A cracking mornings birding with good friend Juan Pérez Contreras.
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| Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba). |
I met Juan out side his place and we headed off down the Motorway to the beach at Carchuna and turned in along a track which followed a channel down to the beach.
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| Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus). |
The first birds seen included
Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto),
Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor),
House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus),
Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris),
Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus),
Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) all of which were in the gardens at the start.
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| Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila pennatus). |
In the channel we had at least 2
Robins (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula),
White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), several
Common Moorhens (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus) and a migrating
Garden Warbler (Curruca Mosquitera / Sylvia borin) and in the air
House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) and
Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus).
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| Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus). |
At the botton of this track we arrived at the beach, we turned left and drove to the far end and turned around so that we had the sun behind us, as we drove along we made several stops where we scanned the sea and beach picking up
Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis),
Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and
Audouin's Gulls (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii),
Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis),
Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo),
Northern Gannet (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus) x6,
Balearic Shearwaters (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus) x7,
Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus) x5,
Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula) x1,
Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba) x8,
Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae),
Crested (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and
Thekla Larks (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae),
Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis),
Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) and
Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica).
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| Northern Pintail (Ánade Rabudo / Anas acuta). |
Our next stop was at a spot near the eastern end of the port where we checked the channel that runs in to the sea there, on the way we saw
Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus),
Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis),
Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops),
Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) and a
Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius) on a roundabout below the motor way into the port.
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| Northern Pintail (Ánade Rabudo / Anas acuta). |
From the bridge over the channel we saw and heard
Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos),
Sardinian (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and
Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and
Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major) before heading for Charca adding a calling
Common Quail (Codorniz Común / Coturnix coturnix),
Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla) and
Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) on the way.
Whilst we waited for the reserve to open we had at least 7 possibly 8 Booted Eagles (Aguila Calzada / Aquila pennatus) 3 dark and up to 5 pale phase birds pass over heading East.
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| Northern Pintail (Ánade Rabudo / Anas acuta). |
Once we were in we went and checked Laguna del Taraje where we found the long staying male Northern Pintail (Ánade Rabudo / Anas acuta) and Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra).
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| Spotted Crake (Polluela Pintoja / Porzana porzana). |
We next went to Laguna Blanca and soon found the cracking
Spotted Crake (Polluela Pintoja / Porzana porzana) which had been there for a while along with
Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus),
Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus),
Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus),
Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus) which was only heard and a
Purple Heron (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea) which I missed but Juan saw.
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| Spotted Crake (Polluela Pintoja / Porzana porzana). |
We moved around the reserve to the main hide, on the way we picked up a singing
Willow Warbler (Mosquitero Musical / Phylloscopus trochillus),
Stripe-less Tree Frog (Hyla meridionalis),
Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi) and several
Speckled Woods (Pararge aegeria).
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| Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus). |
From the hide we saw
Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis),
Red-knobbed Coots (Focha cornuda / Fulca cristata),
Sand Martin (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia), 19x
Great Cormorants, 2 more
Green along with a single
Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) and
European Bee-eaters (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster).
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| Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos). |
We moved again checking the plantation on the left of the track on the way where we found
Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli) x3,
Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita),
Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur) and a
Squacco Heron (Garcilla Cangrejera / Ardeola ralloides) which flew in and landed in one of the trees.
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| Squacco Heron (Garcilla Cangrejera / Ardeola ralloides). |
At the next hide over looking Laguna del Trebol hearing and seeing a
Sedge Warbler (Carricerin Común / Acrocephalus schoenobaenus).
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| Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica). |
We next went back past the main hide and went around to the small hide over looking Laguna del Taraje where we heard a singing
Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus) and a
Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio) along with
Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa).
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| Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo). |
We went back to the hide over Laguna Blanca where I again had a very brief view of the
Spotted Crake along with a very close
Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), a
Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus),
Common Waxbill (
Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild) and 2 male Blue / Common Emperors (Anax imperator).
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| Red-knobbed Coot (Focha cornuda / Fulca cristata). |
We finished off at the hide looking over Laguna del Lirio and just before we had to leave added a very smart male Little Bittern (Avetorillo Común / Ixobrychus minutus).
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| Red-knobbed Coots (Focha cornuda / Fulca cristata). |
On the way back up to Juan's after leaving Charca we picked up Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) and Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica) and back on the patch 1 male and 2 female
Montagu's Harriers (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus).
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| Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta). |
