Rambla Morales, Cabo de Gata Salinas, Los Norios in Almeria and Charca Suarez, Granada Province, Spain.

Second Spainsh Lifer in two days but not quite a stunning as yesterdays.

Ebird List from Charca by Vanessa.

 

The rain clouds moving away but there was still very cold wind.

I was off early and after passing through some drizzle on the way there I arrived at Rambla Morales where it was cold, cloudy and very windy but I still went and stood at the end of the main Lagoon at the end of the rambla and scanned through the Ducks looking for the Blue-winged Teal (Cerceta Aliazul / Anas discors) but without any luck.

Sun Rise.

In this area I did find Little Stint (Correlimos Menudo / Calidris minuta), Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina), Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba), Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus), Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres), Black-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa), Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Audouin's (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

Blue-winged Teal (Cerceta Aliazul / Anas discors).

Blue-winged Teal (Cerceta Aliazul / Anas discors).

After a while a chap who's name I didn't came along and said he had seen the Teal briefly further up the rambla where it narrows and most of the Ducks were gathered and after a while I managed to get views of the Teal with a group of Northern Shovelers.

Little Stint (Correlimos Menudo / Calidris minuta).

Little Stint (Correlimos Menudo / Calidris minuta).

In this area I aslo had views of Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Lesser Short-toed Lark (Terrera Marismena / Calandrella rufescens) and Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta).

White-headed Ducks (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala) and a Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina).

White-headed Ducks (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), a Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina) and a female Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata).

After getting views of the Teal I waited there for a while but the bird stayed in the reeds so I went for a walk into the dry areas behind me finding at least 6 Trumpeter Finches (Camachuelo Trompetero / Bucanetes githagineus) but I didn't find the Eurasian Dotterels (Chorlito Carambolo / Eudromias morinellus) that good friend Juan Perez had seen a few days earlier.

Whiskered Tern (Fumarel Cariblanca / Chilidonias hybridus).

Whiskered Tern (Fumarel Cariblanca / Chilidonias hybridus).

Whiskered Tern (Fumarel Cariblanca / Chilidonias hybridus).

I walked back to the car and then had a drive along the Eastern side of the main Salinas where I struggled to find Slender-billed Gulls (Gaviota Picofina / Larus genei) but I eventually found a small group of 5.

Stripe-less Tree Frog (Hyla meridionalis).

From here I went around Almeria to the pools of Los Norios, the last time I was there I thought the place had been cleaned up but it was not to last and it was back to being a grade one S**t hole again but I did managed to see plenty of Crag Martins (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Great Crested Grebes (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus) and half a dozen Whiskered Terns (Fumarel Cariblanca / Chilidonias hybridus) which were a little more surprising.

Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca) Male.

I headed further along the coast towards Charca Suarez where I was meeting Juan and Beatriz who were meeting two young ladies from America for a walk around the reserve, I arrived and we all met up and started the evening with a couple of Stripe-less Tree Frogs (Hyla meridionalis). 

Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea).

We walked up to the New Hide but I didn't add anyhing to the day list here but in the next one we had the first of several Red-knobbed Coot (Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata) and from the main Hide Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild) and Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).

Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).

After a while I headed off ahead of the others as I wanted to get some time in the hide where the Moustached Warbler (Carricerin Real / Acrocephalus melanopogon) had been seen previously but when I got to the first hide it was full so I went around to the far side of the pool where the hide was empty and I found a very nice male Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and then the Moustached but just for a few seconds before it disappeared again.

Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti).

The other caught up with me and we went around to the next hide where we had more Ferruginous Ducks, a male Eurasian Wigeon (Sibón Europeo / Anas penelope), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera) and Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus) before we made it to the exit just in time for Manu to let us out and lock up.