Bahía de Santander--Marisma del Conde, Molino de Santa Olaja, Casa de las mareas de Soano, Polder y Ría de Escalante, Observatorio de La Arenilla and the Port at Santoña, Cantabria, Spain.

Another nice day's birding, warm but windy. 

Ebird List for Marisma del Conde.

Ebird List for Molino de Santa Olaja.

Ebird List for Casa de las mareas de Soano.

Ebird List for Observatorio de La Arenilla.

I drove out to Marisma del Conde which should have been a nice straight forward 20-minute trip but somewhere along the line I think the Girl in my phone that works for Google Maps got her own back for me having a minor meltdown yesterday during the drive around Bilbao and she took me on a rather strange route along some very tight, extremely muddy roads and tracks, by the time I got there I am sure it was closer to 35 minutes than the original 20.

17 Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

Anyway, I arrived and walked out to the hide, seeing Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), 4x Eurasian Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), lots of Meadow Pipits (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) and Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) on the way.

Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

At the Mirador Punta del Pico, which overlooked a marsh to the left and the Ria de Cubas off to the right, on the marsh side there were 4 Great Egrets (Garceta Grande / Ardea alba) chasing each other around the reed beds which flushed out a couple of Little Egrets (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta) and a Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).

Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus).

To my right on the Ria there was a flock of 17 Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) which were together in a group until a small boat flushed them up, they returned and then as the tide came in split up and started to feed.

A very bad shot of the Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) with Ring and  flag, possibly done in Norway????

Also out on the Ria were Mute Swan (Cisne Vulgar / Cygnus olor), Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Mareca strepera), Eurasian Wigeon (Sibón Europeo / Mareca penelope), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Northern Pintail (Ánade Rabudo / Anas acuta), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Eurasian Oystercatcher (Ostrero Euroasiático / Haematopus ostralegus), Eurasian Curlew (Zarapito Real / Numenius arquata), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) one of which was ringed with a red colour ring on the left leg above the tarsus and a yellow flag on the right with what looks like M18 on it, Common Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia), Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina), Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus), Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) and Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), Great Crested Grebe (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus) and Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo).

Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).

More to the left and over the marsh I saw a distant Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) which was one of a pair in the area, Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), a ♀ Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone) and in the reeds nearby a calling Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti).  

Otter (Nutria / Lutra lutra).

Otter (Nutria / Lutra lutra).

Otter (Nutria / Lutra lutra).

The tide was coming in quite quickly and the was filling the channels, as I scanned a nearby channel I saw some ripples running against the flow which at first I guessed was going to be a fish but then a head surfaced attached to a long sleek body and I realised that it was an Otter (Nutria / Lutra lutra) so I made sure other 5 people there got on it but this turned out to be a mistake as one selfish pillock rushed straight to the edge of the channel and stud right in front of the rest of us and blocked our view.

It worked its way along the channel and came out of the water to our left, then the same guy straddled the electric fence and headed across the field to get closer.

Eurasian Curlew (Zarapito Real / Numenius arquata), Eurasian Oystercatcher (Ostrero Euroasiático / Haematopus ostralegus) and Mute Swans (Cisne Vulgar / Cygnus olor).

Anyway it then ran off up a bank and over into the marsh and was lost to view, at this point I thought I would head off and so did most of the others, just leaving this guy and his wife there, as I walked back with one of the other Spanish guy we picked up a Western Osprey (Águila Pescardora / Pandion haliaetus), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola) and just past the car down another short track I added Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis) and a single Small White (Pieris rapae) x1. 

A distant Western Osprey (Águila Pescardora / Pandion haliaetus).

I returned to the car and headed to Molino de Santa Olaja and Casa de las mareas de Soano two areas with pools, at the first spot I scanned a largish pool by the car park where I had Mallard, Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Yellow-legged Gull, Great Cormorant, Eurasian Spoonbill, a couple more Great and Little Egrets, 2 displaying Common Buzzards, Eurasian Blue Tit, European Robin and the first Dunnock (Acentor Común / Prunella modularis) which was calling loudly from the scrub next to the viewing platform but it still took me 10 minutes to get a view of it.

Great Egrets (Garceta Grande / Ardea alba).

Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis).

Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis).

I followed the trail around to the back of the same lake to the wall near the molino, on the way I had nice views of another Zitting Cisticola, a pair of European Stonechat, a late Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera) butterfly and around by the molino Grey Plover (Chorlito Gris / Pluvialis squatarola), Common Greenshank, Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus) and a Common Kingfisher (Martin Pescador Común / Alcedo atthis).

The second pool from the boardwalk.

The first pool from the far end by the Molino.

The Molino with the first pool to the left and the Estuary to the right.

Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), Little Egrets (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta) and Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo) feeding together.

Common Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia).

Common Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia).

Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus).

Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia).

Great Egrets (Garceta Grande / Ardea alba) again on my way back to the car.

On the walk back I picked up a Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos) before I went around to the nearby Casa de las mareas de Soano and checked the pool there, finding good numbers of most of the Duck species seen earlier and adding Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), Tufted Duck (Porrón Moñudo / Aythya fuligula), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Eurasian Jay (Arrendajo Euroasiático / Garrulus glandarius), Northern Raven (Cuervo grande / Corvus corax), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea).

Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta).

I continued on and made a brief stop at Polder y Ría de Escalante where I added Great Northern Diver (Colimbo Grande / Gavia immer) but nothing else, so I made my way to the Observatorio de La Arenilla where I again bumped into Pep from yesterday, I was pleased to hear he had gone back to Vitoria-Gasteiz and had seen all 4 of the Lesser Redpoll (Pardillo norteño / Acanthis flammea) this morning.

Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus).

From the hide I saw Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus) which was eating a snack on the top of one of the pylons across the road, lots of Dark-bellied Brent Geese (Barnacla Carinegra / Branta bernicla), the head of the resident ♂ Common Eider (Eider Común / Somateria mollissima) which was resting up on a grass covered ridge of rocks to the left of the hide, Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Thalasseus sandvicensis), European Shag (Cormorán Moñudo / Phalacrocorax aristotelis) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

♂ Common Eider (Eider Común / Somateria mollissima).

♂ Common Eider (Eider Común / Somateria mollissima).

Pep had already headed off for some lunch, so I decided I would as well but this was delayed when I reached car and saw that a couple of people were getting great views of the Common Eider, so I walked down and found that the woman was whistling and making noises and the Eider was attracted to this and occasionally called back to her, very strange.

♂ Common Eider (Eider Común / Somateria mollissima).

♂ Common Eider (Eider Común / Somateria mollissima).

Anyway, after getting some nice views and pictures I went around to Santoña and into Bar El Muelle, where I had a coffee and what I thought was going to be Squid but when it arrived I wasn't sure what it was but it tasted good anyway.

Dark-bellied Brent Geese (Barnacla Carinegra / Branta bernicla).

Dark-bellied Brent Geese (Barnacla Carinegra / Branta bernicla).

Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo).

My last stop of the day was down by the Bullring where I heard and saw European Rock Pipit (Bisbita Costero / Anthus petrosus) and spent a while talking to two different couples who were also there for the Pipits before heading back to the accommodation a bit early as I was knackered. 

Looking up the Estuary.