Loja Wildlife, Granada Province, Spain.: Barbate Marshes, La Janda, back at Barbate Marshes and a night around Barbate Town, Cadiz Province, Spain.

Sunday 23 October 2022

Barbate Marshes, La Janda, back at Barbate Marshes and a night around Barbate Town, Cadiz Province, Spain.

Good days birding with Ricky Owen but a bad bit of timing.

Barbate Pools.

I met Ricky at the entrance to the Salt Pans / Lakes and straight away alarm bells started to ring when we saw several people laying out tape to restrict access along the road, Ricky checked with the guys and they said we were OK to walk out to the pools we want to look for the American Golden Plover (Chorlito Dorado Americano / Pluvialis dominica) which had been around for a few days.

Barbate Pools.

We started to walk out picking up Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), good numbers of Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba), Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina), Common Redstart (Colirroja Real / Phoenicurus phoenicurus), Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Grey Plover (Chorlito Gris / Pluvialis squatarola), Little Stint (Correlimos Menudo / Calidris minuta), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and Audouin's Gulls (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii) and Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis).

We reached the end of the Western side of the pools and then turned along the track through the pools, as we walked we saw Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Crested (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and Calandra Lark (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra) and then the first of the noisy bird flushing Rally Cars came passed the lakes, impressive but noisy.

Red Knot (Correlimos Gordo / Calidris canutus).

We continued on adding Curlew Sandpiper (Correlimos Zarapitin / Calidris ferruginea), Kentish (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus) and Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres), Black-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa), Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae) and Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos).

Northern Bald Ibis (Ibis Eremita / Geronticus eremita).

We reached a small wooded Bridge and we turned around and walked back around the pool until we could look back across to the area where Ricky had seen it a few days earlier and we picked up a bird quite a way off which showed a good supercilium and looked right but it was distant so we tried to get closer but the birds flushed up again with all the noise and we never found it and as it was quite distant I did not count it as hoped for better views later but it didn't happen unfortunately.

Audouin's Gulls (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii).

We decided to cut our loses and headed off to La Janda where we just did a drive along the main Canal, as we drove we picked up Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Little Egret, Marsh Harrier, Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus), Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus), White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), an immature Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus), 2x Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and a female Northern Pintail (Ánade Rabudo / Anas acuta).

White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia).

Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis).

I said goodbye to Ricky at this point after a nice few hours birding and went back to Barbate but as hard as I tried I could not turn any of the Grey Plovers into the American Golden and all I managed to add was Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) before I went and found my hotel and later walked around the town looking for something to eat.