Costa Ballena, Chipiona Puerto and Playa de Montijo, Cadiz Province, Spain.

Out birding in Storm Claudia and getting an unexpected Lifer.

Ebird List for Costa Ballena--Lago Plaza del Mar.

Ebird List for Costa Ballena--Parque de Los Lagos.

Ebird List for Chipiona--Puerto.

Ebird List for Playa de Montijo.

 

Mediterranean Gull (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus).

Ricky and I again headed out to the North along the A-381, on the way we hit a really nasty patch of weather which made driving very difficult but it started just as we were about to pull off and have some breakfast in Restaurante Venta Andrés, we had a couple of coffee's and a Tostarda before going back to the car and finding the sun was now out.

Mediterranean Gull (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus).

We reached Costa Ballena and went to the pool near to the coast but the weather was windy and very wet so we scanned the pool and the surrounding areas from the car finding Greylag Geese (Ansar Común / Anser anser) domestic, Muscovy Duck (Pato criollo / Cairina moschata) domestic, Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) domestic, Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres), Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba), Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus), Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus) and Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola) and Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis).

After a while the rain eased and Ricky had read a message that there was a good movement of Leach's Storm Petrel (Paíño Boreal / Hydrobates leucorhous) so we walked to the beach but the wind was still very strong so we were really surprised at the amount of shelter we got from a small Tamarisk.

We set the scope up and started to see Northern Gannet (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus), Audouin's Gull (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii), Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Thalasseus sandvicensis) and after about 10 minutes the first of 5 Leach's Storm Petrel but Ricky didn't get on this or the second but had great views of the 3rd which passed close into the beach, we saw another two after this. 

Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus).

Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus).

Little Swift (Vencejo Moro / Apus affinis).

After sometime we returned to the car and drove up to the Parque de Los Lagos where we did a loop of the lake adding Pallid (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus) x2 and Little Swift (Vencejo Moro / Apus affinis) x2, Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) x6, Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Greylag Geese domestic, Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata), Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca), Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres), Common Sandpiper, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Little Grebe, Black-headed, Mediterranean Gull (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Yellow-legged and Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Cormorant, Little Egret, Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Common Kingfisher (Martin Pescador Común / Alcedo atthis), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus canariensis), Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus),  Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Eurasian Magpie, Sardinian Warbler, Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Black Redstart, Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris), Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) and Small White (Pieris rapae) x3.

Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus).

Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus).

Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina).

White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala).

Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca)♀.

Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra).

The rain started again so we headed back to the car and then made our way up to Chipiona Port where we sat and had some lunch whilst watching the Little Swift, Eurasian Crag Martin, Ruddy Turnstone, Yellow-legged and Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo) and Little Egret.

Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta).

Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta).

Chipiona beach with the nest squall on it's way.

Our final stop of the day was at Playa de Montijo where the tide was dropping but so was the rain, we sat in the car and waited for this latest squall to pass and then went for a quick look out on the beach where we found Eurasian Oystercatcher (Ostrero Euroasiático / Haematopus ostralegus), Grey Plover (Chorlito Gris / Pluvialis squatarola), Common Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Whimbrel (Zarapito Trinador / Numenius phaeopus), Bar-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colipinta / Limosa lapponica), Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina), Slender-billed (Gaviota Picofina / Chroicocephalus genei), Black-headed, Mediterranean, Yellow-legged and Lesser Black-backed Gull, Caspian (Pagaza Piquiroja / Hydroprone caspia) and Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Thalasseus sandvicensis), Northern Gannet, Great Cormorant, Little Egret, Eurasian Crag Martin, Sardinian Warbler, Common Blackbird and House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus).

The rain returned so we did, to the car and then back to Ricky's where we again had an absolutely lovely meal and chilled with a cider.