Desembocadura Río PIles and Parque de Isabel la Católica in Gijón, Asturias, Spain.

An 8 Gull day.

Ebird List for Desembocadura Río PIles 1.

Ebird List for Desembocadura Río PIles 2.

Ebird List for Desembocadura Río PIles 3.

Ebird List for Parque de Isabel la Católica.

 

This was taken a couple of minutes before 09:00 and actually looks a lot lighter than it was, street lights are still on.

I got up and headed to the bar for some breakfast, forgetting it didn't open until 08:30 as it was Saturday, a bit of a pain, so I decided to head straight over the spot I have spent most of this part of the trip in Gijon.

A while later in the morning.

It was always my plan to just spend time around the town, as it held lots of good memoried from happier times, but to be honest I didn't get far from the Paseo Muro de San Lorenzo as that's where the Gulls concentrated.

I arrived just before 09:00, but the light was still low enough for the street lights to be on but as the morning progressed it turned out to be a very nice day weather wise, Gull wise and company wise as I was lucky enough to spend different parts of the day with some of the local Birders including Ignacio (Nacho) Vega again, Javi Alonso Almeida, Juan Carlos Rodriguez Robles and Dingo + others.

2nd winter Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis).

2nd winter Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis).

During the morning session I started by the bridge checking the birds there which were having a great time splashing around bathing in the fresh if not muddy looking water coming out of the Rio Piles, they included Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus), Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Yellow-legged and Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus).

1st winter Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus).

Winter Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus).

Further down the walkway I again stopped when I heard a calling European Rock Pipit (Bisbita Costero / Anthus petrosus) which had flown up from the rocks and did a couple of circles before flying off to the east.

1st winter Great Black-backed Gull (Gavión Atlántico / Larus marinus).

Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) HN353.

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

I checked through the birds on this side of the Rio, seeing 1st winter and adult Great Black-backed Gull (Gavión Atlántico / Larus marinus) as well as a couple of birds with rings including HN353 on a Lesser Black-backed from somewhere in Germany and another Lesser Black-backed J=V from Cardiff in Wales.

1st winter Caspian Gull (Gaviota del Caspio / Larus cachinnans).

1st winter Caspian Gull (Gaviota del Caspio / Larus cachinnans).

After a while Nacho arrived and as we checked the birds and chatted we were lucky enough to see a 1st winter Caspian Gull (Gaviota del Caspio / Larus cachinnans), just before Nacho had arrived I had seen this bird bathing on the River but lost it before I had got a photo but was sure of the ID, so I was very pleased when he turned around and called it again on the sand a bit further up stream and closer which allowed for some decent shot, well by my standards anyway.

Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres).

Pied Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba yarrellii). 

Pied Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba yarrellii). 

In the same area we had Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Little (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta) and Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and Pied Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba yarrellii). 

Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres).

Purple Sandpiper (Correlimos Oscuro / Calidris maritima).

Purple Sandpiper (Correlimos Oscuro / Calidris maritima).

Purple Sandpiper (Correlimos Oscuro / Calidris maritima).

After a while Nacho had to head off so I did a walk-up around to El Rinconín finding lots more Ruddy Turnstones and at least 5 Purple Sandpiper (Correlimos Oscuro / Calidris maritima).

At this point I decided some late Breakfast /early Lunch was required, so I turned around and headed back towards the town as I had enjoyed some Coffee and food in a lively little bar called Terra Angels but on the way Javi waved me down onto the beach where he was watching a very smart 1st winter Common Gull (Gaviota Cana / Larus canus), a species I really like to see and had missed so far this year, Thanks Javi.

1st winter Common Gull (Gaviota Cana / Larus canus).

1st winter Common Gull (Gaviota Cana / Larus canus).

1st winter Common Gull (Gaviota Cana / Larus canus).

1st winter Common Gull (Gaviota Cana / Larus canus).

1st winter Common Gull (Gaviota Cana / Larus canus).

1st winter Common Gull (Gaviota Cana / Larus canus).

Eventually I dragged myself away and went for the coffee and had a nice chat with a Spanish lady in there about the town, she was from Santa Fe near Granada originally but had lived in Gijon for most of her adult life, very interesting, so much that I found I was sat there with her for nearly two hours and I needed to get back to the beach as It was getting close to prim Ring-billed Gull (Gaviota de Delaware / Larus delawarensis).

Red-breasted Merganser (Serreta Mediana / Mergus serrator).

By the time I came out of the bar it had clouded over and was spitting with rain, I did a bit of a detour on the way back via the park and the Rio Piles where I found one of the Red-breasted Mergansers (Serreta Mediana / Mergus serrator) feeding in amongst a group of Mallards (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) which I thought was a bit odd.

Anyway I reached the bridge by the each and before I crossed the road to the beach side I had a scan at the few Gulls I could see from there and was surprised to see what I thought was the target so I walked to the crossing was soon on te first ramp with another couple watching my 8th Gull species of the day and the 10th for the trip.

1st winter Ring-billed Gull (Gaviota de Delaware / Larus delawarensis).

1st winter Ring-billed Gull (Gaviota de Delaware / Larus delawarensis).

1st winter Ring-billed Gull (Gaviota de Delaware / Larus delawarensis).

Nacho turned up after a few minutes, we all spent another 30 mins watch this bird before I decided to head back to the car and head off, So I said goodbye to Nacho, who it had been great to meet and then took the car along the river and parked near the first foot bridge and crossed through the park back to the bar as I had realised that I had left my cap in there earlier, which I collected and then checked the area around the two pools finding Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata), Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Common Kingfisher (Martin Pescador Común / Alcedo atthis), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito ibérico / Picus sharpei), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Goldcrest (Reyezuelo Sencillo / Regulus regulus), Common Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapilla), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula cabrerae) and Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs).

A really grainy shot of the Goldcrest (Reyezuelo Sencillo / Regulus regulus).

I returned to my hotel and got sorted ready for moving on further to the west in the morning.