Loja Wildlife, Granada Province, Spain.: Rio de San Pedro, Marismas de Cetina, Playa Montijo, Puerto de Chipiona. Colorado Pools in Cadiz Province and Osuna area, Sevilla Province, Spain.

Friday 7 October 2022

Rio de San Pedro, Marismas de Cetina, Playa Montijo, Puerto de Chipiona. Colorado Pools in Cadiz Province and Osuna area, Sevilla Province, Spain.

Birding or way back to the house.

Sharon, John and Caitlin, Day Four.

Watching some Lesser Short-toed Larks (Terrera Marismena / Calandrella rufescens),

We had breakfast at the hotel and the went just up the road to check the Rio de San Pedro where we looked at the sandy margins of the river finding Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata), Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) and Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor).

There were birds everywhere.

Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

Next we headed to the entrance of the Marismas de Cetina Saltpans where we parked and then went through the gate and started to scan the water.

Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia).

Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina).

From our first spot we started the list for the site with Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), lots of Avocets (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina), Black-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa), Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia), Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Slender-billed Gull (Gaviota Picofina / Larus genei), Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata) and Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo).

Lesser Short-toed Lark (Terrera Marismena / Calandrella rufescens).

Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus).

Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia).

We walked further into the site and continued to pick up stuff out on the pans and on the drier salt marsh area, species included Lesser Short-toed Lark (Terrera Marismena / Calandrella rufescens), Western Osprey (Águila Pescardora / Pandion haliaetus), Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Ruff (Combatiente / Philomachus pugnax), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis) and a nice male Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica) which sat up nicely so that we could get the scope on it.

Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis).

On the freshwater pool along a side track we a couple of Wood Sandpipers (Andarrios Bastardo / Tringa glareola), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Great Egret (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), lots of Red-veined Darters (Sympetrum fonscolombii) and a couple of Vagrant Emperors (Anax ephippiger).

Arctic Skua (Págalo Parásito / Stercorarius parasiticus).

Our next stop was to the North just passed Chipiona at Playa Montijo but the tide was all wrong for Waders and Terns so we only managed Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis), Mediterranean Gull (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata), Northern Gannet (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus) and off the point a little way along the beach several Arctic Skua's (Págalo Parásito / Stercorarius parasiticus) were hassling everything coming into the area.

Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis).

Just down the road we had some lunch in the Port of Chipiona where we had the first of several Little Swifts (Vencejo Moro / Apus affinis) as well as Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Ruddy Turnstone, Lesser Black-backed and a ringed Yellow-legged Gull as well as a much closer fly through Arctic Skua which came right through the Port.

Arctic Skua (Págalo Parásito / Stercorarius parasiticus).

Our last stop in this area was at the Colorado Road Pools, which were in quite a shit condition as the very low water levels show just how much crap is dumped into the pools, even though they were in a bit of a state there were still a few good birds there including Temmincks (Correlimos de Temminck / Calidris temminckii) and Little Stint (Correlimos Menudo / Calidris minuta), Marbled Duck (Marmaronetta angustirostris), Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Little Egret, Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus), Greylag Geese (Ansar Común / Anser anser), Night Heron (Marinete Común / Nycticorax nycticorax) and a very smart male Black-headed Weaver (Ploceus melanocephalus).

Marbled Duck (Marmaronetta angustirostris).

Next we had a drive along the central track at Bonanza but it was amazingly quite and we only saw more Greater Flamingo's, Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).

Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

We returned to the road and started to make our way back to the House but as we passed Osuna we came off the Motorway and drove along the road out into the fields where we boosted the day list with Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Great Bustard (Avutarda Común / Otis tarda), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Calandra Lark (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra) and Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis).