Loja Wildlife, Granada Province, Spain.: Bonanza Area, Cadiz Province.

Wednesday 9 August 2017

Bonanza Area, Cadiz Province.

Pools and Saltpans in Cadiz Province.

Squacco Heron (Garcilla Cangrejera / Ardeola ralloides).

Jayne and Lynn were staying around the town and having a walk along the sea front and Steve and I were heading out birding again, so after breakfast in the town we first headed for the small pools near Bonanza.

Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta).

As we arrived the first birds we saw were two Night Herons (Marinete Común / Nycticorax nycticorax), the first one looking like a nice normal adult bird but the second one was a leucistic bird looking almost white with darker grey patches.

Slender-billed Gull (Gaviota Picofina / Larus genei).

During this visit we saw several more normal looking adults and immature birds but the leucistic bird did not return.

Slender-billed Gull (Gaviota Picofina / Larus genei).

However we did add Squacco Heron (Garcilla Cangrejera / Ardeola ralloides), Little Bittern (Avetorillo Común / Ixobrychus minutus), Little (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) and Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Common (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina) and Red-crested Pochard (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), Little (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and Great Crested Grebe (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Barn (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) and Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus).

Slender-billed Gull (Gaviota Picofina / Larus genei).

We moved on after a while and revisited Bonanza after yesterdays success, on the main track in we parked a spent quite a while photographing Curlew Sandpiper (Correlimos Zarapitin / Calidris ferruginea), Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina), Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus) and Slender-billed Gull (Gaviota Picofina / Larus genei).

Slender-billed Gull (Gaviota Picofina / Larus genei).

In the same area I also saw Green (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) and Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Little Stint (Correlimos Menudo / Calidris minuta), Ringed (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Little Ringed (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius) and Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus) and a pair of passing Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax).

Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina).

Once around the corner and heading down to the pump house we stopped and checked the spot where we had seen the Red-necked Phalarope (Falaropo Picofino / Phalaropus lobatus) yesterday but only found Ruff (Combatiente / Philomachus pugnax) and Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta).

Curlew Sandpiper (Correlimos Zarapitin / Calidris ferruginea).

Once we were down at the Pump house we were again trying for flight shots of the highly mobile Little Terns (Charrancito Común / Sterna albifrons) as well as the Slender-billed, Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis).

Little Stint (Correlimos Menudo / Calidris minuta).

We also saw a good many other species including Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus), Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis), Black-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa), Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia), Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), Greater Short-toed (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla) and Crested Larks (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis).

Curlew Sandpiper (Correlimos Zarapitin / Calidris ferruginea).

We retraced our way along the top track and continued on down to the River but only addedSpanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Whimbrel (Zarapito Trinador / Numenius phaeopus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and on the river Mediterranean Gull (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus) and Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans).

Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba).

We made our way out of the Saltpans and then had a look at the Laguna de Tarelo but it was quiet except for a very large number of Western Cattle and Little Egrets, a few Squacco Herons, Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata), Black Kite and as we went through the woodlands to the far end we saw more Booted Eagles, Black Kite, Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Spoonbill, Red-rumped Swallow and Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli).

Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus).

We moved out on to the open tracks and looked around the other saltpans and wet areas out there but we did not find a great deal but we did see Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Marsh (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) and Montagu's Harrier's (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus).

Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus).

We later went back to Bonanaza where we only added Ruff (Combatiente / Philomachus pugnax) and Western Osprey (Águila Pescardora / Pandion haliaetus) but had good photographic chances with quite a few species before we headed back to the hotel and went out for the evening.