East Bank Donana, Cadiz Province.

Back into the rain!!

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

I got up before light and went to a local bar and had a coffee and tostardo before heading out on to the fields and checked out the ditches and pools. A little way out of town I turned right out on to the very muddy tracks between the rice paddies and cotton fields and when I say muddy I mean muddy, poor car did me proud but it took some jet washing later in the day. I stopped just over the first bridge and scanned the largish road side canal and was quite surprised to see several Lesser Emperors (Anax parthenope) on the wing as it was only just getting light, I also had a Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) but I did flush this one from beside the water. On the bank I saw an immature Night Heron (Marinete Común / Nycticorax nycticorax), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Little (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) and Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).

White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia).

I then ventured out into the fields, whilst slipping and slidding I checked out some of the smaller channels running away from the track picking up Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus). I reached a T-junction and sent a good while checking out the birds on the surrounding fields and the first thing I noticed was the number of Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus), as I stood on the bank I could see several large flocks flying over the area numbering several hundred in total. Also along the large canal here I had nice views of a Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis) as it whizzed passed and out of sight, several Black-headed Weavers (Ploceus melanocephalus) feeding on the track, then next came a flight of 11 Black Storks (Ciguena Negra / Ciconia nigra), a hundred or so White Storks (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia) and these were out numbered by Western Cattle Egrets. 

Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) immature.

On the fields over the bank there were a few areas of lying water which were covered with Northern Shovelers (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), a few Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Black-winged Stilts (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus) and Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra). After longer than I had planned I jumped back into the car and continued on along the lefthand fork of the track along the canal seeing loads more Glossy Ibis, Gulls and Grey Heron but I did not stop as the track was so wet and muddy and the rain was lashing down I was quite worried about getting bogged in.

Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta).

I eventually came to the main track (Muro de los Portuguses) off to the left which crosses a water way several times, these areas of water are quite large and reed filled. I stopped several times along here as the rain had eased a bit and the track was in much better condition and I was less likely to bog down. At the first stop I saw loads more Black-headed Weavers and a male Yellow Crowned Bishop (Eucleptes afer), a small flock of Common Waxbills (Estrilda astrild) came into the same area calling noisily as the landed and out on the water there were more Northern Shovelers, Eurasian Teal, Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina) and just as I was about to get into the car I heard a calling Penduline Tit (Pájaro Moscón / Remiz pendulinus) which I eventually located in a nearby reedbed, it flew up and towards me and was joined by 8 more birds which landed on the far side of the road and gave me some nice views.

Black-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa).

Further along the track I picked up an immature Purple Heron (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus), Sand Martin (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica) and Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus). Eventually I reached the end of the track and came out on to some Tarmac again at last, I headed back towards Los Palacios Y Villafranca and out on to the main road heading south, I exited to wards Lebrija and then on to Trebujena where I found the road out to the river, near the end of the road there are a group of small pools which held several new species for my trip list including a couple of Greylag Geese (Ansar Común / Anser anser), Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia), Black-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa), Calandra Lark (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra) plus Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) and Tawny Pipit (Bisbita campestre / Anthus campestris).

Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina).

From here I headed along the river Guadalquivr but due to the white lines along the roadsides I could not stop easily but eventually I reached Codo de la Esparraguera an area of disused saltpans and managed to park on the roadside. Here I had nice views of Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Avocet, Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina), more Glossy Ibis which seemed to be everywhere and dozens and dozens of Black-winged Stilts.
From here I headed along the track to Riacheros a small fishing port and out on to another track towards Monte Algaida Saltpans, on the way I passed several small pools and on one of these pools I found what was for me was the bird of the trip, a winter plumaged Marsh Sandpiper (Archibebe Fino / Tringa stagnatilis) in amongst a large flock of Black-tailed Godwits, Common Redshanks (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), 3 Spotted Redshanks (Archibebe Oscuro / Tringa erythropus) and a few Greenshanks.

Little Stint (Correlimos Menudo / Calidris minuta).

Whilst I was watching these birds a cracking Western Osprey (Águila Pescardora / Pandion haliaetus) did a fly over, there were a couple of Whinchat (Tarabilla Nortena / Saxicola rubetra) on the nearby fences along with lots of Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and in the reedbeds nearby there were a couple of calling Water Rails (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus). After again spending far to long along here I reached the first of the saltpans and I again picked up more Greater Flamingo's and the first Spoonbills (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia) of the trip. On the way back I added a couple of female Northern Pintails (Ánade Rabudo / Anas acuta), Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) and a second Western Osprey. Once I got back to the fishing village I went back towards Monte Algaida Pinewoods, as I had taken more time out on the marshes I did not stop in the pines as I still wanted to go to Bananza Saltpans and spend some time there taking photographs as at last the sun had come out!!!!

Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus).

Anyway Bonanza was fairly quiet but on the main drive I saw Dunlin, Ruff (Combatiente / Philomachus pugnax), Little Egret, Black-winged Stilt, Black-tailed Godwit, Little Stint (Correlimos Menudo / Calidris minuta), Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba), Avocet, Common Redshank, Common Sandpiper and Ringed Plover. At the end of the road I turned right and followed along the ditch all the way to the pump houses at the end of the track, along the way I saw the first Great White Egrets (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba) x3, 5x Whiskered Terns (Fumarel Cariblanca / Chilidonias hybridus), Slender-billed Gull (G aviota Picofina / Larus genei), Grey Plover (Chorlito Gris / Pluviali squatarola), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Red Knot ( Correlimos Gordo / Calidris canutus), Glossy Ibis, Black Stork and Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe). 

Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos).

Other species seen at this site included Curlew Sandpiper (Correlimos Zarapitin / Calidris ferruginea), Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus), White Stork, Little and Western Cattle Egrets, Black-headed, Lesser Black-backed and Yellow-legged Gulls, Greater Flamingo and Purple Heron.
From here I headed along the coast to the seafront at Chipiona where I scanned the beach and sea for birds and added another couple of species, Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis) and Arctic Skua (Págalo Parásito / Stercorarius parasiticus) along with more Lesser Black-backs, Black-headed and Yellow-legged Gulls, Kentish Plover and Sanderling.
From here I drove quite a way south to Vejer de la Frontera and found a nice little hotel nearby before going out to Barbate to check out the pools and coast line, on the pools I added Caspian Tern (Pagaza Piquiroja / Sterna caspia) and Audouin's Gull (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii) to the list along with more Ringed Plovers, Greater Flamingo's, Little Stint, Redshank and Northern Wheatear.

Caspian Tern (Pagaza Piquiroja / Sterna caspia).

Back at the hotel I had a walk around the garden finding a couple of male Pheasant (Faisán Vulgar / Phaisanus colchicus), loads of Jackdaws (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), a couple of Ravens and as dusk fell Several large flocks of Western Cattle Egrets flew into Roost came over and both Tawny Owl (Cárabo Común / Strix aluco) and Eagle Owls (Buho Real / Bubo bubo) which called for the next few hours.