A return to La Janda and driving North West.
Kate and Jim McCusker, Day Three.
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| Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis). |
Due to a much swifter start I did not get chance to Look around the gardens this morning but I did hear a calling
Eagle Owl (Buho Real / Bubo bubo) from my room and once out side I added
Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos),
House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus),
Pheasant (Faisán Vulgar / Phaisanus colchicus),
Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) and
Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) before we set off. We headed out and dropped down to the Southern entrances to La Janda on a much nicer, sunny morning but at the Southern end there was still some heavy mist.
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| Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra). |
The track in was clear and soon due to the sun the whole area was demisted and we started to find birds including
Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata),
Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis),
White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia),
Calandra Lark (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra),
Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra),
Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos),
Meadow (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) and
Water Pipits (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta), a
Short-toed Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus) which was sat on a distant pylon and a pair of mating
Little Ringed Plovers (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius).
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| Scrophularia sambucifolia. |
Along this first bit of track we also had some plants which included the tall and showy
Scrophularia sambucifolia,
flame red
Italian Sainfoin (Hedysarum coronarium),
White Mignonette (Reseda Alba),
Gum Cistus (
Cistus ladanifer), Blue Alkanet (Anchusa azurea) and lots of
Borage (Borago officinalis).
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| Scrophularia sambucifolia. |
Up and along the main canal we had two
Purple Herons (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea) in the reeds on the far bank, migrating
European Bee-eaters (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster) heading North,
Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica),
Western Cattle (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) and
Little Egrets (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), calling
Common Quail (Codorniz Común / Coturnix coturnix),
Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus),
Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and
White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia).
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| Provence Hairstreak (Cardenillo / Tomares ballus). |
Instead of turning across the canal we went straight on looking for but failing to see any
Black-winged Kites (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) for a secong time but we made a stop on the roadside where we checked the wildflower areas for butterflies and soon had
Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui),
Large (Pieris brassicae),
Small White (
Pieris rapae) and
Green-Striped Whites (Euchloe belemia) and then Jim found the first of several
Provence Hairstreak (Tomares ballus) which we eventually got shots of.
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| Provence Hairstreak (Cardenillo / Tomares ballus). |
In the same area we had
Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii),
Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator),
Common Whitethroat (Curruca Zarcera / Sylvia communis),
Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) and lots of croaking
Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi) down in the channel.
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| Viperine Snake (Culebra Viperina / Natrix maura). |
We turned around and then crossed the canal and headed over to the Benalup road through the felds and wild Olives, on the way we had a surprise
Viperine Snake (Culebra Viperina / Natrix maura) warming up on the track, a very smart
Monarch (Danaus plexippus) sail along side the car and disappearing before we could see in again,
Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta),
Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans),
Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus),
Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula),
Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula),
Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), more
Western Cattle Egrets and
Rabbits (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus).
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| Viperine Snake (Culebra Viperina / Natrix maura). |
Once out on the road at the far side we made out way up to Benalup, on the way we had views of a couple of
Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia),
Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus),
White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba),
Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis),
Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor),
Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis),
Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala),
Montagu's (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus) male and a female
Hen Harrier (Aguilucho Pálido / Circus cyaneus),
Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris),
Clouded Yellow (Colias corcea) and several more
Green-striped Whites.
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| Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis). |
Once we reached Benalup we headed back to the cliffs at Vejer, having a sandwich in a bar on the way and photographing a Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina) before having another look at the Northern Bald Ibis (Ibis Eremita / Geronticus eremita) and Western Cattle Egrets there and picking up Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes) for the day.
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| Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia). |
We then started to head North West towards Sanlucar for our next nights stay in the Hotel Barrameda there, on the way tried to reach Laguna del Jeli but failed to find in amongst the aray of closed and suddenly ending tracks but whilst searching for a way in we had
Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus),
Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major),
Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla) which were new for the day and a second Male
Montagu's Harrier before we left and continued on.
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