La Bañeza, Balsa de Riego y Alrededores, P-944, Autillo de Campos and Laguna de la Nava in Castilla y León

Starting to head back home, calling in at a couple of spots. 

Ebird List for La Bañeza.

Ebird List for Balsa de Riego y Alrededores.

Ebird List for P-944, Autillo de Campos.

Ebird List for Laguna de la Nava / Observatorio del Prado.

Ebird List for Laguna de la Nava / Observatorio de Corralillos.

 

Rook (Graja / Corvus frugilegus).

I was up and out early and started to drive to La Bañeza where I was going to see the colony of Rooks (Graja / Corvus frugilegus), when I arrived the trees were full of birds but about 10 minutes later they all became quite noisy and then headed out to the fields so I decided to head off towards my next stop, on the way out I saw a couple of Rooks sat on a wire and they allowed me to get some photo's.

Rook (Graja / Corvus frugilegus).

In the area I also saw Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) and Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica).

Rook (Graja / Corvus frugilegus).

Rook (Graja / Corvus frugilegus).

Pep who I had met last week in Vitoria-Gasteiz and again in Santoña had given me a spot to visit on my way to Fuente de Nava called Balsa de Riego y Alrededores, which is a large man made irrigation pool.

On my way across the fields to the site which was easy to see but difficult to get to as lots of the tracks had changed from what they were on Google Maps I picked up lots of Red Kites (Milano Real / Milvus milvus), Common Kestrel, a flock of at least 40 Stock Doves (Paloma Zurita / Columba oenas), Eurasian Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis) and Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs).

Stock Doves (Paloma Zurita / Columba oenas) most had already landed out of sight.

On reaching the hide which looks over the pool but as it was so cold I stood on the path at the side of it in the sun I picked up masses of Mallards (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Mareca strepera), Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata), 5x Greylag Geese (Ansar Común / Anser anser), Great Crested Grebe (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus), more Stock Doves, Red Kites, Common Buzzard, a hunting Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus) which swept in low along the side of the Laguna, Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Eurasian Magpie, Northern Raven (Cuervo grande / Corvus corax), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris), Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina) and European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis).

After making my back to the main road and headed off towards Laguna de la Nava, on the way I made a stop on the roadside near Autillo de Campos when I saw 3 blobs out on one of the fields which turned out to be, as suspected Great Bustards (Avutarda Euroasiática / Otis tarda), just up the road a km or so from here I also saw a nice ♂ Merlin (Esmerejón / Falco columbarius) which dashed across the road chasing what looked like a Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis).

When I arrived at Laguna de la Nava I checked out Observatorio de Corralillos first, it was quiet, I only saw a few Greylag Geese, a ♀ Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) and European Stonechat before heading down the road to the car park near Observatorio el prao.

White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia).

White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia).

I walked out on the boardwalk to the screen at the end and scanned the pools and reed beds seeing a very nice ♀ Hen Harrier (Aguilucho Pálido / Circus cyaneus), lots of White Stork, a calling Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito ibérico / Picus sharpei) which came up out of the reeds and just a single Common Crane (Grulla Común / Grus grus) which was the only one of the trip.

Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus).

I walked up to the tower Observatorio La Colada, on the way I added Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Great Egret (Garceta Grande / Ardea alba), Western Marsh Harrier, Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real / Lanius meridionalis), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Meadow Pipit, Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra) and from the hide Common Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna) and Gadwall but nothing else.

Great Egret (Garceta Grande / Ardea alba).

Great Egret (Garceta Grande / Ardea alba).

As I walked back to the car I heard a calling Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus) before reaching the car park and going back down to Observatorio de Corralillos as I had seen quite a few Geese dropping onto a field near there, most were Greylag but as I watched a group of 7 then another 4 Barnacle Geese (Barnacla Cariblanca / Branta leucopsis) landed and started to feed in the same cerial field.

Greylag (Ansar Común / Anser anser) and Barnacle Geese (Barnacla Cariblanca / Branta leucopsis).

Greylag (Ansar Común / Anser anser) and Barnacle Geese (Barnacla Cariblanca / Branta leucopsis).

The temperature was now starting to drop, so I decided to head for Collado Villalba and to my Hotel for the night where I chilled and caught up with a few bits and turned in early as I was going to be heading home early in the morning via a couple of birding spots to the south of Madrid.