Punta Entinas near Roquetas de Mar, Torregarcía and the Salinas del Cabo de Gata, Almeria, Spain.

Good days birding but at a price in blood, literally.

 

The Salinas's at Punta Entinas.

We were released from our municipal lock down on the Sunday at Midnight, Monday was a visit to the Solicitors in Granada, so Tuesday I took myself off over to Almeria Province just to be out and about with some wildlife to occupy me as today would have been our 30th Wedding Anniversary and for some reason I found this to be by far the hardest anniversary after Jayne's passing.

The Salinas's at Punta Entinas.

I left home at just after 05.00 and dropped down to the coast at Motril and then followed the coast to the site near to Roquetas de Mar, on the way I picked up a Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos) which was singing in the garden and before I reach the parking spot Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Lesser (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni) and Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) and Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae).

Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

I parked and before I walked out onto the area of abandoned Salinas's I plastered myself in Mosquito repellent after being warned by Garry Pearson that the Mosquito's were bad and hell he was not wrong.

Little Tern (Charrancito Común / Sterna albifrons).

Slender-billed Gull (Gaviota Picofina / Larus genei).

Gull-billed Tern (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica).

Gull-billed Tern (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica).

As soon as I started the walk out through the Tamarisk tree the insects were all around but thankfully the repellent was working well and I started to quickly to add new species to the day list including Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Little (Charrancito Común / Sterna albifrons) and Gull-billed Terns (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica), Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia) and on a bit of mud just through the Tamarisks there were several Ringed (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula) and Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus), Little Stint (Correlimos Menudo / Calidris minuta) and the first of a great many Black-winged Stilts (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus).

Black-winged Stilts (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus).

Black-winged Stilts (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus).

Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus).

Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus).

Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus).

Just a little further on I had some good views of a flock of feeding Whiskered Tern (Fumarel Cariblanca / Chilidonias hybridus), along with Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and Slender-billed Gulls (Gaviota Picofina / Larus genei), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) and my first Curlew Sandpipers (Correlimos Zarapitin / Calidris ferruginea) of the year.

Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina) male and female.

Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus).

Whiskered Tern (Fumarel Cariblanca / Chilidonias hybridus).

Collared Pratincole (Canastera Común / Glareola pratincola).

Collared Pratincole (Canastera Común / Glareola pratincola).

I continued on checking the pool on the right and the scrub on the left, in the scrubby areas there were good numbers of Spanish (Yellow) Wagtails (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae) and a flock of feeding Collared Pratincoles (Canastera Común / Glareola pratincola) hawking over the salt marsh scrub.

Squacco Heron (Garcilla Cangrejera / Ardeola ralloides).

Along the same stretch I watched Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Black-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Red-crested Pochard (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina), Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera) and Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta).

Marbled Duck (Marmaronetta angustirostris).

Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta).

Squacco Heron (Garcilla Cangrejera / Ardeola ralloides).

At the far end of the track I had a single Marbled Duck (Marmaronetta angustirostris) come up from the last pool on the left which was followed by Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Grey Plover (Chorlito Gris / Pluvialis squatarola), Audouin's Gull (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii) and on the last pool on the right Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres), Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba) and both Pallid (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus) and Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus).

Collared Pratincole (Canastera Común / Glareola pratincola).

Collared Pratincole (Canastera Común / Glareola pratincola).

At the junction at the end of the track I turned around and walked back towards the car, on the way I again fort through the clouds of midges and mosquitos but added 2x Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus), Great Crested Grebe (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis) and singing Reed Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus) and Great Reed Warbler (Carricero Tordal / Acrocephalus arundinaceus).

Black (Fumarel Común / Chlidonias niger) and Little Tern (Charrancito Común / Sterna albifrons).

Once back at the car I had a drink before driving around to the lake near to the main entrance to the reserve where I found both Little (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis).

Collared Pratincole (Canastera Común / Glareola pratincola).

Collared Pratincole (Canastera Común / Glareola pratincola).

Gull-billed Tern (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica).

I then moved onto the reserve checking some of the smaller pools finding many of the waders and other species I have already seen but I had stunning views of several Collared Pratincoles, a nice immature Greater Flamingo was also showing well in amongst Little, Whiskered, Gull-billed and a single Black Tern (Fumarel Común / Chlidonias niger). Also feeding on the pools were some winter plumage Curlew Sandpiper, Ringed Plovers, lots of Dunlin and on one of the deeper pools feeding Slender-billed Gulls.

Slender-billed Gull (Gaviota Picofina / Larus genei).

Slender-billed Gull (Gaviota Picofina / Larus genei).

I walked the same path as I had been on earlier adding a Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) right at the start but nothing else so returned to the car and decided to head for Cabo de Gata where I was hoping to photograph the Small Tiger Blue (Tarucus theophrastus) butterfly which I had seen years ago but did not get any photographs.

Small Tiger Blue (Tarucus theophrastus).

Small Tiger Blue (Tarucus theophrastus).

Small Tiger Blue (Tarucus theophrastus).

I drove there and parked in alomgst the scrub not far from Torregarcia and within moments of arriving I had found the first of several of the targets and a few minutes later I got the required shots.

At this point I decided i had had enough and went to the hotel, checked in and then went to the bar where I stayed.

Hacho, Granada Province, Spain.

A walk looking for Butterflies and plants and then a sit by the puddle.

 

Panoptes Blue (Pseudophilotes panoptes).

I parked near the puddle and went for a walk back down towards the road looking for butterflies, almost straight away I found the first of several Panoptes Blues (Pseudophilotes panoptes), a Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera), Clouded Yellow (Colias corceua) and Lorquin's Blue (Cupido lorquinii).

Panoptes Blue (Pseudophilotes panoptes).

Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas).

There were a few birds around as well, several Common Chaffinches (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) were calling up in the pines along with a nice male Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra) which was , Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes).

Western Dappled White (Euchloe crameri).

Red-underwing Skipper (Spialia sertorius).

Red-underwing Skipper (Spialia sertorius).

On my bad up through the Almonds and on the slope I also found Western Dappled (Euchloe crameri) and Small White (Pieris rapae), Red-underwing Skipper (Spialia sertorius), Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus) and Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenodes).

Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina).

On the slopes I found good clumps of both Red (Phlomis purpurea) and Yellow Phlomis (Phlomis lychnitis), Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum), Garden Anchusa (Anchusa azurea) as well as a mating pair of Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) .

Black-eyed Blue (Glaucopsyche melanops).

Black-eyed Blue (Glaucopsyche melanops).

I walked back up towards the car and then on past where I found a smart Black-eyed Blue (Glaucopsyche melanops) along side Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus), Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra), Green Hairstreak (Callophrys rubi) and Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe).

Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus).

Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus).

Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe).

As I walked on I heard and saw Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus), Coal (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater) and Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus).

Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) male.

Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) female.

Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) male.

I returned to the car and parked by the puddle again but due to the much higher temperature today things were much quieter and I only managed shots of Common Chaffinch and Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) but had views of a male Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura) which dropped in for a few seconds but it disappeared as quickly.