IF YOU ARE LOOKING AT THE BLOG ON A PHONE PLEASE CHANGE TO WEB VIEW AT BOTTOM OF PAGE AS IT WILL LOOK BETTER, THANKS MICK.

Wednesday 29 March 2023

Barriada Meadero de la Reina in Cadiz Province, Brazo del Este in Sevilla Province and Fuente de Piedra in Malaga Province, Spain.

A very windy day put pay to a wanted Warbler and then dodgy fuel finishes it off.
 
Purple Heron (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea).
After the cancelling of the Pelagic and the very high winds over night I decided to head for a spot an hour north where a Hume's Warbler (Mosquitero de Hume / Phylloscopus humei) had been for a while, on the way I saw a very nice male Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus), Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis).
Purple Heron (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea).
Purple Heron (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea).
Purple Heron (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea).
When I arrived I was not confident as the Eucalyptus trees were lashing around in the wind but I did give it a try as I thought the bird might have been down lower in the bushes but it did not appear, however I picked up
Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe) and Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis).
Black-winged Stilts (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus).
Western Osprey (Águila Pescardora / Pandion haliaetus).
I gave it 2.5 hours hoping the wind would drop but it didn't so I moved on and headed toward Brazo del Este, on the way I added
Slender-billed Gull (Gaviota Picofina / Larus genei), Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina) and Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae).
White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia).
White Storks (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia) natural nest site.
Marbled Duck (Marmaronetta angustirostris).
Marbled Duck (Marmaronetta angustirostris).
Marbled Duck (Marmaronetta angustirostris).
Just before I reached Lebrija the google maps girl piped up to say there is a better route and told me to turn left off the main road onto some farm roads, OK from a birding point of view it was a better route but if I had been in a hurry to get there not some much better but still as I drove the roads which for most of the way out to the main Rio Guadalquivir were lined with reed filled irrigation / drainage channels and added some nice species including Purple (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea) and Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Western Cattle (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) and Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Western Osprey (Águila Pescardora / Pandion haliaetus), Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans), Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus), Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirundo daurica), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) and Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius). 
Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans).
Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans).
Male Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).
After quite a few KM I reached the Rio Guadalquivir and turned right and followed this track to Brazo, as  drove I saw a very nice colony of natural nesting White Storks (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia) as well as a lot more Black Kites, European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), my first Reed Warblers (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus) of the year and a couple of Marbled Ducks (Marmaronetta angustirostris).
Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).
Greater Short-toed Lark (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla).
I reached the start of the track through the Brazo area and spent quite a while checking the three main area of water, the first was  quite good with quite a few species including Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Common Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus), Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio) and several Collared Pratincoles (Canastera Común / Glareola pratincola).
Common Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago).
Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus).
Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta).
On the second wet area I added Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Black-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa), Wood Sandpiper (Andarrios Bastardo / Tringa glareola), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus) and Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia). 
Ruff (Combatiente / Philomachus pugnax).
Ruff (Combatiente / Philomachus pugnax).
Ruff (Combatiente / Philomachus pugnax).
On the furthest area I didn't add any thing new so I turned around and headed back along the track but as I headed off the site the car started to run a bit rough and it got worse so as I reached Los Palacios y Villafranca so I decide to head home rather than around to Huelva as Planned.
Common Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago).
Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius).
I reached Fuente de Pierda and popped in but I only did the entrance road pool as the car started to play up even worse, so after sitting and taking a few shots of Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper (Andarrios Bastardo / Tringa glareola), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Ruff (Combatiente / Philomachus pugnax) and seeing Gull-billed Tern (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Sand Martin (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra) and Greater Flamingo's
Wood Sandpiper (Andarrios Bastardo / Tringa glareola).
Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus).
I drove home and straight to the Mechanic's who took it for a drive and came back to say that the car was OK but the fuel I had put in at a discount garage near Jerez was dodgy and was causing the problem, luckily I had only put enough to get me back as I wanted to fill up at my local garage.
Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus).
Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus).
I went up to the garage and filled up completely which thankfully this was enough to dilute the bad stuff down and the car ran much better.

No comments: