Laguna Dulce, Chipiona Port, Playa, Lagunas de Camino Colorado, Laguna del Tarelo and Salinas de Bonanza, Cadiz Province.

The first of two days birding mostly in Malaga, Cadiz and Sevilla Provinces.

Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis).

I set off for an appointment at the Doc's in Loja seeing Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).

Little Swift (Vencejo Moro / Apus affinis).

After the appoitment I left Loja via the Western side adding a Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) before I left town  and on the way to Laguna Dulce boosted the list with Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirundo daurica), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) and Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

Little Swifts (Vencejo Moro / Apus affinis).

I parked by the hide and set the scope up on the left hand side but soon moved as some considerate B*******D had used it as a toilet. From the front windows I had good views a stunning summer plumaged Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis) which was close in but there a good many more out on the lake along with Great Crested (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus) and Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), White-headed Ducks (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), Red-crested (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina) and Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Black-headed Gulls (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Gull-billed Terns (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Sand Martin (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia), lots of Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus).

Bar-tailed Godwits (Aguja Colipinta / Limosa lapponica), Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba), Ruddy Turnstone and Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula).

In the tree near the main roads there were a few migrants feeding including a couple of Willow Warblers (Mosquitero Musical / Phylloscopus trochillus), Orphean Warbler (Curruca Mirlano / Sylvia hortensis) and a male Pied Flycatcher (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca).

Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina).

On the Thistles around the picnic area there were several Red Admirals (Vanessa atalanta), Painted Lady's (Vanessa cardui) and Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera).

Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba) and Ruddy Turnstone.

I then drove from the Laguna across to Chipiona Port, on the way I had views of several species including Black Kites (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans), Short-toed Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus), Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus) and on a stretch of road between Lebrija and Trebujena I had several Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) and more surprisingly a single European Black Vulture (Buitre Negro / Aegypius monachus) which flew right infront of me.

Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula).

The other species seen were Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Lesser Kestrel (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni), White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia) and a Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax) which was in a battle with a Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo).

Bar-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colipinta / Limosa lapponica).

Once I was at the port I walked to the Grassed area just the port building and had great views of several Little Swifts (Vencejo Moro / Apus affinis) a very rare species which should only be views from out side the port area on the grassed area near the beach to avoid any disturbane.

Bar-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colipinta / Limosa lapponica).

In the same area I had Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), a Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia) on the beach along with a Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres) and quite a few more Little Egrets.

Bar-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colipinta / Limosa lapponica), Grey Plover (Chorlito Gris / Pluviali squatarola) and Whimbrel (Zarapito Trinador / Numenius phaeopus).

My next stop was just up the road on one of the beaches, the tide had just turned but there were masses of birds present including 6 Eurasian Oystercatcher (Ostrero Euroasiatico / Haematopus ostralegus), a dozen or so each of Bar-tailed Godwits (Aguja Colipinta / Limosa lapponica) and Whimbrels (Zarapito Trinador / Numenius phaeopus) with one of the former in full summer plumage, masses of Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba), Ruddy Turnstone, Ringed Plovers (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula) and smaller numbers of Grey (Chorlito Gris / Pluviali squatarola) and Kentish Plovers (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus), Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina) and 6x Red Knot ( Correlimos Gordo / Calidris canutus).

Bar-tailed Godwits (Aguja Colipinta / Limosa lapponica).

Mixed in with the waders were large numbers of Little Terns (Charrancito Común / Sterna albifrons) along with Sandwich (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis), 3x Black (Fumarel Común / Chlidonias niger), 2x Caspian Tern (Pagaza Piquiroja / Sterna caspia), a couple of Common Terns (Charrán Común / Sterna hirudo) and several Slender-billed Gulls (Gaviota Picofina / Larus genei).

Little Tern (Charrancito Común / Sterna albifrons).

I sat on the top of the beach and waited as the tide pushed some of the birds in towards me but everything was flushed off by a family of Germans who allowed there three dogs to chase the birds, As they passed it was quite plain that they understood English very well as I let them know in very clear terms what I thought of there actions but as usual only got a load of foul abuse back but at least it was in English as well 😁😁😁😁😁😁.

Little Tern (Charrancito Común / Sterna albifrons).

After the birds had moved off I made my way North to the Lagunas de Camino Colorado where I bumped into Ian who was already there, on the two pools there were loads of Eurasian Coot, Black-necked Grebe, Red-crested and Common Pochards, White-headed Ducks, Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), Bonelli's (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli) and Great Reed Warbler (Carricero Tordal / Acrocephalus arundinaceus) and Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus).

Little Tern (Charrancito Común / Sterna albifrons).

Ian followed me up to the next spot at Laguna del Tarelo where we first scanned the lake from the screen and soon located several Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), a single Squacco Heron (Garcilla Cangrejera / Ardeola ralloides), a few Night Herons (Marinete Común / Nycticorax nycticorax) including both adults and immature birds, Greylag Geese (Ansar Común / Anser anser), Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus) as well as many of the Duck and Grebe species seen earlier in the day.

Caspian Tern (Pagaza Piquiroja / Sterna caspia).

Our final spot of the day was on Bonanza Saltpans where there were a large number of Ringed Plovers and Curlew Sandpipers (Correlimos Zarapitin / Calidris ferruginea) on one of the banks on the way out to the pumping station. 

Gull-billed Tern (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica).

When I got there I found it was fairly quiet but there were several Little Terns feeding close in to the banks and a couple of Common Terns flying over. On the main lagoons there were large numbers and both Caspian and Gull-billed as well as good numbers of Greater Flamingo's, Little Egrets, Slender-billed, Black-headed and Yellow-legged Gulls, a hunting Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus) which stooped on a group of Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus).

Common Tern (Charrán Común / Sterna hirudo).

In the same area we had Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Yellow Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis) and as I drove back out of the site I got some shots of Little Stint (Correlimos Menudo / Calidris minuta), Curlew Sandpiper and Kentish Plover before heading off and finding a hotel.

Curlew Sandpiper (Correlimos Zarapitin / Calidris ferruginea).

Little Stint (Correlimos Menudo / Calidris minuta).

Curlew Sandpipers (Correlimos Zarapitin / Calidris ferruginea).

Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus) female.