Ría de San Martín near Suances and Marismas Blancas and Dársena de Raos y puerto deportivo in the Bahía de Santander, Cantabria, Spain.

Wetlands on my way to catch the ferry and the first half of the trip to UK.

Going North and trip to UK, Day Four.

Ebird List for Marismas Blancas.

Ebird List for Dársena de Raos y puerto deportivo.

 

White-cheeked Pintail (Anas bahamensis).

Last day in Spain for a while was spent looking around some wetland and coast spots starting at a new site for me called Ria de San Martin, I parked and walked down to the Hide and took the track around the outside of the sewage works finding lots of Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), an escapee White-cheeked Pintail (Anas bahamensis), Mute Swan (Cisne Vulgar / Cygnus olor), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Western Cattle (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) and Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), Red Knot (Correlimos Gordo / Calidris canutus), Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina), Ruff (Combatiente / Philomachus pugnax), Black-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa), Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Reed (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus) and Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti).

White-cheeked Pintail (Anas bahamensis).

I walked back to the car and drove back towards Santander where I visited Marismas Blancas a fresh water lake next to the salt water inlets, there were good numbers of duckds on the water including 150 or so Gadwall, 60 Common Pochard, 2 Tufted Duck (Porrón Monudo / Aythya fuligula) and a few Eurasian Teal.

Other species included Mute Swan, Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) and others listed on the link above.

Santander from the ferry.

From the pool I went around to a spot near to the Santander Airport where I checked a couple of pools and an area of sea front where I added Black-necked (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis) and Great Crested Grebe (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus), Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Whimbrel (Zarapito Trinador / Numenius phaeopus), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Bar-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colipinta / Limosa lapponica), Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis) and Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis) before joining the que to get on to the Ferry Galicia for my trip over to Portsmouth.

Leaving the port.

I went up on deck for the first part of the trip and just out of the port I had a Sooty Shearwater (Pardela Sombría / Puffinus griseus), Northern Gannet (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus) and Great Black-backed Gull (Gavión Atlántico / Larus marinus).