Travelling to Santillana del Mar, Playa de Tagle and Playa de Suances, Cantabria.

Travelling to the North Coast.

A sun set with the Pico's in the distance.

Jayne and I said our goodbyes to Santi and Howard and thanked them for a superb few days in Silos. We then started out for Burgos and onwards to the motorway North but it was not long before Santi and Howard passed up also heading for Burgos. On the minor roads we saw several Iberian / Azure-winged Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cyanus) just north of Covarrubias along with Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), Green (Pito Real / Picus viridis) and Great Spotted Woodpeckers (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) and Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo).

Near Suances.

Once we had checked in at our hotel in the village of Santillana called the Altamira before we went for a walk on the beach at Playa de Tagle where I saw Shag (Cormorán Mondudo / Phalacrocorax aristotelis), Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Northern Gannet (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).

Playa de Tagle.

We moved a bit further along the coast looking for something for lunch and we dropped very lucky when we had a menu del dia at La Duna on the playa at Suances, one of the best I have ever had.

Rocks on Playa de Tagle.

Later we had a nice walk along the seafront where I saw Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).

Jayne near Suances.

We went back to the hotel and then went for a walk around the town and eventually found a bar that was open and had a couple of drinka and some food before turning in.

A Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula) on Suances sea front.

Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) in the port at Suarces.