Desembocadura Río PIles in Gijon, Embalse de La Furta and Ría de Avilés-Ensenada de Llodero near Avilés, Faro de Cabo Peñas and Laguna de Verdicio, Asturias, Spain.

Some more Gull watching and a trip around and to the North of Avilés later. 

Ebird List for Desembocadura Río PIles.

Ebird List for Embalse de La Furta.

Ebird List for Ría de Avilés-Ensenada de Llodero.

 

Gijon and some Gulls with the sun on the town through the sea spray.

I started the day at the by heading back to the Desembocadura Río PIles in Gijon, where I was again looking for Gulls, as the tide was low most of the birds were on the beach, so I walked around the bay and out to the beach.

Looking along the beach.

Some more of the Gulls.

Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus) plus 3rd winter and adult Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis).

I scanned the flock finding the usual 4 species Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus), Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) and Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) but also picked up another bird which looked a bit like an adult European Herring Gull (Gaviota Argéntea Europea / Larus argentatus).

European Herring Gull (Gaviota Argéntea Europea / Larus argentatus).

Unfortunately, just as I got the scope on the bird the first of a few mini storm surges came up the beach flushing the gulls and making me scamper a bit further inland.

European Herring Gull (Gaviota Argéntea Europea / Larus argentatus).

European Herring Gull (Gaviota Argéntea Europea / Larus argentatus).

After a while I relocated the bird and got some photos which were enough to confirm it as an adult European Herring, my first for the year.

Mediterranean Gull (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus).

After a while I walked back up onto the Paseo Muro de San Lorenzo and back around to the rocks, on the way I met Ignacio Vega, a local birder, we spent sometime chatting and exchanging information before I continued on finding the 3 Purple Sandpipers (Correlimos Oscuro / Calidris maritima) again but they were having a snooze unlike the good numbers of Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres) which were feeding amongst the debris which had been washed in by recent storms, Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

Purple Sandpiper (Correlimos Oscuro / Calidris maritima).

It started to rain, so I headed off to a spot not too far away where I had seen an Ebird report for a Ring-necked Duck (Porrón acollarado / Aythya collaris), I arrived to find that there wasn't an easy way to check the lake which was behind a fence and surrounded by trees, however I set the scope up and did the best I could through the gaps.

After a while, through one of the smaller gaps, I managed to see the ♂ Ring-necked Duck with a ♀ Tufted Duck (Porrón Moñudo / Aythya fuligula) and several Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata).

Through another gap I added Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra) and heard a calling Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus) squeal twice.

Other species included Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Coal Tit  (Carbonero Garrapinos / Periparus ater), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), Long-tailed Tit (Mito Común / Aegithalos caudatus), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Eurasian Wren (Chochin paleártico / Troglodytes troglodytes), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and White Wagtail.

I moved on again and went up along the Rio in Avilés to Ría de Avilés-Ensenada de Llodero where I did a walk out to the hide and back to the car seeing Grey Plover (Chorlito Gris / Pluvialis squatarola), Eurasian Whimbrel (Zarapito Trinador / Numenius phaeopus), Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina), Black-headed, Mediterranean and Yellow-legged Gull, Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Little Egret, Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Carrion Crow and European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula).

From here I drove up to the Faro de Cabo Peñas, on the way I saw Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis) Bidens aurea, Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) and Climbing Groundsel (Senecio Angulatus).

Los Merenálavrez rocks.

Looking East towards the Pico's de Europa mountains.

same again.

At the Faro I only did a short walk to the end of the headland overlooking the Los Merenálavrez rocks as the rain had started again, I had a quick scan over the sea adding Northern Gannet (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus) x2 and a Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) before retreating to the car and heading back towards Avilés.

On the way I called in at the Laguna de Verdicio but apart from a few Mallards (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Cetti's Warbler, European Robin and lots of Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) it was quiet, so I returned to the hotel where I was surprised to find a Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) on the wing in the rain.

Later I got a message from Ignacio to say he had just seen the Ring-billed Gull (Gaviota de Delaware / Larus delawarensis) in Gijon.