Braza del Este, El Pantano near Los Palacios and Osuna area, Sevillia Province, Spain.

Wetlands and Fields on my way Home.

 

Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus).

I was again out before light and arrived at Braza del Este just in time to see the dawn murmuration of the Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus).

Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus).

As I drove out to the first of the ends in the river there were hundreds of Ibis whirling above the marshes along with big numbers of White Storks (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia).

Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus).

Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus).

I parked by the first crossing of the river and watched as many more Glossy Ibis came flying over and heading out to their feeding grounds. 

Great Egret (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba).

On the water around this area I also had good views of Great Egret (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and a fishing Caspian Tern (Pagaza Piquiroja / Sterna caspia).

More Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus).

On the other side of the road large numbers of Common Waxbills (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild) flying out of their roosts, Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Little Grebes (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), the first of loads of Marsh Harriers (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) and Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio).

Squacco Heron (Garcilla Cangrejera / Ardeola ralloides).

I drove up the track towards the second area of water but just as I started off I notice a Squacco Heron (Garcilla Cangrejera / Ardeola ralloides) sat on a post in one of the side ditches, so I reversed and rolled down towards it and the bird sat brilliantly and was still there when I reversed up on to the main track again.

Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus).

Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus).

On the second area of water there were Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Little Egrets (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), even more Glossy Ibis, a cracking Black Stork (Ciguena Negra / Ciconia nigra) which did a flyby and on a wet field next to the river there were several Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus) and two Golden Plovers (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia).

Black Stork (Ciguena Negra / Ciconia nigra).

The track to continue on looked a tad muddy so I turned around and returned to the first area of water and parked up a smaller Tern flying towards me which I managed to some shots of, It was the White-winged Tern (Fumarel Aliblanco / Chlidonias leucopterus) which had been seen a few days earlier and just the third I had seen in Spain.

Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).

Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).

Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).

In the same area I also had Grey Heron which flew in and started to feed, Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti).

White-winged Tern (Fumarel Aliblanco / Chlidonias leucopterus).

White-winged Tern (Fumarel Aliblanco / Chlidonias leucopterus).

White-winged Tern (Fumarel Aliblanco / Chlidonias leucopterus).

I was then aware that everything was flushing up and I then picked up a female / immature Hen Harrier (Aguilucho Pálido / Circus cyaneus) quartering its way across the marsh.

White-winged Tern (Fumarel Aliblanco / Chlidonias leucopterus).

More Glossy Ibis came flying through as did the White-winged Tern again but this time it sat on a stump out in the water but right into the sun. 

Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus).

Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus).

I drove along on of the tracks that follow the river where there were lots of Western Swamp-hens, Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia), Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) and along the fence post there were two Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo).

Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica).

I returned to the main track and scanned the river again seeing a fine male Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica) in the reeds just in front of me, several Eurasian Spoonbills (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), a group of female type Black-headed Weavers (Ploceus melanocephalus) which flew past and most surprising 3 House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) which flew along the road heading North.

Caspian Tern (Pagaza Piquiroja / Sterna caspia).

Caspian Tern (Pagaza Piquiroja / Sterna caspia).

Caspian Tern (Pagaza Piquiroja / Sterna caspia).

The Caspian Tern flew in again and started fishing right in front of me, I also picked up 6x Common Cranes (Grulla Común / Grus grus), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) and I also had a nice pair of calling Penduline Tits (Pájaro Moscón / Remiz pendulinus) in the reeds.

Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia).

I left the site and went to another spot on the side of Los Palacios where I checked the dry river bed and then the pools, here I found Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), 2 more Marsh Harriers which were seeing off a pale morph Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus) and there were also a couple more male Bluethroats.

Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia).

Around the Laguna there were lots of Black-winged Stilts, Eurasian Coots, Common Moorhens, Eurasian Spoonbills, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Western Swamp-hen, a Muscovy Duck (Cairina moschata), Mallard, Northern Shoveler and the first Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca) of the trip.

Great Bustards (Avutarda Común / Otis tarda) some of the 48 seen.

I continued on towards home and made a brief visit to the Osuna area where I scanned the fields from the two Railway bridges where in two flocks I saw 48 Great Bustards (Avutarda Común / Otis tarda), 5 Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Ganga Ortega / Pterocles orientalis), Calandra (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra) and Skylarks (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Ravens (Cuervo / Corvus corax) and Red Kites (Milano Real / Milvus milvus).

Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax).

Last stop of the day was on the fields near the house where I found the 30 odd Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Iberian  Magpies (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) and Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea).

Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).