A bit more North Coast birding before getting the Ferry to the UK.
Ebird List for Marismas Blancas.
Ebird List for Bahía de Santander.
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Looking along the Pleasure boat part of the port down to the Bull Ring.
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After a good nights sleep at the Hotel Rural las Solanas de Escalante I went up to the Port in Santoña, had some breakfast and the did a walk along the Prom before it got light, on the way I saw
Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus),
Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and
Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba),
Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula),
House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and
Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula).
It was still not very light by the time I got back to the car so I had another coffee before going out onto the main Jetty and setting up the scope, as I scanned I found
Dark-bellied Brent Geese (Barnacla Carinegra / Branta bernicla),
Bar-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colipinta / Limosa lapponica),
Black-necked (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis) and
Great Crested Grebe (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus),
Great Northern Diver (Colimbo Grande / Gavia immer), Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres),
Shag (Cormorán Mondudo / Phalacrocorax aristotelis),
Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo),
Great Black-backed Gull (Gavión Atlántico / Larus marinus),
Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia) and out in the distance thousands of wildfowl, most I am guessing were
Eurasian Wigeon
(Sibón Europeo / Anas penelope) and
Northern Pintail (Ánade Rabudo / Anas acuta) but they were too distant to sort out. |
Dark-bellied Brent Geese (Barnacla Carinegra / Branta bernicla) in the foreground and masses of other ducks off into the distance.
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I returned to the car and the drove towards Santander but pulled of the Motorway to have a look at Marismas Blacas, a pool I always enjoy visiting, today was no different as straight away I saw two immature Little Gulls (Gaviota Enana / Larus minutus) feeding low over the water very Tern like. |
Marismas Blancas, the main pool.
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As I scanned the water I added Mute Swan (Cisne Vulgar / Cygnus olor), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera),
Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina),
Tufted Duck (Porrón Monudo / Aythya fuligula),
Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos),
Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca),
Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra),
Great Cormorant,
Black-headed,
Lesser Black-backed and
Yellow-legged Gulls.
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| Mute Swan (Cisne Vulgar / Cygnus olor). |
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| Mute Swan (Cisne Vulgar / Cygnus olor). |
Also seen were Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis),
White Wagtail,
House Sparrow,
Robin,
Blackbird,
Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor),
Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti),
Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica) and a passing
Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus).
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| Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos). |
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| Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos). |
My last stop before catching the Ferry was at the Bahía de Santander where I could see the Ferry in the docks opposite, I set up the Scope and scanned the river and almost the first bird I saw amongst a flock of Black-headed Gulls was another Little Gull, as had as I tried I unfortunately couldn't turn it into an immature Kittiwake (Gaviota Tridáctila / Rissa tridactyla), 18x
Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera) flew over as did two large flocks of
Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), on the rocks there were 50 odd
Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina) and a single
Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres).
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Leaving Santander, bet it won't look like this as we arrive in Southampton.
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Other species seen included a
Great Northern Diver, Great Crested Grebe (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus),
Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos),
Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis),
Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) and Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).I went around to the port and then almost stright on to the ferry which I was suprised left on time at 14.00 instead of 16:00 which Brittany Ferries had said it would do in an email a few days earlier, as we started off I did a short sea watch but all I managed was a small flock of around 30 Balearic Shearwaters (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus), a few Northern Gannet (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus) and a single Razorbill.  |
Last View of Spain for a while.
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