Travelling South Home.

Heading back home after being away for nearly 6 week.

Ebird List for Laguna de la Veguilla.

 

Great Bustards (Avutarda Común / Otis tarda).

I was up and about early, Santi had some gardeners coming and I wanted to be on the road by 09.00 so breakfast was early and after saying thanks and goodbye to Santi I was on my way south and through Madrid without any problems.

Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus).

Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus).

Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus).

During this first part drive I had Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor).

Lesser Scaup (Porrón Bola / Aythya affinis) with Common Pochards (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina).

Lesser Scaup (Porrón Bola / Aythya affinis) with Common Pochards (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina).

Lesser Scaup (Porrón Bola / Aythya affinis) with Common Pochards (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina) and Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata).

Lesser Scaup (Porrón Bola / Aythya affinis) with Common Pochards (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina).

I reached a spot around 100km south of the city and made a stop for a Coffee and something to eat, once I had finished I checked the fields nearby hoping for some Great Bustards (Avutarda Común / Otis tarda) and at the furthest point along the track I found a flock of 34 birds and in the same area I also had Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Common Starling (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) and Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa).

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

My next stop was at Laguna de la Veguilla near the town of Alcázar de San Juan, I parked and checked the two hides overlooking the lake, my main target was a male Lesser Scaup (Porrón Bola / Aythya affinis) which after a short scan with the scope was found feeding with a group of Common Pochards (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina).

Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis).

Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis).

On the main lake I also saw Red-crested Pochard (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina), White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Greylag Geese (Ansar Común / Anser anser), Little (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio) and around the margins and in the air I also saw Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita).

Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus).

I moved on to another site nearby out on an area of large agricultural cereal fields as I drove around the tracks I picked up good numbers of Golden Plovers (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia), Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (Ganga Ibérica / Pterocles alchata), Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis) and Calandra Larks (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra) and a Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).

Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (Ganga Ibérica / Pterocles alchata).

Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (Ganga Ibérica / Pterocles alchata).

I left the site and then drove back home, I arrived about 19.30 to find the house was down to just +4.5 inside so I soon had the log burner glowing and the electric blanket on.