Algeciras, Palmones--Paseo Marítimo and Los Lance Beach, Cadiz Province, Spain.

Out for another windy and wet morning with Ricky.

Ebird List for Algeciras.

Ebird List for Palmones.

Ebird List for Los Lances.

 

House Bunting (Escribano sahariano / Emberiza sahari) male.

Ricky and I were off early to an area of Algeciras town where we were hoping to find some of the recently colonising House Buntings (Escribano sahariano / Emberiza sahari), with there being 20 odd birds in the area we were fairly confident of finding a few.

House Bunting (Escribano sahariano / Emberiza sahari) male.

House Bunting (Escribano sahariano / Emberiza sahari) female.

We arrived and soon found a single bird singing from a TV ariel which was the first of at least 9 birds seen alongside Feral Pigeon (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Eurasian Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus).

We returned to the car and made our way back along the coast to Palmones, we parked at the first part of the river and walked the full length of the Paseo Maritimo seeing a couple of Common Shelducks (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna) but we later found these getting feed at one of the bars and carrying rings, Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), Common Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Grey Plover (Chorlito Gris / Pluvialis squatarola), Common Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina), several Common Sandpipers (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Whimbrel (Zarapito Trinador / Numenius phaeopus), Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus), Mediterranean Gull (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Audouin's Gull (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii), Yellow-legged Gull and Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Thalasseus sandvicensis), Little (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta) and Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), Eurasian Collared Dove, Western Osprey (Águila Pescardora / Pandion haliaetus), Common Kingfisher (Martin Pescador Común / Alcedo atthis), Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), Black Redstart, Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Spotless Starling, Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Common Chiffchaff, Eurasian Blackcap, White Wagtail, Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris) and European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis).

Leach's Storm Petrel (Paíño Boreal / Hydrobates leucorhous).

Leach's Storm Petrel (Paíño Boreal / Hydrobates leucorhous).

We walked back down the river to the car and headed back through Algeciras and onto Los Lances beach near Tarifa, we parked at the start of the Sendero de los Lances but took our shoes and socks of and crossed to the beach as soon as we got there because Ricky saw a Leach's Storm Petrel (Paíño Boreal / Hydrobates leucorhous) come down on the beach.

Leach's Storm Petrel (Paíño Boreal / Hydrobates leucorhous).

Leach's Storm Petrel (Paíño Boreal / Hydrobates leucorhous).

Leach's Storm Petrel (Paíño Boreal / Hydrobates leucorhous).

Unfortunately a dog walker got to the area first and the exhausted bird was off again, however we did see another 6 birds along with Northern Gannet (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Yellow-legged Gull, 100+ Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba) and Little Egret.

Northern Gannet (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus).

Looking Northish along the Los Lances Beach.

Looking Southish toward Tarifa Island.

Ricky searching for the next Leach's.

After a couple of hours we headed back to Ricky's place where Sonia did us some lunch and we had another piece of her wonderful cake and a coffee before I started to make my way back home but I did pop into Guadalhorce for a very quick visit to see if I could find some reported Common Scoter (Negrón Común / Melanitta nigra) as it would be a year tick and get me closer to my 350 target.

There was no sign of the Scoters but I did see Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus) and Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus).

I continued on home, as I crossed Puerto de las Pedrizas I saw a couple of immature Golden Eagles (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos) soaring low over the motorway and as I passed through the Huétor Fields I finished off with Eurasian Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica) and Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua). 

45mm fell whilst I was away.

A big thanks to Sonia and Ricky for a great few days away, I will miss Sonia's food which was great and both of their company.