A dull day around the La Janda area.
Kate and Jim McCusker, Day Two.
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| Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus). |
After a later than planned start Kate, Jim and I headed out for the La Janda rice fields for a day photographing the wildlife there.
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| Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator). |
Whilst I was waiting around at the hotel I had a walk in the garden and started the list off with a singing
Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos),
House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus),
Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti),
Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis),
Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor),
Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus),
House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica),
Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica),
Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula),
White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia),
Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto),
Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus),
Northern Bald Ibis (Ibis Eremita / Geronticus eremita) and
Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis).
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| Cerinthe major ssp gymnandra. |
Once we were off we headed south and entered the La Janda area at the Northern end and made our way along the main canal towards the crossing point, along this stretch of the track we found
Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata),
Zitting Cisticola,
Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina),
Crested (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and
Calandra Larks (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra),
Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra),
Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus),
Western Cattle Egret, a singing
Common Whitethroat (Curruca Zarcera / Sylvia communis),
Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus),
Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) and a
Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus) which flew past us in the very grey looking sky.
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| Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis). |
The side of the track was lined with wildflowers including
Italian Sainfoin (Hedysarum coronarium), blue form
Scarlet Pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis),
Small Melilot (Melilotus indica),
Blue Alkanet (Anchusa azurea),
Borage (Borago officinalis),
Scrophularia sambucifolia and
Bladder Vetch (Tripodium tetraphyllum).
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| Eurasian Spoonbilla (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia). |
We turned off on to the track along the avenue of Poplars and up on to the top area covered in wild Olives and down on to the track towards Benalup where we had good views of
Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator),
Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa),
Pheasant (Faisán Vulgar / Phaisanus colchicus),
Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans),
Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax),
Marsh Harrier,
Booted Eagle,
Western Cattle Egret and in a bush together
Subalpine (Curruca Carrasquena / Sylvia cantillans) and
Western Orphean Warbler (Curruca Mirlano / Sylvia hortensis), along with a female
Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla),
Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) and a
Willow Warbler (Mosquitero Musical / Phylloscopus trochillus) in the same area.
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| Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata). |
We dropped down on to the road to Benalup but turned the oposite direction first and checked the fields on either side of the road but a part from a single
Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus), a
Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and several
Common Stonechats it was quiet bird wise but we did find several clumps of
Spanish Iris (Iris xiphium) and some going past their best
Paperwhite Narcissus (Narcissus papyraceus).
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| European Bee-eaters (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster). |
We turned around and went a short way up the road towards Benalup checking the ditches and pools as we went along and got good views and photos of
Eurasian Spoonbilla (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia) and Cattle Egrets and also heard or saw
White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia),
Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos),
Common Quail (Codorniz Común / Coturnix coturnix),
Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius),
Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) and
Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus),
Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo),
Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), a female
Hen Harrier (Aguilucho Pálido / Circus cyaneus),
Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio) and the first of quite a few migrating
European Bee-eaters (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster).
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| Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata). |
We turned around and retraced our way back over to the main track along the canal seeing some more
European Bee-eater on the wires on the way.
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| Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata). |
On the only area of wet fields we had a couple of
White Storks,
Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra) and
Green Sandpipers (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) and as we were leaving the site the wrong sort of Osprey (the US military plane type).
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| Italian Sainfoin (Hedysarum coronarium). |
Our next stop was for some lunch and then we dropped down to Tarifa to have a look for the
Garden / Common Bulbuls (Bulbul Naranjero / Pycnonotus barbatus) and a few seconds after arriving we could hear one singing and then had it fly over us and disappear in to the town. we searched for a while but we did not see it again so we headed back North towards Vejer, on the way we saw
Yellow (Lupinus luteus) and
Blue Lupins (Lupinus angustifolius) flowering on the roadside.
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| Galega officinalis. |
Once we reached Vejer we went to the cliff nesting site for the
Northern Bald Ibis and photographed them and the nearby
Western Cattle Egrets in the reedbeds and added a calling
Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes) to the day list before going back to the hotel.
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