La Janda and Montenmedio Golf Club, Cadiz Province.

A Spanish lifer in the La Janda wetlands / Rice fields.

Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).

I left the hotel in La Linea and headed up to the entrance of La Janda near to the town of Benalup-Casas Viejas, on the way I saw Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) and Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).

White Storks (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia).

Along the first part of the track I added Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Little (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) and Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), lots more White Storks, Feral Pigeon (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), another Common Buzzard sat on a telegraph post and the first of several Marsh Harriers (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus).

Hen Harrier (Aguilucho Pálido / Circus cyaneus).

My target species for the day was one of the three Sociable Lapwings (Avefría Sociable / Vanellus gregarius) which had been around for a while so I drove straight over to the southern end of the main Channel and scanned the fields for the Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus) flocks.

Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo).

Over the next few hours I scanned the fields on either side of the track but only moved 2.3KM as I was searching hard for the Lapwing. 

White Storks (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia).

During this search I was very pleased to find a Marsh Sandpiper (Archibebe Fino / Tringa stagnatilis) which was feeding with three Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia) in a damper edge of a swampy field. 

Common Cranes (Grulla Común / Grus grus).

In the same area there were good numbers of Northern Lapwings, Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), several Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Yellow-legged Gulls, Little Egrets,  a group of flyby Great Cormorants (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), House Sparrows (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), loads of Common Cranes (Grulla Común / Grus grus), Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Common Kestrel, Marsh Harriers, a rapid flying Merlin (Esmerejón / Falco columbarius) which upset the large numbers of House Sparrows and Meadow Pipits (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis).

Reed Bunting (Escribano Palustre / Emberiza schoeniclus).

I moved slowly along the Channel heading North all the time stopping regularly adding Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) and Green Sandpipers (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), a Water Pipit (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta) which was surprisingly still in quite good summer plumage, a stunning male Hen Harrier (Aguilucho Pálido / Circus cyaneus), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), a large flock of Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) which were in the air mobbing a Western Osprey (Águila Pescardora / Pandion haliaetus) which landed on a pylon just past where I was standing scanning the Paddy fields. 

Sociable Lapwing (Avefría Sociable / Vanellus gregarius) a bad digiscope photo.

Whilst I was stood at this spot I had a Shrew species cross the road being chased by a Weasel (Comadreja / Mustela nivalis), as well as a large Brown Rat (Rata parda / Rattus norvegicus).

Western Osprey (Águila Pescardora / Pandion haliaetus).

As I reached a spot just past the large blue sluices I found a small group of Northern Lapwings so I set up the scope and scanned and the first bird I looked at was a cracking adult Sociable Lapwing, a bit distant but good through the scope, well happy. 

Western Osprey (Águila Pescardora / Pandion haliaetus).

In the same area I also had a male Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), a male Reed Bunting (Escribano Palustre / Emberiza schoeniclus), Calandra Lark (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra), Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and then just behind me from the canal a calling Penduline Tit (Pájaro Moscón / Remiz pendulinus) which made me turn around just in time to see it fly North along the reeds and behind it I was even more pleased to see the male Pallid Harrier (Aguilucho Papialbo / Circus macrourus) but it was to far passed me to get a shot unfortunately.

Pallid Harrier (Aguilucho Papialbo / Circus macrourus) totally out of focus Typical, Classic 😀😀😀😀.

I had been on site now for almost 5 hours and had only moved a couple of KM along the Canal but the birds had been kind. I continued on along the channel right along to the main Vejer road, on the way I had a single Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus), several Common Starlings (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris), a cronking Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), 2x Great Egrets (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba), a large flock of Jackdaws (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus) and just as I was about to reach the road I had 2 Short-toed Eagles (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus) which got my hopes up when they came out of the trees as there has been a wintering Lesser Spotted Eagle (Águila Pomerana / Aquila pomarina) but still a nice sighting.

The spot where I saw the Sociable Lapwing.

Just up the road I turned into the golf course and up at the club house I found a nice group of the reintroduced Northern Bald Ibis (Ibis Eremita / Geronticus eremita) along with lots of Western Cattle Egrets, Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris) and Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla).

Short-toed Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus).

I dropped back to the Northern end of the track and drove along to the turning left back over to the Benalup side of the area, on my way I saw another Great Egret, more Glossy Ibis, a Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) and another Weasel, Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus), Squirting Cucumber (Ecballium elaterium) and Pitch Trefoil (Psoralea bituminosa).

Short-toed Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus).

I turned on to the track that goes across the site, passed the farm and amongst the wild olive fields, during this drive I had Jackdaw, Robin, Common Buzzard, Marsh Harrier, Western Cattle Egret, Common Kestrel, Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Common Stonechat, Blackbird, Pheasant (Faisán Vulgar / Phaisanus colchicus), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and as I drove out of the site and back towards La Linea I had a Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) sat on a Pylon, Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius) and Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).

Short-toed Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus).

White Storks (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia).

Northern Bald Ibis (Ibis Eremita / Geronticus eremita).

Great Egret (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba).

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).