Miradoiro de Sambade at Marisma Baldaio and Praia de Nemiña / Praia de Lires in A Coruña Province, Galicia, Spain.

Two targets, one hit and a miss.

Ebird List for Miradoiro de Sambade at Marisma Baldaio.

Ebird List for Praia de Nemiña / Praia de Lires 1.

Ebird List for Praia de Nemiña / Praia de Lires 2.

 

Eastern Yellow Wagtail (Lavandera de Chukotka / Motacilla tschutschensis).

I started early again as my first site was just an hour's drive away, I was there early so I went and found a bar for coffee and some breakfast before going to the spot where I found Pablo and Pedro, two local birders were already on site, Pedro had seen the bird already an Eastern Yellow Wagtail (Lavandera de Chukotka / Motacilla tschutschensis) so it was still here.

Eastern Yellow Wagtail (Lavandera de Chukotka / Motacilla tschutschensis).

After as short while, Pablo picked the bird up again quite a way along the channel which stretched out from the viewing point but through the scope we had good views.

In the same area we had a very smart ♀ Hen Harrier (Aguilucho Pálido / Circus cyaneus), Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus) heard, Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Great Egret (Garceta Grande / Ardea alba), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula) and European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis).   

Eastern Yellow Wagtail (Lavandera de Chukotka / Motacilla tschutschensis).

Pablo and Pedro headed off down towards Fisterra where Pedro was hoping to see the wintering American Herring Gull (Gaviota Argentea Americana / Larus Smithsonianus) which had been returning to the area for a few years, I stayed for a while longer before I followed them, this paid off as just after they left the bird was chased along the channel by the only White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) then and as it flew it called several times and then landed much closer.

Even though the bird was much closer the light was still very bad, so the photos are not good but better than nothing, three more birders arrived and once I made sure they were on the bird I headed off to try for the Gull.

Firstly I went around to the Ria de Lires and Praia de Lires but there were no more than 20 Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) and Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) there and they were out numbered by the Grey Herons, Little Egrets (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta) and Great Cormorants.

I decided to push on around to Praia de Nemiña, just before I was about to arrive I met Pablo and Pedro leaving, they told me that they had dipped and that there weren't many Gulls there either, when I arrived there were around 25 birds on the beach, so I got the scope ready and went down onto the beach and around to the far side of the birds as the light was better.

Praia de Nemiña.

In the group there were Common (Gaviota Cana / Larus canus), Yellow-legged, Lesser Black-backed and Great Black-backed Gull (Gavión Atlántico / Larus marinus) but there was no sign of the target.

Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) and Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus).

1st winter Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis).

I spent quite a while here checking birds as they flew in and away, during this time I had a very nice call from friends Deb and Ian from Australia and whilst I was chatting with them a nice adult Gull flew in and stood on its own and I thought it was the bird I wanted but when I finished the call and checked it properly I realised it was an adult European Herring Gull (Gaviota Argéntea Europea / Larus argentatus) which unfortunately bogged off as I started to raise the camera.

Common Gull (Gaviota Cana / Larus canus) and Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis).

Common Gull (Gaviota Cana / Larus canus) and Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis).

3rd winter Great Black-backed Gull (Gavión Atlántico / Larus marinus).

3rd winter Great Black-backed Gull (Gavión Atlántico / Larus marinus).

Adult Great Black-backed Gull (Gavión Atlántico / Larus marinus).

Other species were Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) and White Wagtail, after about 1.5 hours I went back around to the Ria to see if anything had changed there but it was pretty much the same, so I went back around to the beach and spent another couple of hours there only adding Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Thalasseus sandvicensis), Northern Gannet (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus), Little Egret, Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Carrion Crow, Northern Raven (Cuervo grande / Corvus corax), European Robin, Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola) and Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis).

The rain arried and got quite heavy so I decided to admit defeat and I headed back to the Hotel.