Marismas de Cetina and Puerto Real, Cadiz Province, Spain

Two new site for today's birding.

 

C-17 Globemaster.

I was supposed to be going on a Pelagic trip tomorrow but unfortunately it had been cancelled due to forecast bad weather, as I had already booked my hotel I thought I may as well go for a couple of days birding anyway.

Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus).

I arrived at the first new site, a set of saltpans call the Marismas de Cetina and the first thing I saw was a low flying US C-17 Globemaster, a plane I have played football in the back of once, they are huge.

Slender-billed Gull (Gaviota Picofina / Larus genei).

Slender-billed Gull (Gaviota Picofina / Larus genei).

Slender-billed Gull (Gaviota Picofina / Larus genei).

I parked by the entrance gate and before I went in I scanned some nearby pylons seeing Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans) and Short-toed Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus) still perched there after the night, there were also big numbers of Common (Vencejo Común / Apus apus) and Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus) feeding low down over the fields.

Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

As I walked in the first greeting I got was from several noisy Black-winged Stilts (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), one of which kept dive bombing me all the way to the first hide.

Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus).

Just inside the I set up the scope and scanned the first area of lagoons finding a good number of Black-tailed Godwits (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa) in various states of plumage moult with some still looking like they were in full summer finery and other in winter garb.

Purple Heron (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea).

White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia) just of the few that were sat out on the fields.

Other birds out in the shallows were Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Curlew Sandpiper (Correlimos Zarapitin / Calidris ferruginea), Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus), Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) and behind me on the salt marsh type area there were several Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Greater Short-toed Lark (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla) and a small group of Domestic / Greylag Geese (Ansar Común / Anser anser).

Lesser Short-toed Lark (Terrera Marismena / Calandrella rufescens).

I reached the first hide and turned right to check a pool further along the track on the right where I had views of Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), lots of White Storks (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia) which were resting until a US military helicopter flushed them all by flying too low over the reserve, 2x Grey Herons (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and several Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) which were also flushed, Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus) and a Little Tern (Charrancito Común / Sterna albifrons).

Wasp species.

I returned to the main track and walked up towards the second of the hides, on the way 4 Lesser Short-toed Lark (Terrera Marismena / Calandrella rufescens) flew up from the Salt marsh type area on my right and then landed on the edge of the salt pans on my left, one of the birds sat up long enough for me to crack off just a single shot.

Sandwich (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis) and  Common Tern (Charrán Común / Sterna hirudo) along with Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus) and Slender-billed Gull (Gaviota Picofina / Larus genei).

Sandwich (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis) and Black Tern (Fumarel Común / Chlidonias niger).

I continued on adding Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), fly over Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus) and Purple Heron (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea) and a Gull-billed Tern (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica) which was sat on a small Island with some Black-headed Gulls.

Caspian Terns (Pagaza Piquiroja / Hydroprone caspia).

Caspian Tern (Pagaza Piquiroja / Hydroprone caspia).

From the hide I scanned the far lagoons and pools seeing a single roosting Caspian Tern (Pagaza Piquiroja / Hydroprone caspia), Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), 2x Little Stints (Correlimos Menudo / Calidris minuta) and a passing Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus).

Lesser-crested Tern (Charrán Bengalés / Thalasseus bengalensis).

I returned to the car and then drove a few KM to a spot in Puerto Real which over looks the Rio de San Pedro, it was still low tide but it was coming in and the birds were moving up from the sea to a roost on the far side of where I had Parked.

Lesser-crested Tern (Charrán Bengalés / Thalasseus bengalensis).

I got my chair out and sat ther for the next few hours watching the roost grow finding Eurasian Oystercatcher (Ostrero Euroasiatico / Haematopus ostralegus), Whimbrel (Zarapito Trinador / Numenius phaeopus), Bar-tailed Godwits (Aguja Colipinta / Limosa lapponica), Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina), Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Slender-billed, Black-headed, Lesser Black-backed, Yellow-legged and Audouin's Gulls (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii), Common (Charrán Común / Sterna hirudo), Sandwich (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis), Black (Fumarel Común / Chlidonias niger), Caspian, Little and star bird for the day a very nice Lesser-crested Tern (Charrán Bengalés / Thalasseus bengalensis) which appeared right to high tide.