Algeciras, Los Barrios and La Linea, Cadiz Province.

Day one of our Holiday.

Jayne and I set off for a few days away down in the area around Algeciras and Los Barrios. After finding a nice room in the AC Hotel in La Linea we headed down to the shopping area at Los Barrios and spent the rest of the morning getting a few bits and pieces. Later in the day we headed for an area of wet land just before the town of Los Barrios where I was hopeing to see the wintering Long-legged Buzzard (Busardo Moro / Buteo rufinus). We arrived and immediately picked up a Short-toed Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus) passing East. On the waterlogged fields there were 50+ Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), a dozen or so Little Egrets (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta) and a few White Storks (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia). The Buzzard was not seen but several other species were seen including Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Somria / Larus fuscus), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer Domesticus) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba). Later we returned to La Linea and found something to eat and made our way back to the hotel.
Photographs from the top: Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) and Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta).