Tablas de Daimiel, Ciudad Real, Castilla Y La Mancha.

Granada Wildlifes Tour of Eastern Andalucia and beyond.
Day Seven of Eleven, A day around the wetlands of Tablas.

Bearded Tits (Reedling) (Bigotudo / Panurus biarmicus).

After an OKish but noisy nights sleep at the Hotel Doña Manuela in the centre of Daimiel we drove out to the visitors centre on the edge of the stunning wetlands, on the way we saw Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Feral Pigeon (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia) and Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor).

Great Reed Warbler (Carricero Tordal / Acrocephalus arundinaceus).

Once we were parked we did the loop around the boardwalks, we started by seeing Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Cetti's (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Great Reed (Carricero Tordal / Acrocephalus arundinaceus) and Reed Warblers (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii), Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope) and Iberian Blue-tail (Ischnura graellsii).

Great White Egret (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba).

On some of the small jetties which come off the main trail we boosted the list with Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), a fly over male Little Bittern (Avetorillo Común / Ixobrychus minutus), Great White Egret (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba), Grey (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and Purple Herons (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea), Great Crested (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus) and Little Grebes (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), a female Red-crested Pochard (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina) with ducklings and then the first of several singing Savi's Warblers (Buscarla Unicolor / Locustella luscinoides) which gave us good views in the tops of some nearby reeds. 

Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica).

At the same time a family of Bearded Tits (Reedling) (Bigotudo / Panurus biarmicus) flew in to reeds just along the walk and some sat nicely for me to get some photographs before pushing on in their search for food, during the day we saw several parties of this cracking species.

Savi's Warblers (Buscarla Unicolor / Locustella luscinoides).

We continued on out to the mirador on the Island of bread where we had good views of several Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur) and Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus).

Savi's Warblers (Buscarla Unicolor / Locustella luscinoides).

We retraced our way back on to the boardwalks and we then turn right where we were soon watching another singing Savi's Warbler which was sitting low in the reeds but we had decent views. 

Immature Bearded Tit (Reedling) (Bigotudo / Panurus biarmicus).

A little further on we were scanning a group of Tamarisks where we found a nest building male Penduline Tit (Pájaro Moscón / Remiz pendulinus), we watched this bird for quite a while and then checked the nearby hide but only found several more Red-crested Pochards and a couple of Little Grebes.

Male Bearded Tit (Reedling) (Bigotudo / Panurus biarmicus).

We moved on again seeing Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), Night Heron (Marinete Común / Nycticorax nycticorax), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), a flycatching Western Olivaceous Warbler (Zarcero Pálido Occidental / Hippolais opaca) which showed briefly in a track side tamerisk tree and just a little further along the track the most obliging Savi's Warbler I have ever seen sat right out in the open and showed well for the group and my camera.

Family party of Bearded Tits (Reedling) (Bigotudo / Panurus biarmicus).

A little further on we had a Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), heard Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus), a fly through Little Bittern and Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina).

Great Crested Grebe (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus).

At the next junction we turned right and checked the next two hides, as we walked we heard Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus), saw Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Night Heron, White Stork, Great Cormorant, Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Gull-billed Tern (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica), Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus) heard and Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops).

Great Crested Grebes (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus).

We then made our way back towards the van and then drove just out of the reserve to get something to eat and then later we went back to the car park and did the eastern walk checking all the hides on the way outseeing more Purple Herons, Great White Egrets, Sand Martin (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae) and calling Reed Bunting (Escribano Palustre / Emberiza schoeniclus) which was one of the Med subspecies birds going by the size of its bill.

Great White Egret (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba).

On the reserve we also saw Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina), Clouded Yellow (Colias corcea), Large White (Pieris brassicae), Bath White (Pontia daplidice) and Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator). 

Purple Herons (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea).

By the time we did the return walk we were hot and bothered and called it a day and returned to the hotel.

A pair of Red-crested Pochards (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina).

Night Heron (Marinete Común / Nycticorax nycticorax).

Penduline Tit (Pájaro Moscón / Remiz pendulinus) nest.

Male Reed Bunting (Escribano Palustre / Emberiza schoeniclus).