Algeciras, La Janda, Benalup, Arroyo del Yeso near Los Badalejos, Valcargado Track and Alcalá de los Gazules, Cadiz Province, Spain.

The first days birding with Friend John Cantelo in Cadiz Province.

Ebird List for Algeciras.

Ebird List for La Janda.

Ebird List for Valcargado Track.

Ebird List for John's.

 

Blue-winged Teal (Cerceta Aliazul / Anas discors) male.

I set off early from home early heading for Algeciras where I was going to meet up with John Cantelo, as I drove to Huétor on my way to the A92 I picked up a Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) on one of the telegraph poles and then had a Eurasian Eagle Owl (Búho Real / Bubo bubo) fly across in front of me seen by the lights of the Asparagus Factory.

Blue-winged Teal (Cerceta Aliazul / Anas discors) male.

I arrived at Palmones where I went in to the Bar Restaurante La Estrella and had some breakfast before I met John on the car park near Leroy Merlin, we left his car there and headed onto Punta Paredones where we were hoping to see the long staying male American Blue-winged Teal (Cerceta Aliazul / Anas discors) which I had dipped on a week or so ago.

Blue-winged Teal (Cerceta Aliazul / Anas discors) male.

We arrived and dropped down to the area below the bridge out to the port and checked the rather smelly foreshore by one of at least two raw sewage outlets which run straight into the bay, in this area we saw Mallards (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina), Grey Plover (Chorlito Gris / Pluvialis squatarola), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) and Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor).

Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus).

There was no sign of the target so we walked along the top of the channel and down to the far end near to the second sewage out flow and as we scanned the water from a high point John picked up the Teal so we went down to the lower prom and watched it from there but the light was not great, we did however add Whimbrel (Zarapito Trinador / Numenius phaeopus), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus) and Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Siskin (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus), Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) and Small White (Pieris rapae).

Common Cranes (Grulla Común / Grus grus).

Common Cranes (Grulla Común / Grus grus).

We returned to the car and then back for John's motor before heading up to the Benalup entrance to La Janda and then along the track to the Río Celemín area where we were soon being mesmarised by the flocks of calling Common Cranes (Grulla Común / Grus grus) and the impressive numbers of Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus) feeding in the rice stubble fields.

Common Cranes (Grulla Común / Grus grus).

Common Cranes (Grulla Común / Grus grus).

We stood up on the road and scanned the bushes along the track and soon had the first of at least 7 Little Buntings (Escribano pigmeo / Emberiza pusilla) which showed regularly but were always distant as well as good numbers of Corn Buntings (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) and Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs).

Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus).

Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).

As we stood there and during a couple of strolls up to the River we added Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), adult and immature Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), a singing Sedge Warbler (Carricerin Común / Acrocephalus schoenobaenus), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirundo daurica), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Spanish (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis) and Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) along with my first Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina) of the year and Clouded Yellow (Colias corceua).

Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti).

Swallowtail (Papilio machaon).

Again we returned to the cars and then John took me to two places I had not been to before, on the way I saw 2x Monarchs (Danaus plexippus) as we drove through Benalup, the first was a very interesting looking track near the village of Los Badalejos where we saw many of the species seen earlier but added just a Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius) which was only seen by John.

Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos).

Short-toed Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus).

Short-toed Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus).

The second site was along the Valcargado track, almost straight away this site started to produce when we picked up a Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos) being mobbed by an immature looking Bonelli's Eagle (Aguila-azor Perdicera / Hieraaetus faciatus) and in the same view at times there was a Cinereous / European Black Vulture (Buitre Negro / Aegypius monachus) and nearby Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Red (Milano Real / Milvus milvus) and Black Kites (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans), Marsh Harrier and Common Buzzard.

Lesser Kestrel (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni) Male.

Lesser Kestrel (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni) female.

Lesser Kestrel (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni) female.

We drove further along the track seeing 2 more Bonelli's Eagles including a cracking adult bird which showered well.

Lesser Kestrel (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni) female.

Lesser Kestrel (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni) Male.

At the end of the drive able part of the track we scanned the ridges for a while before driving back adding singles of Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Short-toed (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus) and Iberian Imperial Eagle.

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus).

Once we were back on the tarmac we headed for John's house and spent a few hours raptor watching from his Terrace where we saw 40 or so Lesser Kestrel (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni), an adult Bonelli's, 4x Sparrowhawks, Griffon Vultures, Black Kites and another Short-toed.

Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans).

Later John did us a nice meal and we sat and had a few beers and a good chat.