La Janda, Laguna Medina and Bonaza Salt Pans, Cadiz Province.

A morning in La Janda and heading north in the afternoon.

Kate and Jim Day Four.

Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus).

Whilst I was waiting outside the hotel for Kate and Jim I saw several species including Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia) x3 flying over heading to La Janda, Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) and a couple of Lesser Kestrels (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni) up over the town.

Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus) and a single Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia).

The three of us headed back to Benalup picking up a Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus) on the way and once we reached La Janda we headed out on the track were we started on yesterday and almost straight away I picked up a Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) in a distant tree but it soon dropped out of sight before I had the chance to get the scope on it. 

Pheasant (Faisán Vulgar / Phaisanus colchicus).

In the are we also saw Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), a hunting Short-toed Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus) which was hoovering above the fields and Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).

On a wet field just a bit further along we had several Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula) and Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus).

My first view of the Red-necked Nightjar (Chotacabras Cuellirrojo / Caprimulgus ruficollis) taken with the 90mm macro.

Further up the track we scanned the pool at the roadside again where we again had good numbers of Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus), a single Spoonbill, Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus).

Red-necked Nightjars (Chotacabras Cuellirrojo / Caprimulgus ruficollis) from the other side of the bush taken with the 400mm.

We drove up through the Olive fields seeing Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe) and Pheasant (Faisán Vulgar / Phaisanus colchicus).

We again stopped and spent yet another hour and a half looking for the Red-necked Nightjars (Chotacabras Cuellirrojo / Caprimulgus ruficollis) but again failed to find any in the usual area so we again started to photograph the Violet Dropwings (Trithemis annulata), I moved along the track up hill looking for a larger dragonfly which had come in and then whilst photographing move Dropwings I caught a glimps of a white shape in the corner of my eye which turned out to be on the head of a roosting Red-necked Nightjar which was only a couple of meters away. I backed off and fetched Kate and Jim up with their camera's and from the oposite side of the bush and at a decent distance (more than the two meters I was originally) we got some super photos and showed another couple when they came looking. We left the bird asleep with the other couple watching it through their scope and dropped down towards the main canal across the fields.

Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa).

We came across some of the Lesser Kestrels in the same place as we did yesterday and up at the junction just over the canal Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa), four Egyptian Mongoose (Meloncillo / Herpestes ichneumon) which crossed the track, another Black-winged Kite and both dark and pale morph Booted Eagles (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus).

Dark morph Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus).

We turned around again and retraced our tracks back to the far road again as it was still very wind on the canal side of the site. We made another stop in the area where it had been protected yesterday and got some more photographs of the Zeller's Skipper (Borbo borbonica) as well as several of these we also saw Long-tailed (Lampides baeticus) and Lang's Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina).

Zeller's Skipper (Borbo borbonica).

We left La Janda and drove north to Laguna Medina but Kate found it too hot there so Jim and I had just a quick look towards the closest hide but only saw Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii), Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata), Black-winged Stilt, Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Little (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and Great Crested Grebe (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus) and Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).

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

Further North we visited the Saltpans at Bonanza where the main drive through  was almost birdless except for a few Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Slender-billed (Gaviota Picofina / Larus genei), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis).

Western Osprey (Águila Pescardora / Pandion haliaetus).

Out at the furthest pump station there were a few more birds but all were quite distant, these included Black-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa), Curlew Sandpiper (Correlimos Zarapitin / Calidris ferruginea), Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina), Grey Plover (Chorlito Gris / Pluviali squatarola), Kentish (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus) and Ringed Plover, Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia), Red Knot ( Correlimos Gordo / Calidris canutus), Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba), Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Red Kite, Western Osprey (Águila Pescardora / Pandion haliaetus), Short-toed Eagle, Lesser Short-toed (Terrera Marismena / Calandrella rufescens) and Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Great (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba), Little and Western Cattle Egret, Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) and Grey Heron.

Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus).

We drove back down to El Paso and later out to Barbate for a meal. I again left my windows open and this time during the night I heard Little (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Tawny (Cárabo Común / Strix aluco) and Eagle Owl (Buho Real / Bubo bubo) x2.

Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).