El Corredor Verde, Cañada de la Rianzuela, Visitor centre J.A. Valverde and on the way back to Villamanrique, Sevilla and Huelva Provinces.

More time around the marshes and lakes of the Donana.

Donana and Extremadura tour Day three.

Purple Heron (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea).

We started a little before breakfast and heard a calling Tawny Owl (Cárabo Común / Strix aluco) and a Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus) which was calling from the top of a dead tree nearby. After breakfast we checked the area around the car park and contiued the day list with House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Collared (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and Turtle Doves (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Red-rumped (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica) and Barn Swallows (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and the continually present Black Kites (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans).

The gang on the track above the marshes.

Once we were all aboard the van we headed a short way East to the start of a drive along the El Corredor Verde, right at the start we had a walk in amongst the Stone Pine woods and found Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei), Sardinian (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and Orphean Warblers (Curruca Mirlano / Sylvia hortensis), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) and Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata) and Mike Harvey then pulled another one out of the bag when he showed us a nice photograph of a Green-Striped White (Euchloe belemia) he had just seen.

Squacco Heron (Garcilla Cangrejera / Ardeola ralloides).

We moved on along the track to a large irrigation pool where we scanned the small area of water that was visible and added Great Crested Grebe (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra) and Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos)and on the surrounding fields we located Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica) and a few fly over Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis). 

Short-toed Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus).

We moved on along the track heading south making several stops on the way getting nice views of Whinchat (Tarabilla Nortena / Saxicola rubetra), Melodious Warbler (Zarcero Común / Hippolais polyglotta), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae) and Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus) along with Bath (Pontia daplidice) and Small White (Artogeia rapae), Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) and Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus).

Short-toed Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus).

We came off the end of the track and checked out a small wetland on the roadside, we parked and had a walk along a track above the area and picked up Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus), more Western Swamp-hens (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio) than I have ever seen in one place before, Purple Heron (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea), 2x male Marsh Harriers (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), Squacco Heron (Garcilla Cangrejera / Ardeola ralloides), Little (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) and Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), Reed (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus) and a couple of Western Olivaceous Warblers (Zarcero Pálido Occidental / Hippolais opaca) but they were very hard to find in a very strong wind.

Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata).

Just down the road we stopped along side a much larger lake at a couple of points and got the scopes out and found Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Red-crested (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina) and Common Pochards (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Eurasian Spoonbills, Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Black-necked (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), Little (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and Great Crested Grebes, Mallard, Eurasian Coot and Red-knobbed Coots (Focha cornuda / Fulca cristata), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Western Swamp-hen, a couple of fly over Collared Pratincoles (Canastera Común / Glareola pratincola), Great Reed (Carricero Tordal / Acrocephalus arundinaceus) and more Western Olivaceous Warblers, Common Swift, loads of Black Kites and a fine male Black-headed Weaver (Tejedor Cabecinegro / Ploceus melanocephalus) which was sat near three of their pendulous nests in the Tamarisk bushes.

Judy, John and Myself at the J.A.Valverde Center.

We moved on along the road and had lunch before return back along the same road making a quick stop at the lake again at a spot where there had been a couple of other vehicle loads of birds on the way up. Here we saw all the species we had seen earlier but this time we had very close views of a nice Red-knobbed Coot. 

Whinchat (Tarabilla Nortena / Saxicola rubetra).

We left this site and headed along the track down to the J.A.Valverde Center, on the way we had nice views of several Lesser Kestrels (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), several Great White Egrets (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail and a very pale looking Short-toed Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus) probably one of last years birds.

A Heronry at the J.A.Valverde Center.

Once we were at the center we had a look at the main lake through the glass windows seeing several Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta) which were the only new species seen here but there where good numbers of Glossy Ibis, Western Cattle Egrets, Greater Flamingo's, Eurasian Coot, Black-winged Stilts, Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Spotted Flycatcher, Western Olivaceous Warblers, Western Swamp-hen, a nice male Marsh Harrier and males of both Vagrant (Anax ephippiger) and Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope).

Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).

We took a short drive out on the track near by and picked up several very smart Whinchats (Tarabilla Nortena / Saxicola rubetra), 2 Lesser Short-toed Larks (Terrera Marismena / Calandrella rufescens) which took quite a while to find in the salt marsh type vegetation, Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail, Hoopoe and out on an area of water a hundred plus Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula). 

Purple Heron (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea).

Once we had finish in this area we took a different route back to the hotel seeing some stunning Purple and Grey Herons (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), 4x Greenshanks (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia) in one of the larger channels, Short-toed Larks (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla) on the tracks and several of the more common Crested Larks (Cogujada / Galerida cristata). 

Purple Heron (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea).

We got back to the hotel and had our evening meal slightly earlier than the previous evening and then went for a walk in the hotel grounds where we heard Tawny and Little Owls (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) and several Red-necked Nightjars (Chotacabras Cuellirrojo / Caprimulgus ruficollis) before heading off to bed.

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