Italica near Sevilla, Sevilla Province and Chipiona, Cadiz Province.

A morning around the Roman ruins and then an afternoons birding at Chipiona.

Jayne and Barb.

Jayne, Barbara and I left the house quite early and headed west along the A92 to the Roman remains at Italica just to the north of the city. 

On the way over I had from the car view of Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) x2, Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Black (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans) and Black-winged Kites (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and Alpine Swift (Vencejo Real / Apus melba).

We arrived at Italica, parked and went in free of charge which at the time I thought was amazing for such an attraction. 

We spent a couple of hours wandering around the place but came away a little disappointed, the Mosaics were very nice and the amphitheater was well worth a look but the rest of the site was very disorganized and looked more like weedy allotments. 

In the far corner there was a lake and a hide where I had a quick look and found Greylag Geese (Ansar Común / Anser anser), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and around the rest of the grounds Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) and Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica).

We also had Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii), Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope), Long-tailed (Lampides boeticus) and Lang's Short-tailed Blues (Leptotes pirithous), Small White (Pieris rapae), Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) and Mediterranean skipper (Gegenes nostrodamus).

Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii).

We finished at the remains earlier than expected so after a coffee we decided to drive to Bonanza for lunch in a sea food resturant we have used before, on the way I saw again from the car White  (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia) and Black Stork (Ciguena Negra / Ciconia nigra), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Short-toed  (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus) and Booted Eagles (Aguila Calzada / Aquila pennatus), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) and a Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli). 

Audouin's Gull (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii).

We had a very nice lunch and then made our way to the Hotel Barrameda in the center of the town of Sanlucar de Barrameda which we like very much. 

Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba).

Once we were sorted there I left Jayne and barb to have a couple of hours before we hit the town later and went birding to Chipiona port, I arrived but did not find any of the Little Swifts (Vencejo Moro / Apus affinis) this spot is best known for so I had a walk along the beach where I had Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres), Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba), Eurasian Oystercatcher (Ostrero Euroasiatico / Haematopus ostralegus), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and Audouin's Gulls (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii), Common (Charrán Común / Sterna hirudo), Sandwich (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis), Caspian (Pagaza Piquiroja / Sterna caspia) and immature Black Terns (Fumarel Común / Chlidonias niger). 

Caspian Tern (Pagaza Piquiroja / Sterna caspia).

On my way back to the car I called in at the port again and this time found a group of birders watching 12 Little Swifts which spent some of the time hanging in the strom breeze which gave us some good chances to take a few shots.

Little Swift (Vencejo Moro / Apus affinis).

I returned to Sanlucar and we all went for a walk along the sea front and stopped in a bar for a drink before returning to the main square and the tapas bars for some food which included the locally famous Tortillitas de Camarones which were as usual superb, I also enjoyed a very nice Pork in gravy tapas as well before we hit the pit.

Little Swift (Vencejo Moro / Apus affinis).

Little Swift (Vencejo Moro / Apus affinis).

Sun set from a bar on the Sanlucar sea front.