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Tuesday 28 September 2021

Cazalla Watch Point, Los Lances Beach, Barbate Saltpans and La Janda, Cadiz Province, Spain.

A days birding with John.

Short-toed Eagles (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus).

John and I headed out for a days birding off the plot, doing part of a route John had done many times in the past which usually included Laguna Medina but as it was bone dry we did not bother with it and started the day by driving down to watch some of the visible migration near Tarifa.
Short-toed Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus).
Honey Buzzard (Aberjero Europeo / Pernis apivorus) Juvenile.
We arrived and set our selves up and we were soon watching the first of a good number of Short-toed (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus) and Booted Eagles (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus), Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans), Common (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) and Honey Buzzards (Aberjero Europeo / Pernis apivorus), Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) and Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).
Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus).
Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus).
Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus).
As we were watching the raptor's we also had other species including
Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), House (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) and Sand Martins (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia), Red-rumped (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirundo daurica) and Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Alpine Swift (Vencejo Real / Apus melba), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis).
Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis).
Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans).
After several hours of migration things slowed down so we headed off and a walk out to the Hide on Los Lances beach, we parked and checked out the meadows before the boardwalk where we had
Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra) and Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae).
Ruff (Combatiente / Philomachus pugnax).
Northern Bald Ibis (Ibis Eremita / Geronticus eremita).
Northern Bald Ibis (Ibis Eremita / Geronticus eremita).
From the hide we scanned through the waders finding Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba), Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina), Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Bar-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colipinta / Limosa lapponica), Eurasian Oystercatcher (Ostrero Euroasiatico / Haematopus ostralegus) and Little Stint (Correlimos Menudo / Calidris minuta).
White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia).
Other speices included Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Willow Warbler (Mosquitero Musical / Phylloscopus trochillus), Audouin's Gull (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii) and Small White (Pieris rapae).
Monarch (Danaus plexippus).
Monarch (Danaus plexippus).
Monarch (Danaus plexippus).
We returned to the car again and drove up to the Saltpans to the south of Barbate where we parked in the shade of some trees and scanned the pools finding several new species including Ruff (Combatiente / Philomachus pugnax), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), Black-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa), Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Red Knot (Correlimos Gordo / Calidris canutus), Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Caspian Tern (Pagaza Piquiroja / Sterna caspia), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) and as we were driving out of the site through the small fields full of live stock we found several of the ugly looking but beautiful in their own way Northern Bald Ibis (Ibis Eremita / Geronticus eremita).
Blue-eye (Erythromma lindenii) male.
Blue-eye (Erythromma lindenii) female.
We drove passed Vejer and down to the Northern track into La Janda, along the main track along the canal we saw
Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), many White Storks (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia) including a strange looking Melanistic bird, Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus) and quite a few nectaring Monarchs (Danaus plexippus).
Egyptian Grasshopper (Anacridium aegyptium).
We turned around at the southern end of the track and returned to the canal crossing and drove up to the farm and out through the wild Olives finding Pheasant (Faisán Vulgar / Phaisanus colchicus), Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula) and Feral Pigeon (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia). 
Zeller's Skipper (Borbo borbonica).
Our last stop of the day before we headed back to the plot was on one of the side roads on the way back up to Benalup where I was very pleased to find several Zeller's Skipper (Borbo borbonica) along with Blue-eye (Erythromma lindenii) Damsel, Egyptian Grasshopper (Anacridium aegyptium), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Common Whitethroat (Curruca Zarcera / Sylvia communis), Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), and as we drove off the site Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and a Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis) which whizzed off up river but not before John picked it up and we both had nice views.
Zeller's Skipper (Borbo borbonica).
Zeller's Skipper (Borbo borbonica).
Once we were back on the patch we sat on the terrace with a beer and finished the day list off with Blue (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes) and Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius) which was a great way to end the day.

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