Cabo de Gata area, Almeria Province, Spain.

A day around the Cabo area with a bird Lifer for John and a good year tick for me.

Ebird List for the Hide.

Ebird List for Rambla Morales.

Ebird list for Middle Hide.

Looking down the Salinas from the Hide.

We first headed to the hide overlooking the Salinas to the NW near the village of Cabo de Gata, we could see good numbers of birds including several wading species Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Pied Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Kentish (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus), Common Ringed (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula) and Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Black-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Common Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia), Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba) and 2 unexpected Eurasian Curlews (Zarapito Real / Numenius arquata).

Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus).

As we stood in the hide we also saw  Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Slender-billed (Gaviota Picofina / Chroicocephalus genei), Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus) and Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), Little (Charrancito Común / Sternula albifrons), Black (Fumarel Común / Chlidonias niger) and Common Tern (Charrán Común / Sterna hirundo), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta), Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala) and Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae).

Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus).

We moved on and went through the village, along the beach to the parking spot at Rambla Morales where Pam and John went for a swim and I went to check the lake where I found Whiskered Tern (Fumarel Cariblanca / Chilidonias hybridus), Slender-billed, Black-headed, Lesser Black-backed, Audouin's (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii), Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus) and Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata), Mallard, White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), Little (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Black-winged Stilt, Pied Avocet, Kentish Plover, Whimbrel (Zarapito Trinador / Numenius phaeopus), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba) and on the beach end of the pool  picked up singles of both Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres) and Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina).

Whiskered Tern (Fumarel Cariblanca / Chilidonias hybridus).

Whimbrel (Zarapito Trinador / Numenius phaeopus).

Other species seen included Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Barn Swallow, Sand (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia) and Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Spiny-footed Lizard (Acanthodactylus erythrurus), Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii), after their swim John joined me and I was able to get him on most of the species I had seen.

Audouin's Gull (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii).

Our next stop was for a coffee in Bar-Restaurante Las Orillas Del Mar at La Almadraba de Monteleva on our way to the Faro de Cabo de Gata, when we went over the top of the hill on the way there we could see that it was very busy so we went up to the parking by the unused visitors center instead but it was very quiet and we didn't add anything new so we headed back to the Hide which is called observatorio 2.

Elegant Tern (Charrán Elegante / Thalasseus elegans) the views through the scope were much better than through the Camera.

From this hide we scanned the Salinas in front of us seeing many of the species we had already seen but we did find several Sandwich (Charrán Patinegro / Thalasseus sandvicensis), Little, Black, Common Terns roosting on a narrow row of rocks out on the lagoon to the right of the Hide but as I scanned further right with the scope I picked up the one species I had hoped for, an Elegant Tern (Charrán Elegante / Thalasseus elegans) which had been reported from the area a few times over the last few days.

Audouin's Gulls (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii).

Slender-billed Gull (Gaviota Picofina / Chroicocephalus genei).

From this hide we decided to have a look around the back of the Salinas to see if we could get better views of the Tern but it was not possible, we did see lots more Audouin's and Slender-billed Gull but we didn't add much else so we decided to go and have another look for the Common Tiger Blue (Tarucus theophrastus) in Retamar and we soon found 20 odd flying around the two Ziziphus spina-christi.

Common Tiger Blue (Tarucus theophrastus) ♀♂.

Common Tiger Blue (Tarucus theophrastus) ♀.

Once we had our fill we headed back to the accommodation and then after a short break we went for a walk around town and look at the ceramic shops.

Common Tiger Blue (Tarucus theophrastus) ♂.

Common Tiger Blue (Tarucus theophrastus) ♂.