Laguna Navaseca, Ciudad Real and Fields South of Madrid, Toledo, Spain.

Heading North to Santo Domingo de Silos.

Ebird List for Laguna Navaseca.

View across the misty Laguna.

I started out early to make my way up North to stay with Friends Santi and Howard for a while, on the way up I stopped off at Laguna Navaseca, a spot I alway like to visit as there are always good birds.

Common Crane (Grulla Común / Grus grus).

I parked by the hide and scanned the lake but could not see a great deal to start with as the fog was fairly think but as it started to lift I started to see birds including a calling male Pheasant (Faisán Vulgar / Phaisanus colchicus) behind me on the car park, White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus) heard only and down in the reeds the first of a few Spanish Sparrows (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis), good numbers of Corn Buntings (Triguero / Emberiza calandra) and calling Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti).

A distant Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca).

Male Ring-necked Duck (Porrón acollarado / Aythya collaris).

Male Ring-necked Duck (Porrón acollarado / Aythya collaris).

I had a walk along the road down to the far corner where you can view the far end of the pool better and started to check through the Common Pochards (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina) finding a Tufted Duck (Porrón Monudo / Aythya fuligula), Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca) and a nice male Ring-necked Duck (Porrón acollarado / Aythya collaris) which had been around for a few days.

Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus).

Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus).

Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus).

In the same area I also saw Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica), Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), both male and female Marsh Harriers (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Common Crane (Grulla Común / Grus grus) and 2 flyover Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (Ganga Ibérica / Pterocles alchata).

Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).

I walked on along the Northern edge of the laguna where I saw more Spanish Sparrows, Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Reed Bunting (Escribano Palustre / Emberiza schoeniclus), Dunnock (Acentor Común / Prunella modularis), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos) and an amazing 15+ more Ferruginous Ducks.

Spanish Sparrows (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis).

As I made my way along the eastern shore I was surprised to see a winter plumage Spotted Redshank (Archibebe Oscuro / Tringa erythropus) with 3x Black-winged Stilts (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), a Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), a female White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) and Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor).

Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia).

Spotted Redshank (Archibebe Oscuro / Tringa erythropus).

Along the Southern shore on my back to the car I picked up White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula).

White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia).

Once back at the car I set off for the north againm between the Laguna and a spot 100KM or so from Madrid where I again pulled off the motorway I only added Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus) to the list.

Female Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca).

Female Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca).

Out on the fields off the side of the motorway I saw more Red Kites, Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa) and a group of a dozen or so Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax).

Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax).

I had to wait until I was a little further along the motorway and had come off for fuel to find any Great Bustard (Avutarda Común / Otis tarda), just after I had fueled I found a group of 28 birds close to the slip road back on to the motorway but had a loorry right behind me so I coud not stop typically.