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Saturday, 18 January 2025

Santander, Dársena de Raos y puerto deportivo, Marismas de Parayas, Marismas Blancas, Puerto de Santoña, Canal de Hano, Observatorio de La Arenilla, Polder y Ría de Escalante and Playa de Berria, Cantabria, Spain.

My first day back in Spain, Sun, Birds and real Coffee. 
Ebird List for Dársena de Raos y puerto deportivo.
Ebird List for Marismas de Parayas.
Ebird List for Marismas Blancas.
Ebird List for Puerto de Santoña.
Ebird List for Canal de Hano.
Ebird List for Playa de Berria.
 
Looking back across the bay to the Ferry I had just left.
The speakers went off at 06.45 and then the instructions started to fly around as we came into Port in Santander, we were all in our cars by 08.00 and I was off and heading for a Coffee by 08.45 so not too bad, however when I got to the bar it was closed, first and thankfully only disaster of the day.
Great Northern Diver (Colimbo Grande / Gavia immer).
So I started birding and we around to the Dársena de Raos y Puerto Deportivo where I got myself as organised as I could and soon had the scope up watching the first Great Northern Diver (Colimbo Grande / Gavia immer) of the day as well as Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Great Crested (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus) and Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus),  Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) all out on the water.
Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis).
On the far rocky shore there were a good number of roosting
Little Egrets (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta) and Grey Herons (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and on a much nearer rocky breakwater I found a largish flock of Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina) and a few  Common Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula).
Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis).
Behind me in amongst the industrial units I added House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) before I moved just around the corner to see what was on the two pools of the Marismas de Parayas.
Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta).
I started with the freshwater pool finding Mute Swan (Cisne Vulgar / Cygnus olor), Mallard, Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Mareca strepera), Tufted Duck (Porrón Moñudo / Aythya fuligula), Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Great Cormorant, heard a Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) and Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti).
 Marismas Blancas.
On the more tidal part of the area I added Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Common Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia), Black-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa), Black-headedLesser Black-backed and Yellow-legged Gull, Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), Little Egrets, Grey Heron and in the surrounding Tamarisk bushes European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris) and Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs). 
A proper Coffee at last.
I moved on again to a spot I like called Marismas Blancas, a lake surrounded by Reed Beds with plenty of wildfowl including 2 ♂ and 1 ♀ Greater Scaup (Porrón Bastardo / Aythya marila), a ♀ Ring-necked Duck (Porrón acollarado / Aythya collaris), Common Pochard, Northern Shoveler, Tufted Duck, Eurasian Teal, Gadwall and Mallard.
Slavonian / Horned (Zampullín Cuellirrojo / Podiceps auritus)  above and Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis).
Other species included Mute Swan, Eurasian Coot, Black-headed and Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Great Cormorant, Little Egrets, Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Cetti's Warbler and Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone).
I relocated again, a little further this time to a bar near the Port of Santoña where I managed to get two large Coffee's that tasted of Coffee, the first in several weeks and two only cost €2.60 !!!!
After a caffeine intake I headed to the port near the Bull Ring but unfortunately the bit I want to go onto was being repaired so I stayed on the decked area near the Bull Ring which payed off as whilst I was there 3 European Rock Pipits (Bisbita Costero / Anthus petrosus) flew in and out again a couple of times.
Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis).
From the same spot I had 700+ Dark-bellied Brent Geese (Barnacla Carinegra / Branta bernicla) but I was told by a group of Spanish birders that passed by there were actually over a 1000 in the area, Eurasian Oystercatcher (Ostrero Euroasiático / Haematopus ostralegus), Eurasian Curlew (Zarapito Real / Numenius arquata), Whimbrel (Zarapito Trinador / Numenius phaeopus), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Great Black-backed Gull (Gavión Atlántico / Larus marinus), Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Thalasseus sandvicensis), Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) x4, Great Crested and Black-necked Grebe, Great Northern Diver, Eurasian Spoonbill, Great Egret (Garceta Grande / Ardea alba) x3 and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).
Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis).
After speaking to the Spanish Guy's who were extremely helpful my next stop was at the bridge over the Canal de Hano where I was quickly watching a very smart Slavonian / Horned Grebe (Zampullín Cuellirrojo / Podiceps auritus) which was feeding along side 3 Black-necked which gave a very nice chance for a comparison.
A few minutes later a Spanish lady got me onto the ♂ American Green-winged Teal (Cerceta americana / Anas carolinensis) which had been around for a few day and was in amongst a flock of Eurasian Teal and was a new species for my Spanish list but think it's getting lumped again or already has been.
American Green-winged Teal (Cerceta americana / Anas carolinensis).
Other species seen here included Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus) and Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo).
I drove up to the Observatorio de La Arenilla but it was very quiet so after going into Santoña again and refueling I went to Polder y Ría de Escalante where I had another two Peregrine Falcon, a large flock of Black-tailed Godwits (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa) and a Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).
White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia).
My last birding stop of the day was at the Playa de Berria where I sat in the car and had a late lunch adding
Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), Eurasian Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus) and European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola) to the day / year list and a nice show of Italian Arum (Arum italicum) and a few Common Daisy's (Bellis perennis).
I then decided that I had seen enough so I headed for my accommodation for the next four nights and chilled.

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