La Janda and Observatorio de Guadalmesí, Cadiz Province, Spain.

Back out in the rain for some good birding with Sonia and Ricky. 

Ebird List for La Janda.

Ebird List for Observatorio de Guadalmesí.

 

La Janda as we arrived, looking cloudy and wet.

We all headed out getting some breakfast at Cafeteria E.S. Miraflores before going around the coast past Tarifa and on up to La Janda where we took the main track, as we rolled down towards the main canal we saw Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), Spotless (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and Common Starling (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis) and European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis).

White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia).

White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia).

At the first bend we checked the bushes, down by the canal and out on the fields on the far side, in these areas we saw Squirting Cucumber (Ecballium elaterium), Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), lots of White Storks (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta), Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Cetti's (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), House (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and a good number of Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus).

As we continued on along the canal track the rain just kept getting worse and made checking the Rice fields difficult, however we did manage to find Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Crane (Grulla Común / Grus grus), Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus), Great Egret (Garceta Grande / Ardea alba), a Western Osprey (Águila Pescardora / Pandion haliaetus), Western Swamp-hen (Calamón Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Common Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Ruff (Combatiente / Calidris pugnax), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Common Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus), Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), European Stonechat and Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus) out on one of the Rice Paddies.

At the farm turning we decided to go straight on and check the area out but we didn't really pick up much new and when we came to a rather muddy patch of infill we decided not to risk it and turned around, we then turned right along the track up towards the farm and made a stop by the Canal Secundario but on the way there we had a flock of Common Woodpigeons (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) which also contained at least 3 Stock Doves (Paloma Zurita / Columba oenas).

At the Canal we saw a Common Kingfisher (Martin Pescador Común / Alcedo atthis), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus), Northern Raven (Cuervo grande / Corvus corax) and Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata).

We again pushed on, passing the farm and going through the wild Olive fields before we dropped down to the Celemin area, during this drive we saw lots of Narcissus serotinus, Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) x1, Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Western Jackdaw (Grajilla occidental / Corvus monedula), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula) and Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs). 

Down by the Celemin we stopped for a while checking the bushes and fields from the car as the rain had returned, as we sat there we picked up Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii), Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis). 

The conditions as we drove out of La Janda.

After a while we decided to call it as the rain was just getting heavier, so we drove out and then made our way across to Vejer del la Frontera and the back south towards Tarifa but checked the Northern entrance into La Janda as there had been a Great Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Norteño Koenigi / Lanius excubitor koenigi), I think that was the correct SubSpecies but as hard as we tried we couldn't find it, however we did see Egyptian Mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon), European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris).

As we went South the weather got quite a lot better so Ricky took me to a place I had never been to called Observatorio de Guadalmesí.

We turned off the main road onto the minor road and made our way out to the Torre de Guadalmesí where we spent a while doing a sea watch, on the way out we saw Common Kestrel, Thekla's Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Eurasian Blackcap, Sardinian Warbler, Common Blackbird, Black Redstart, European Stonechat, Meadow Pipit, Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina), European Goldfinch and Corn Bunting.

Thekla's Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae).

Thekla's Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae).

We reached the tower and parked so that we could scan the sea, picking up a single Arctic Skua (Págalo Parásito / Stercorarius parasiticus) which flew low over the waves out of the Med, over a 100 Balearic (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus) and at least 13 Cory's (Pardela Cenicienta Canaria / Calonectris diomedea borealis) or Scopoli’s Shearwater (Pardela cenicienta mediterránea / Calonectris diomedea) but they were just too far out to get a positive ID, Northern Gannet (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus), Audouin's (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii), Yellow-legged and Lesser Black-backed Gull, Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Thalasseus sandvicensis) and Great Cormorant. 

Looking across to Morocco and Ceuta. 

Looking back along the coast towards Tarifa.

The rain again started so we headed back to Sonia and Ricky's where we had some nice food again and a couple of drinks whilst listening to music and chatting.