Birding with Ricky Owen and catching up with a few year ticks.
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Rufous Bush Robin (Alzacola / Cercotrichas galactotes). |
I set out from home at just after 05,00 heading for the town of Trebujena or to be more precise the vineyards around the area. As I loaded the car I started the 3 day trip list of with a couple of calling
Red-necked Nightjar (Chotacabras Cuellirrojo / Caprimulgus ruficollis) out in the Olives.
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Rufous Bush Robin (Alzacola / Cercotrichas galactotes). |
On the way I saw
Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula),
Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica),
House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica),
Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Collared (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and
Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur),
House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus),
Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax),
White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia),
Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor),
Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata),
Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus),
Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus) and several
Collared Pratincoles (Canastera Común / Glareola pratincola) which quickly crossed the motorway as I drove south.
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Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis). |
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Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis). |
I arrived at my first stop near the town and parked on a dirt track between some fields of Vines where I quickly picked up a very nice singing male
Rufous Bush Robin (Alzacola / Cercotrichas galactotes) perched on a rusty post which was supporting a useless single strand of barbed wire.
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Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (Ganga Ibérica / Pterocles alchata). |
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Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (Ganga Ibérica / Pterocles alchata). |
As I walked up and down the track several times I added
Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis) a family party, Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis),
Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris),
Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirundo daurica),
Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and
Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos). |
Collared Pratincole (Canastera Común / Glareola pratincola). |
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Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus). |
At some point during my wanderings along the track I messaged Ricky to see where he was and he returned the message with a pin to a track a few KMs away where he was looking for the local population of Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (Ganga Ibérica / Pterocles alchata) which from what I gathered later he had been doing for quite a long time with out success so I headed over to him. |
Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia). |
I approached the area having another Bush Robin sat on a fence and a Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) and turned on to the track where I could see Ricky's motor a few hundred meters further on, I pulled up in front of hm and we did what has become the more normal fist punch greeting for these strange times and then within 10 seconds of arriving we had the first 2 of 6
Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (Ganga Ibérica /
Pterocles alchata) and Ricky's comments were Jammy **********. |
Dark Spreadwings (Lestes macrostigma). |
We watched 2 of the birds move through the vegetation for a while after seeing 4 of the birds flying out, in the same area we had Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), quite a few Collared Pratincles, Glossy Ibis, Little and Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Squacco Heron (Garcilla Cangrejera / Ardeola ralloides),
Lesser Short-toed (Terrera Marismena / Calandrella rufescens) and
Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and further along the track
Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) and Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus),
Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans),
Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna),
Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus) and lots of
Spanish (Yellow) Wagtails (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae).
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Little Tern (Charrancito Común / Sterna albifrons). |
We drove back along the track checking the ditches which were filled with
Sea Clubrush (Bolboschoenus maritimus) and in this area we found a few of the uncommon Dark Spreadwings (Lestes macrostigma) as well as Lesser (Anax parthenope) and Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator), Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea) and Iberian Bluetail (Ischnura graellsii). |
Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum). |
Our next stop was at some nearby pools where were boosted the list with Little Tern (Charrancito Común / Sterna albifrons), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), a calling but unseen Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio) and some more Collared Pratincoles including just a couple of juvenile birds. |
Collared Pratincole (Canastera Común / Glareola pratincola). |
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Collared Pratincole (Canastera Común / Glareola pratincola) Juv. |
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Collared Pratincole (Canastera Común / Glareola pratincola) Juv. |
This is a nice spot but needs the fencing renewed as there were what looked like three dumped hunting dogs running around inside the reserve area, we only saw them kill a rabbit but I am sure they may be the reason that there were so few young Pratincoles. |
Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos). |
We drove on along the river passing some large areas of water stopping a couple of times where it was possible best birds here were 4 or so Marbled Ducks (Marmaronetta angustirostris) as well as Black-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Greater Short-toed Lark (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and a couple of passing Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus). |
Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia). |
From here wer drove through the Algaida woods but we did not stop as we wanted to get to the pools nearby before it got too hot, we parked and had something to eat before scanning the pools and the margins adding Little Bittern (Avetorillo Común / Ixobrychus minutus), Red-crested Pochard (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina),
White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala),
Night Heron (Marinete Común / Nycticorax nycticorax), a flyby Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius) and Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild).
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Slender-billed Gull (Gaviota Picofina / Larus genei). |
At this point Ricky headed off home and I popped up the road to check out what turned out to be a near empty Bonanza Saltpans, I only added a couple of bits including Slender-billed Gull (Gaviota Picofina / Larus genei), Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus) and Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus).
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