Playa de Alba, A Coruña and Encoro de Cecebre, Galicia, Spain.

A morning in search of Caspian Gulls but with some help.

Caspian Gull (Gaviota del Caspio / Larus cachinnans) 1st W /2CY.

After all the help I had recieved from Cosme Damián Romay Cousido in finding Barrilete, the American Herring Gull (Gaviota Argentea Americana / Larus Smithsonianus) I was very happy when he said he would meet me at Playa Alba this morning and help me to find a good Caspian Gull (Gaviota del Caspio / Larus cachinnans) as the one I had seen a few weeks earlier in Malaga Province was not a classic looking bird to say the least.

Caspian Gull (Gaviota del Caspio / Larus cachinnans) 1st W/ 2CY not so classic.

We met at just after 09.00 and started to search the gull flock down on the beach below us, all the time Cosme was pointing out European Herring Gulls (Gaviota Argéntea Europea / Larus argentatus) and in total there were at least a dozen of all ages along with Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), Great Black-backed (Gavión Atlántico / Larus marinus) and Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) of different ages and Cosme spent ages going through the ways to identify each of them and by the time we had finished I realized how little I actually know about gulls and that I may need to spend more time on the North coast looking at them.

European Herring Gull (Gaviota Argéntea Europea / Larus argentatus) 1st W /2CY.

European Herring Gull (Gaviota Argéntea Europea / Larus argentatus) 1st W /2CY.

Anyway, after some time Cosme called me to his scope and said what do I think of a bird he had found and as soon as I looked and started to check the bird over I realized he had found a good Caspian but shortly after this he found an absolute classic bird which after a while came in a little closer.

European Herring Gull (Gaviota Argéntea Europea / Larus argentatus) 1st W /2CY.

Great Black-backed Gull (Gavión Atlántico / Larus marinus).

European Herring Gull (Gaviota Argéntea Europea / Larus argentatus) 1st W /2CY a big beast.

Other species seen during the Gull session included Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) and Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone).

Out of control Dog.

After a while a young lady with a dog which she did not keep control of ended our mornings Gull watching when all the birds were flushed, inconsiderate dog owners are a problem everywhere it appears. We had been very sucessful and Cosme had an appointment so we headed off, I can't thank Cosme enough for his help getting the gulls sorted.

Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus).

Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus).

From here I headed to Encoro de Cecebre again and checked one of the bays that Cosme told me about, on the way I saw the Egyptian Geese (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca) again and from in the bay a pair of Greater Scaup (Porrón Bastardo / Aythya marila), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Mute Swan (Cisne Vulgar / Cygnus olor), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) and Great Egret (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba) x3.

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta).

In the willows around the margin's I also saw Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Blue (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus)and Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) and a Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) which was trying to get some sun.

Greater Scaup (Porrón Bastardo / Aythya marila) male left.