Santo Domingo de Silos in Burgos Province, Travelling North, Bahía de Santander / Ensenada de San Bartolomé, Elechas in Cantabria, Spain.

Heading North from Santi's for a few days birding along the Coast.

Ebird List for Ensenada de San Bartolomé.

Ensenada de San Bartolomé.

After Breakfast Santi and I walked down to the Bakery, on the way back we saw several Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), a couple of Red Kites (Milano Real / Milvus milvus) and a small group of around half a dozen Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) all fighting against the very strong wing.

Mute Swan (Cisne Vulgar / Cygnus olor), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Eurasian Wigeon (Sibón Europeo / Anas penelope), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) and Northern Pintail (Ánade Rabudo / Anas acuta).

Eurasian Spoonbills (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia) and Little Egrets (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta).

Once we were back I loaded the car, said goodbye to Santi and headed off to the North via Burgos to a spot to the South of Santander, on the way I saw lots more Red Kites, a single Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos) being mobbed by a couple of Ravens (Cuervo / Corvus corax) near Lerma and another large Eagle which I think was an adult Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti) sat in a tree next to the motorway between Lerma and Burgos but as I couldn't stop I was not 100% sure.

General view of the bay.

Mute Swan (Cisne Vulgar / Cygnus olor), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Eurasian Wigeon (Sibón Europeo / Anas penelope), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Northern Pintail (Ánade Rabudo / Anas acuta), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) and Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia) is about the best I can do.

Little Egrets (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) getting blown around.

Other species were Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Feral Pigeon (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Great Egret (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Roe Deer (Corzo / Capreolus capreolus) x5.

Red Dead-nettle (Lamium purpureum).

Herb-Robert (Geranium robertianum).

Common Dog Violet (Viola riviniana).

My only birding stop was at the Ensenada de San Bartolomé on the Estuary opposite Santander where I had a walk along the river, the tide was out which made seeing some of the species more difficult but I still found Mute Swan (Cisne Vulgar / Cygnus olor), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Eurasian Wigeon (Sibón Europeo / Anas penelope), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Northern Pintail (Ánade Rabudo / Anas acuta), Great Crested Grebe (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus), Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata), Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Little (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) and Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Common Starling (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) as well as Common Daisy (Bellis perennis), Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima), Wild Carrot (Daucus carota), Herb-Robert (Geranium robertianum), Red Clover (Trifolium pratense), Common Dog Violet (Viola riviniana), Redshank (Persicaria maculosa), Red Dead-nettle (Lamium purpureum) and Bidens aurea. 

Bidens aurea.

Bidens aurea.

Bidens aurea.

I returned to my car and headed to Isla to the East of Santander where I spent the night ready to start the year list in the morning.