A very windy day put pay to a wanted Warbler and then dodgy fuel finishes it off.
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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). |
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Purple Heron (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea). |
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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 (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus). |
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Western Osprey (Águila Pescardora / Pandion haliaetus).
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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 (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris),
Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina) and Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae).
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White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia). |
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White Storks (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia) natural nest site.
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Marbled Duck (Marmaronetta angustirostris). |
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Marbled Duck (Marmaronetta angustirostris). |
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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 (Aguila Calzada / Aquila 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).
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Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans). |
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Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans). |
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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).
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Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus). |
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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).
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Common Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago). |
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Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus). |
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Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta). |
On the second wet area I added
Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus 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).
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Common Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago). |
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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.
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Wood Sandpiper (Andarrios Bastardo / Tringa glareola). |
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Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela 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.
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Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus). |
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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.