gavión Atlántico / Larus marinus), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo) and Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone).

Sedge Warbler (Carricerin Común / Acrocephalus schoenobaenus).

Sedge Warbler (Carricerin Común / Acrocephalus schoenobaenus).

Sedge Warbler (Carricerin Común / Acrocephalus schoenobaenus).

Common Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus).

We did a loop from Castropol around the estuary to Ribadeo and then had a rather disappointing Lunch before heading back to the beach site to give the Sora a second go, we were on our own for most of the evening except for three people turned up for a very quick visit and a lady who sat looking for a while.

The closest we got to the Sora was this immature Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus).

This time we took the chairs down with us, I sat in the full sun all the time whilst Paqui who was far more sensible went and found some shade for a while, during this second visit we still didn't manage to see the Target but we did add Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Common Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Bar-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colipinta / Limosa lapponica), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Whinchat (Tarabilla Norteña / Saxicola rubetra), Dunnock (Acentor Común / Prunella modularis) and Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae).

Bar-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colipinta / Limosa lapponica).

Bar-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colipinta / Limosa lapponica).

Well, after giving it another 3.5 hours we cut our lose and headed back to Molinaseca but we decided to take the slightly longer Motorway route which didn't turn out to be a good idea as there were major roadworks and the A6 was shut for long stretches meaning we were back later than planned.

Las Médulas, Mirador de Orellán, Lago de Carucedo and Villablino, Castile and León, Spain.

Out and about in the El Bierzo area.

Ebird List Lago de Carucedo.

 

The edge of Las Médulas showing the fire damage which cover huge areas.

We headed out to the SW and started with a visit to the Las Médulas but the information centre was being rebuilt and the area had been badly damaged by a large fire last August so we had a quick look at a couple of spots but headed off pretty quickly and only added Eurasian Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs).

The Tree.

Not far along the road we turned up towards the pueblo of Orellán but stopped just before there and checked out a view point with a carved tree, here we did a short walk along a quieter part of the road as I heard but couldn't find a Eurasian Bullfinch (Camachuelo Común / Pyrrhula pyrrhula), however we did see Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), European Robin, Eurasian Blue Tit, Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Eurasian Jay (Arrendajo Euroasiático / Garrulus glandarius), Common Chaffinch, European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis) and Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteño / Emberiza cirlus).

The only two ducks on this nice looking lake, a bit of a surprise really.

We dropped back down the hill and went to a nearby lake where we parked at Playa fluvial Carucedo and then walked around the trees along the edge of the lake and then out onto the wooden boardwalk.

Willow Warbler (Mosquitero Musical / Phylloscopus trochillus).

Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis).

European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula).

During the walk we had a few nice species including Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Great Spotted (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major) and Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito ibérico / Picus sharpei), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Willow Warbler (Mosquitero Musical / Phylloscopus trochillus), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Cetti's Warbler, Eurasian Blackcap, Common Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapilla), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Europeo / Certhia brachydactyla), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), European Robin, European Pied Flycatcher (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

Migrant Hawker (Aeshna mixta).

Migrant Hawker (Aeshna mixta).

Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata) ♀.

Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata) ♀.

Also seen were several Migrant Hawkers (Aeshna mixta), Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata) x1♀, Lang's Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous), Peacock (Aglais io), Cardinal Fritillary (Argynnis pandora), Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria), European Hornet (Vespa crabro), Red-eared Terrapin (Trachemys scripta elegans) and Bidens frondosa.

Cardinal Fritillary (Argynnis pandora).

Red-eared Terrapin (Trachemys scripta elegans).

Bidens frondosa.

We returned to the car and decided to do a run up to a village called Villablino, on the way we stopped at a view point and a picnic area on the way were we saw and heard Northern Raven (Cuervo grande / Corvus corax), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Long-tailed Tit (Mito Común / Aegithalos caudatus), Striped Grayling (Hipparchia fidia) and European Hornet.

Striped Grayling (Hipparchia fidia).

European Hornet (Vespa crabro).

We reached Villablino where we had a drive around and then had some lunch which was nice, the town was a bit ordinary but OK, after lunch we drove back to Molinaseca seeing a ♀ Eurasian Bullfinch fly across the road in front of us.

A street in Molinaseca.

Looking across the river to our Hotel.

Later we had another walk around the town and then chilled back at the hotel with a Bocadillo and a drink.

North to Molinaseca in El Bierzo, Castile and León, Spain.

A dip on the way further North.

Ebird List for Lagunas de Villafáfila.

Ebird List for La Bañeza.

 

We didn't light the candle in the car.

We were up and out after a very good nights sleep and made our way to Lagunas de Villafáfila where I was hoping to see a Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Playerito Canela / Calidris subruficollis), on the way we found Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Northern Raven (Cuervo grande / Corvus corax), Western Jackdaw (Grajilla occidental / Corvus monedula), Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and a flyover Great Bustard (Avutarda Euroasiática / Otis tarda).

Walk along the side of the sewage Lagoon.

We parked at a man made sewage water pool to the north of Laguna Salina Grande, here we saw Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas), Common Buzzard, Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Common Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Whinchat (Tarabilla Norteña / Saxicola rubetra), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), Small White (Pieris rapae), Lang's Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous), Lesser (Anax parthenope) and Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator), Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) and Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea).

At the far end of these pools I scanned the small pool which was all that was left of the main Laguna where I picked up Common Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Common Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Green (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) and Wood Sandpiper (Andarrios Bastardo / Tringa glareola), Ruff (Combatiente / Calidris pugnax),Curlew Sandpiper (Correlimos Zarapitin / Calidris ferruginea), Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina), Little Stint (Correlimos Menudo / Calidris minuta), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Spanish (Yellow) (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

Rook (Graja / Corvus frugilegus).

Rook (Graja / Corvus frugilegus).

I scanned the pool for a while but I could not locate the target as the birds were always distant and mostly into the Sun, so we walked back to the car and headed off North again, our next stop was in the town of La Bañeza, where we soon found the first of many Rooks (Graja / Corvus frugilegus) which were sitting in some of the Poplar trees around the Hospital making quiet a lot of noise.

Rook (Graja / Corvus frugilegus).

Rook (Graja / Corvus frugilegus).

Other species here were Western Jackdaw (Grajilla occidental / Corvus monedula), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Eurasian Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus) and a ♀ European Pied Flycatcher (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca).

We again continued on North but at Astorga we went across country through several pueblo's but made a short stop in El Acebo de San Miguel before making our way to Molinaseca, where we had something in the bar before checking into the Hostal el Palacio where we were staying for the next 5 nights.

Later we went for a walk around town and had a birthday tinto de verano in a riverside bar, as we walked we recorded Western House Martin, Grey (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos) and European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula).

I had received a message from the hotel a week or so before we arrived telling us that there was a fiesta in the town for 3 nights of our stay which could have proved to be a noisy problem but when we asked in the bar they told us it was back in August and I had miss read the message which I was pleased about, so we had a good nights sleep.