Ría de Betanzos in Sada, Aldea Cornide in Bergondo, Ría de Betanzos in Sada again, Ría de Ferro in Praia de San Valentín and Encoro de Cecebre, Galicia, Spain.

First Spanish Lifer of the year but it was a bit of a struggle.

Ebird List for Ría de Betanzos in Sada, 20 Species.

Ebird List for Aldea Cornide in Bergondo, 9 Species.

Ebird List for Ría de Betanzos in Sada, 2 Species.

Ebird List for Ría de Ferro in Praia de San Valentín, 18 Species.

Ebird list for Encoro de Cecebre, 22 Species.

Ebird List for Presa, 7 Species.

A quarter to Nine and it's just starting to get light at Sada.

I was on site at Ría de Betanzos in Sada way to early again but this time there were loads of places to get coffee so I loaded up on caffeine before heading out along the Prom whilst it was basically still dark at after 08:30, there were good numbers of Mallards (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) and Northern Pintail (Ánade Rabudo / Anas acuta) as well as 4x Eurasian Wigeon (Sibón Europeo / Anas penelope) all feeding along the sea edge and in the weed that had been washed up.

Mediterranean Gull (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus).

Mediterranean Gull (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus).

Great Black-backed Gull (Gavión Atlántico / Larus marinus).

As it got lighter I watched 3x Dark-bellied Brent Geese (Barnacla Carinegra / Branta bernicla) paddle in and start to feed amongst the other duck species.

Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) adult.

Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) adult.

Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis).

Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis).

Other species seen included Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus), Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Great Black-backed (Gavión Atlántico / Larus marinus), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Sandwich Terns (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis), 30 odd Eurasian Oystercatchers (Ostrero Euroasiatico / Haematopus ostralegus), Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and lots of White Wagtails (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) leaving a roost somewhere nearby.

Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis).

Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis).

I had walked up and down the sea front for around 2.5 hours and had not managed to find either the target American Black Duck (Ánade Sombrio / Anas rubripes) or the two Whooper Swans (Cisne Cantor / Cygnus Cygnus) regularly reported.

Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis).

Eurasian Oystercatcher (Ostrero Euroasiatico / Haematopus ostralegus).

Dark-bellied Brent Geese (Barnacla Carinegra / Branta bernicla).

As I was about to leave I bumped into another birder who said the Duck has sometimes been seen on the next beach to the West as well so I walked back towards the car having a last scan before I went and just as I was about to leave I picked up the two Whoopers, no Idea when they sneaked in from but they showed well and surfed a couple of wave but got pushed back out by one of the many walkers with there dogs off the leash.

Whooper Swans (Cisne Cantor / Cygnus Cygnus).

Whooper Swans (Cisne Cantor / Cygnus Cygnus).

Whooper Swans (Cisne Cantor / Cygnus Cygnus).

Whooper Swans (Cisne Cantor / Cygnus Cygnus).

After getting some pictures of the Swans I went to have a look at the other beach but there was no sign of the Duck but I did find a good flock of Common Scoters (Negrón Común / Melanitta nigra) before returning to the Ría de Betanzos where the tide had started to drop a tad and expose a small area of mud.

Sada Beach.

Mallards (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) and the male American Black Duck (Ánade Sombrio / Anas rubripes).

American Black Duck (Ánade Sombrio / Anas rubripes).

American Black Duck (Ánade Sombrio / Anas rubripes).

American Black Duck (Ánade Sombrio / Anas rubripes).

As I walked back down again I saw all the same species and then just before I reached the outlet for the Rio I spotted the Target American Black Duck feeding on the thin strip of mud with several Mallards and other ducks, I spent quiet a while watching this bird and chatting with some interested passersby explaining that this quite plain looking bird was extremely rare here in Spain.

Ría de Ferro in Praia de San Valentín.

Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina).

Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina).

My next stop was up on the Ría de Ferro where in the past I had seen a Bonaparte's Gull (Gaviota de Bonaparte / Chroicocephalus philadelphia) and as it was reported as being seen yesterday I thought I would give it a try but dipped, however I did add Great Crested Grebe (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus), Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) and Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula) to the list before I decided to head for the Encoro de Cecebre a large reservoir back towards A Coruña.

Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta).

Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta).

Ringed Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus) TW7X I think but it was a long way off.

I parked by the hide / Observatorio de aves de Crendes and scanned the water and surroundings finding 2x Egyptian Geese (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca), 20 odd Tufted Duck (Porrón Monudo / Aythya fuligula), 18x Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), 4x Great Egret (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Blue (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus) and Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).

Egyptian Geese (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca).

A skulking Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus).

Whilst I was there a very nice Spanish lady birder turned up and gave me some info about the area, after we chatted she went for a walk around the lake and I went back around to the Dam and checked the area there adding Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and Coal Tit  (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater) to my year list bringing it up to 97 at the end of day three.