Cambarco in Cantabria, Ribadeva--Tinamayor in Asturias, Unquera, Bahía de Santander--Marismas de Parayas and Dársena de Raos, Marismas Blancas, Laredo--Puerto deportivo and Marismas de Santoña in Cantabria, Spain.

A bit of birding around the accommodation whilst we packed and the heading to a few spots along the North Coast.

Deb and Ian, Day Fifty One.

Ebird List for Cambarco.

Ebird List for Ribadeva--Tinamayor. 

Ebird List for Unquera. 

Ebird List for Bahía de Santander--Marismas de Parayas. 

Ebird List for Dársena de Raos y puerto deportivo. 

Ebird List for Laredo--Puerto deportivo. 

Ebird List for Polder y Ría de Escalante. 

Ebird List for Observatorio de La Arenilla. 

 

Middle-spotted Woodpecker (Pico Mediano / Dendrocopos medius) Male.

We started the day with some packing before Deb and I went for a short walk along the track from the accommodation where we had nice but brief views of a male Middle-spotted Woodpecker (Pico Mediano / Dendrocopos medius).

Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).

Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).

European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis).

Other species seen during this walk were Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Eurasian Jay (Arrendajo Euroasiático / Garrulus glandarius), Eurasian Blue (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Eurasian Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Europeo / Certhia brachydactyla), Eurasian Wren (Chochin paleártico / Troglodytes troglodytes), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Common (Colirroja Real / Phoenicurus phoenicurus) and Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris) and European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis).  

We left the very nice accommodation and started the pain in the ass drive up to the coast from Potes, there was so much of the route under roadworks it took a lot long than I had hoped but eventually we reached Unquera.

White-tailed Eagle (Pigargo Europeo / Haliaeetus albicilla).

White-tailed Eagle (Pigargo Europeo / Haliaeetus albicilla).

Just over the motorway we visited an area of wet farmland along the Rio Deva where we hoped to see one of the introduced White-tailed Eagles (Pigargo Europeo / Haliaeetus albicilla) from the very controversial project in the area which I think has now been shut down but it looks as if the original birds may be breeding ???? as we found an immature bird on one of the Pylons.

Large-flowered Evening-Primrose (Oenothera glazioviana).

In the same area we had Large-flowered Evening-Primrose (Oenothera glazioviana), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Common Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Red-rumped (Golondrina Dáurica / Cecropis daurica) and Barn Swallow, Eurasian Wren and Eurasian Blackcap.

We headed back into Unquera where we stopped at the Hostal Río Deva for coffee and as we sat there we saw a couple of Sand Martin (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia) through the window so one we had finished we headed outside and checked the area finding Mallard, Common Woodpigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Common Swift, Yellow-legged Gull, Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), Carrion Crow, Barn Swallow, Western House Martin, Eurasian Blackcap, Eurasian Wren, Common Blackbird and House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus).

We took to the motorways and headed for Santander where we checked some freshwater pools along side the airport runway, on the water we saw Mute Swan (Cisne Vulgar / Cygnus olor), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Mareca strepera), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus) and Yellow-legged Gull, Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Common Reed and Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), Eurasian Blackcap and Common Blackbird.

Bahía de Santander.

As we walked back to the car Ian spotted a fishing store so we went in there and had a look around and Ian came out with a couple of lures to use off the boat back home.

Common Tern (Charrán Común / Sterna hirundo).

We moved on around to the seaward or estuary side of the Bahía de Santander where we saw Eurasian Curlew (Zarapito Real / Numenius arquata), Whimbrel (Zarapito Trinador / Numenius phaeopus), Mediterranean Gull (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Yellow-legged and Great Black-backed Gull (Gavión Atlántico / Larus marinus), Common Tern (Charrán Común / Sterna hirundo), Great Cormorant, Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), Little (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta) and Great Egret (Garceta Grande / Ardea alba).

Kelp / Cape Gull (Gaviota cocinera / Larus dominicanus vetula).

Kelp / Cape Gull (Gaviota cocinera / Larus dominicanus vetula).

Kelp / Cape Gull (Gaviota cocinera / Larus dominicanus vetula).

Our next stop was not far along the Motorway at the Marismas Blancas but we didn't find anything new so we continued on around to Laredo Port where we were hoping to see the long staying Kelp / Cape Gull (Gaviota cocinera / Larus dominicanus vetula), when we arrived we parked and walked the long seawall but just a short way along we saw our target just below us out on one of the Port Piers so we dropped down there and had some nice views of the bird whilst it waited for one of the fishermen to throw it something.

Kelp / Cape Gull (Gaviota cocinera / Larus dominicanus vetula).

Kelp / Cape Gull (Gaviota cocinera / Larus dominicanus vetula).

Kelp / Cape Gull (Gaviota cocinera / Larus dominicanus vetula).

In the same area we picked up European Shag (Cormorán Moñudo / Phalacrocorax aristotelis) which was new for the trip. 

European Shag (Cormorán Moñudo / Phalacrocorax aristotelis).

European Shag (Cormorán Moñudo / Phalacrocorax aristotelis) and Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo).

We left the Port and headed around to Santoña and checked the Observatorio de aves on the Ría de Escalante on the way to the town, new species seen included White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans) and a Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus).  

Our final stop of the day was at Observatorio de La Arenilla where I hoped we would find the long staying Common Eider (Eider Común / Somateria mollissima) and within a few minutes we could see it feeding to the left of the hide, another new species for the trip.

Other new species seen were Eurasian Oystercatcher (Ostrero Euroasiático / Haematopus ostralegus), Common Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina) along with more Eurasian Curlew, Whimbrel, Black-headed, Yellow-legged and Great Black-backed Gull, Great Cormorant, Little and Western Cattle Egret and European Goldfinch.

We finished the birding at this point and headed to Isla where we were staying, later we went out for some food as Ian and I wanted to try the local Santoña Anchovies but we were a little disappointed to find they weren't fresh and actually came in a tin 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀