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Tuesday 29 January 2013

Barbate saltpans, Zahara de los Atunes, La Janda and Los Lances beach, Cadiz Province.

93 species in a day.

Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).
I got up early and drove through to Barbate along the winding roads passed Tarifa and Zahara de los Atunes and parked on the main road in Barbate. 
I had hoped to meet up with Steve Daly from Andalucian Guide but he was already working so it turned into a self guided day but with the knowledge I had got from Steve on a passed visit I had a good idea of where the birds were. 
Where I got the best deal I have ever had for breakfast, a large coffee and a decent toast with tomato for €2. After topping up the caffeine levels I drove back out of Barbate and crossed the Rio Barbate and parked on the right near what looked like a sewage treatment works.
Common Crane (Grulla Común / Grus grus).
I got here just as the sun was starting to come up and the Gulls were just starting to come in off the sea in there hundreds, most were Black-headed Gulls (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus) but they were joined by many Lesser Black-backs (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michaellis). 
As the light improved I started to see formations of Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), the odd Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) along with a flight of 9 Spoonbills (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia). I then walked back towards the bridge and flushed a Water Pipit (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta), a couple of Crested Larks (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis). 
The pools on the landward side of the road were very quiet but I did see a single Grey Plover (Chorlito Gris / Pluviali squatarola) and a few Mallards (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) but not a lot else.
Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila pennatus).
As I walked back towards the car a winter plumage Caspian Tern (Pagaza Piquiroja / Sterna caspia) flew in from the sea and away out on to the marsh and while I was following this bird a massive raptor came up out of the marsh and dropped almost immediately back into cover. 
I would have liked a lot better view of the bird but thought that it was probably an immature Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti) but not sure so I did not count it on the day list. 
I then moved down the road a short way and checked two larger pools on the landward side and a wet area on the beach, on the beach there were a good number of waders including Ringed (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula) and Kentish Plovers (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus), Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba) and a single Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos).
Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).
On the two larger pools there were more Grey Plovers, Sanderlings, Mallards, Black-headed Gulls and Western Cattle Egrets these were seen along with a couple of Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), a single Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia) and Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea). In the air several flights of Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo) came in off the sea and headed up river and there were good numbers of Crag Martins (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris). 
My next stop was a little further down the road amongst some small holdings where there were several groups of resting Western Cattle Egrets, a small group of 6 Northern Bald Ibis (Ibis Eremita / Geronticus eremita), Rock Pigeon (Paloma Bravia / Columba livia), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) and a White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia) sat on the roof of one of the farm houses. 
I then found a track up behind the building where I had views out over some wetland pools, here there were at least 8 more Spoonbills, a couple of hundred Sanderling, a few Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina) and quite a large flock of Audouin's Gulls (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii).
Immature Night Heron (Marinete Común / Nycticorax nycticorax).
I then dropped down the coast towards Zahara de los Atunes where there were hundreds of Crag Martins along the river so I thought it had to be worth a scan through them to see what other species were there and it payed off with a couple of House Martins (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) and at least 6 Barn Swallows (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica). 
On the river there was a small group of 4 Audouin's Gulls and 20 or so Sandwich Terns (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis).
I then went inland to La Janda, as soon as I arrived 3 Common Cranes (Grulla Común / Grus grus) flew across the track and 2 Black-winged Kites (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) which were hunting over near by fields which made for a good start to a good visit. 
I then followed the main collector canal and soon had Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Reed Bunting ( Escribano Palustre / Emberiza schoeniclus), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra) and Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis) on the day list.
Black Stork (Ciguena Negra / Ciconia nigra).
On the wet fields there were quite a few Western Cattle and Little Egrets, White Storks, Grey Herons along with hundreds of Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus) and a flock of around 100 Golden Plovers (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia). 
After a few Km I turned up the track towards Cortijo de la Mediana on the way several Pheasants (Faisán Vulgar / Phaisanus colchicus) were out in the cereal crop fields on both sides of the track and just as the track started to go up towards the Cortijo there was a nice Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila pennatus) sat on the top of a pylon. I went through the farm and into the olive woods on the ridge adding another Booted Eagle on the way, amongst the trees a female Hen Harrier (Aguilucho Pálido / Circus cyaneus) was making life difficult for the smaller birds including Blackcaps (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla), Black Redstarts (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major). 
Great White Egret (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba).
In the same area there was a Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei) calling, loads of Jackdaws (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa) and in the sky above the olives there was a flock of around 30 Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), a Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans), Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) and during the half an hour I was watching in this area there were a couple of flocks of around 50 Common Cranes that passed over heading north. White Storks were also coming over the area in large numbers with some kettles holding a couple of hundred birds. 
I continued on along this track to the track between Benalup and Facinas, I headed towards the latter and soon had fabulous views of a cracking male Hen Harrier which came up off the side of the track and started to quarter the nearby fields. Further on I saw at least four more Black-winged Kites, another Black Kite, more Ravens, Griffon Vultures and two Little Owls (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) which were sunning them selves on the top of some fence posts.
Great White Egret (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba).
I continued on along this track for around 6 KM before turning around and heading back towards the marshes on the way I added Common Starling (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris) which seemed to be commoner than the Spotless along this route, Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula) and Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita). 
I passed through the Olive woods again seeing another couple of female Hen Harriers, a Black-winged Kite and loads of Blackcaps which seemed to be oozing out of the roadside trees. I dropped back down onto the fields and then back out onto the track along the canal, almost straight away I added three new species to the list including an immature Night Heron (Marinete Común / Nycticorax nycticorax), a adult Black Stork (Ciguena Negra / Ciconia nigra) and a Great White Egret (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba) which was sat on the edge of the smaller ditch with a group of Grey Herons.
Wooden Fence in the Olive woods.
Before I got back to the road Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Barn Swallow, House Martin and Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) were seen. 
During my visit to this cracking site I also saw a single teneral Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii), Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Small White (Artogeia rapae), Bath White (Pontia daplidice) and Large White (Pieris brassicae) and masses of the beautiful Paper White Narcissus (Narcissus papyraceus).
Paper White Narcissus (Narcissus papyraceus).
I started to drive back towards Tarifa stopping at Los Lances beach on the way but it was full of kite surfers and boarders so there were just a few Sandwich Terns on the usual posts and a good number of Audouins Gulls roosting on the beach. 
The sea was breaking through the sand bar and where the waves were breaking into the pool there were a few Sanderlings and a dozen or so Kentish Plovers. I then made my way back to the hotel and Jayne and I went out for a very nice Chinese meal in the town.

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