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Sunday 7 June 2009

RAM and Charca de Suárez, Motril, Granada Province.

Strange birds at sea.

Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis).
Juan Perez and myself made our monthly visit to a headland near Motril to carry out the RAM sea bird survey. The morning was going well with a few Cory (Pardela Cenicienta / Calonectris diomedea) and Balearic Shearwaters (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus), Gannet (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus) and Audouin's Gulls (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii) passing by. Then the birds of the day were seen moving east about 500 meters off shore, a group of 13 Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus ruber) a new bird for my Granada list made quite an unusual sight flying low over the sea. A couple of Peregrine Falcons (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus), Pallid Swifts (Vencejo Pálido / Apus pallidus), Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Sandwich (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis), Gull Billed (Charrán Piconegro / Gelochelidon nilotica) and Little Terns (Charrancito Común / Sterna albifrons) were also recorded.

Audouin's Gulls (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii).
The next stop was at the port of Motril where we spent some time recording the ring numbers of the many Audouin's Gulls roosting.
Charca de Suárez was quiet bird wise but Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocorax carbo), Little Grebe (Zapullin Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta), Grey (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and Squacco Herons (Garcilla Cangrejera / Ardeola ralloides) were seen and Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común /Porphyrio porphyrio) was heard.