Travelling North to Friend Santi's via Laguna Navaseca and Tablas de Damiel, Castilla la Mancha and La Yecla, Burgos Province, Spain.

Travelling north for a few days.

Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos).

I decided to head North to see friend Santi at Santo Domingo de Silos for a few days so I set off early to spend some time at Laguna Navaseca on the way where I was hoping to fill a few gapes in my year list.

Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos).

Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

During the drive to the Laguna I started the list with Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Iberian  (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) and Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) and Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos).

Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula).

Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia).

I arrived at the Laguna and as soon as I got out of the car I could hear several Great Reed Warblers (Carricero Tordal / Acrocephalus arundinaceus) singing from the reeds along with Reed (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus) and Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and a Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos) which popped up on an open branch long enough for me to get a couple of shots.

Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur).

Gadwalls (Anade Friso / Anas strepera).

Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula).

Out on the water there were as usual quite a few Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) along with Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Red-crested (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina) and Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Black-necked (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), and Great Crested Grebe (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Whiskered Tern (Fumarel Cariblanca / Chilidonias hybridus), Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia) and Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), 

Mirror Orchid (Ophrys speculum).

Green-winged Orchid (Androrchis morio).

Green-winged Orchid (Androrchis morio).

Tawny Pipit (Bisbita Camprstre / Anthus campestris).

I walked along the road checking the reed beds and Tamarisks as I reached the usual watch point near the hide I saw Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Penduline Tit (Pájaro Moscón / Remiz pendulinus), Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), Greylag Geese (Ansar Común / Anser anser), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and on some pools along the back track I had Green (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) and Wood Sandpiper (Andarrios Bastardo / Tringa glareola), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur) and as I was walking back to the hide on the road I heard a calling Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).

Red-backed Shrike (Alcaudón Dorsirrojo / Lanius collurio) male.

Red-backed Shrike (Alcaudón Dorsirrojo / Lanius collurio) male.

At the spot near the hide where I could see through the reeds I heard a group of Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (Ganga Ibérica / Pterocles alchata) getting closer but only two of the group tried to land too drink but they wavered and all the birds continued on, later I saw the reason when two photographers came out of the reeds where they had been sitting, I made it quite obvious that I was not happy but got told to F**K Off in a very English voice, very pleasent.

Champagne Orchid (Orchis champagneuxii) ?????

Champagne Orchid (Orchis champagneuxii) ?????

Panoptes Blue (Pseudophilotes panoptes).

Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) going by distribution Maps?????

Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) going by distribution Maps?????

I Stayed in the area hoping the birds might try again but they did not return, however I did boost the list with a calling Savi's Warbler (Buscarla Unicolor / Locustella luscinoides), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia) and a couple of feeding Black Terns (Fumarel Común / Chlidonias niger).

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Boloria selene) ID by Ed MacKrill.

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Boloria selene) ID by Ed MacKrill.

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Boloria selene) ID by Ed MacKrill.

I still needed Bearded Tit (Reedling) (Bigotudo / Panurus biarmicus) so I drove up to Tablas and did a walk around the one side of the reserve and quite quickly found a couple of males so I again returned to the car and continued on North around Madrid seeing Red (Milano Real / Milvus milvus) and Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans) and some way North I pulled off at KM133 and took the track towards Ermita de Nuestra Señora de Hornuez for a break and parked on the roadside.

Ophrys riojana ????

Ophrys riojana ????

Ophrys riojana ????

Ophrys riojana ????

Here I had a walk around for a while finding Tawny Pipit (Bisbita Camprstre / Anthus campestris), Subalpine Warbler (Curruca Carrasquena / Sylvia cantillans), Green-winged (Androrchis morio) and Mirror Orchid (Ophrys speculum).

Yellow Bee Orchid (Ophrys lutea).

Yellow Bee Orchid (Ophrys lutea)

I continued on seeing a male Hen Harrier (Aguilucho Pálido / Circus cyaneus) and made one last quick stop on a side road near La Yecla where I was hoping for Red-backed Shrike (Alcaudón Dorsirrojo / Lanius collurio), as I drove up to a small pool I had a very nice male sat up on the side of a bramble bush.

Early Purple Orchid (Orchis mascula).

Other species seen along this road were Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli), Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Champagne Orchid (Orchis champagneuxii), Panoptes Blue (Pseudophilotes panoptes) and Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus).

Dark Spider Orchid (Ophrys incubacea).

I arrived at santi's and got sorted before we went for a walk out to the Ermita de la Virgen del Camino where santi had found several Orchid species including Yellow Bee Orchid (Ophrys lutea), Early Purple Orchid (Orchis mascula), Dark Spider Orchid (Ophrys incubacea) and whilst there we also saw Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Boloria selene) which was new species for my Spanish Butterfly list.