Lagunilla La Bota, Observatorio de aves Laguna Grande, Sendero Calatilla de Bacuta, Playa El Espigón and Laguna de El Portil, Huelva Province.

A day of dipping on the Odiel.

 

Northern Pintail (Ánade Rabudo / Anas acuta), Male in the mist.

I left Sanlucar at 06.00 and made my way up around Sevilla to Huelva and then down to Lagunilla La Bota where a male Greater Scaup (Porrón Bastardo / Aythya marila) had been for a few days but when I arrived the mist was still quite thick and the only species seen on the water was Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra).

Northern Pintails (Ánade Rabudo / Anas acuta), a Male and 3x Females.

In the surrounding woods I saw and heard Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala).

On the water as the mist cleared ducks started to arrive, fist were a few Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera) x9, Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina) x3, Northern Pintail (Ánade Rabudo / Anas acuta) x7 and then last of all a pair of Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) but no sign of the Greater Scaup unfortunately.

Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) immature.

I walked back to the car seeing a Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) and the a passing White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia).

I drove back towards Huelva and the took a right out onto the Odiel area, after a few KMs I parked on the left by Laguna Grande and before I went into the screened area I scanned the saltpans opposite seeing Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus) and Shelducks (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna) but there was no sign of the Ruddy Shelduck (Tarro Canelo / Tadorna ferruginea) which had been around a few days ago.

Eurasian Spoonbills (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia) and Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus).

From the Screen I checked the pool finding Eurasian Coot, Greater Flamingo's, Mallard, good numbers of Northern Shovelers (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and several Black-tailed Godwits (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa).

Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia).

I parked again just down the road and walked out between the saltpans and the Calatilla Bacuta Channels to the Open hide, by the road bridge I saw Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres), a single Slender-billed Gull (Gaviota Picofina / Larus genei), Grey Plover (Chorlito Gris / Pluvialis squatarola), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus) and on the saltpan side Little Stint (Correlimos Menudo / Calidris minuta), Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina) and a good number of  Black-necked Grebes (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis) but as hard as I tried I couldn't find the reported Slavonian / Horned Grebe (Zampullín Cuellirrojo / Podiceps auritus).

Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia).

I walked on and out on the mud in the channel I found Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata), Whimbrel (Zarapito Trinador / Numenius phaeopus), Red Knot (Correlimos Gordo / Calidris canutus), several Greater Flamingo's and a couple of Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia) one of which was a strange Buff colour.

Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis).

There were more Black-necked Grebes out on the Channel and as I walked back to the car I saw Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) and a distant Western Osprey (Águila Pescardora / Pandion haliaetus) fishing out on the main river.

I moved out along the point to the beach called Playa El Espigón where I was looking for the Common Eider (Eider Común / Somateria mollissima) which had been around for a few day (a recurring thyme) but after spending nearly two hours scanning the rocks and the sea I again dipped this bird.

Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis).

In the area I did see Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis) but nothing else, I returned to the car and then drove back down the point towards Huelva, on the way I added Eurasian Oystercatcher (Ostrero Euroasiatico / Haematopus ostralegus), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) and Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina).

I dropped back down to the coast where I parked up at the view point over the Laguna de El Portil where I found several Gadwall, Mallards, Common Pochards and the smarter Red-crested Pochard (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris).

Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis).

I returned to the Lagunilla La Bota looking for the Greater Scaup but the pool was totally empty except for a couple of Eurasian Coot so I headed to my hotel in Huelva and after working out the auto check in I got to my room.with out speaking to a single person all day 😀😀😀😀.