SIERRA de LOJA.

IF YOU ARE LOOKING AT THE BLOG ON A PHONE PLEASE CHANGE TO WEB VIEW AT BOTTOM OF PAGE AS IT WILL LOOK BETTER.

Friday, 12 December 2025

Puerto deportivo and El Puntal in Laredo, Playa de El Regatón y Ría de Treto, Cicero, Polder y Ría de Escalante and Puerto de Santoña, Cantabria, Spain.

A dryer day than expected with some good birds, including my 350th species for the year.
Winter trip, day three. 
Ebird List for Laredo-Puerto deportivo.
Ebird List for Laredo-El Puntal.
Ebird List for Playa de El Regatón y Ría de Treto. 
Ebird List for Cicero. 
Ebird List for Polder y Ría de Escalante. 
Ebird List for Puerto de Santoña. 
 
Adult Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) northern race lusitanius.
Started the day by driving around to the Port of Laredo, on the way I made a stop for some breakfast and then went to have a look at the long staying Kelp / Cape Gull (Gaviota cocinera / Larus dominicanus vetula) which I had seen several times before with June being the most recent when I visited the spot with Deb and Ian from Australia.
1st winter Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) northern race lusitanius.
1st winter Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) northern race lusitanius.
1st winter Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) northern race lusitanius.
After I had parked I walked the big seawall, seeing several Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) of the northern race lusitanius along with Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), Great Black-backed (Gavión Atlántico / Larus marinus) and of course the Kelp / Cape which showed well for myself and two German guys that had come down especially for it.
Kelp / Cape Gull (Gaviota cocinera / Larus dominicanus vetula).
Kelp / Cape Gull (Gaviota cocinera / Larus dominicanus vetula).
Kelp / Cape Gull (Gaviota cocinera / Larus dominicanus vetula).
Other species were few, I did see European Shag (Cormorán Moñudo / Phalacrocorax aristotelis) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).
The estuary side of the point, with Santoña on the far shore.

After a while I drove on along to the end of the point where I parked and checked the Estuary side of the sandbank, here I found 650+ Dark-bellied Brent Geese (Barnacla Carinegra / Branta bernicla), Mute Swan (Cisne Vulgar / Cygnus olor), 100s of distant Eurasian Wigeon (Sibón Europeo / Mareca penelope), Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus), Yellow-leggedLesser Black-backed and Great Black-backed GullSandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Thalasseus sandvicensis), Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), Great Northern Diver (Colimbo Grande / Gavia immer) with 3 on the estuary and one on the sea later, Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Great Egret (Garceta Grande / Ardea alba), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), White Wagtail and Climbing Groundsel (Senecio Angulatus).
The seaward side.
I walked around the headland to the seaward side where there was another Great Northern Diver but nothing else, so I moved on down to another spot about a KM or so along the estuary side of the point where I crossed some dunes to view the water again.
Red-throated Diver (Colimbo Chico / Gavia stellata) bad light, high ISO = crap shot.

From here I hit my 350 species for the year target with a distant 
Red-throated Diver (Colimbo Chico / Gavia stellata) which definatly looked better through the scope than the camera.
Dark-bellied Brent Geese (Barnacla Carinegra / Branta bernicla).

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

Other species seen were the 
Dark-bellied Brent Geese again, a single female Common Scoter (Negrón Común / Melanitta nigra), Whimbrel (Zarapito Trinador / Numenius phaeopus), Black-necked and Great Crested Grebe (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus), Great Northern Diver, and in the trees behind me Eurasian Jay (Arrendajo Euroasiático / Garrulus glandarius), Eurasian MagpieCarrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula)and Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs).
Large-flowered Evening-Primrose (Oenothera glazioviana).
Linaria species.
On the walk back to the car I also saw 
Large-flowered Evening-Primrose (Oenothera glazioviana), Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima) and a Linaria species before heading around to the opposite side of the estuary to Cicero where I had some lunch at the Mirador de Sollagua.
Looking over the estuary to Santoña.
A panoramic Photo from the boardwalk.
Whilst out on the boardwalk here I added 
Northern Pintail (Ánade Rabudo / Anas acuta), Grey Plover (Chorlito Gris / Pluvialis squatarola), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Common Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia), Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres), Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina), 3x Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola) and Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis). 
Mute Swan (Cisne Vulgar / Cygnus olor).
Grey Plover (Chorlito Gris / Pluvialis squatarola).
Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).
Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta).
I moved on again to the hide overlooking Polder y Ría de Escalante where I saw 2 more Greater Flamingo, another Great Egret and a couple of Long-tailed Tits (Mito Común / Aegithalos caudatus) which were the only new species for the day.
Looking across the Estuary to the SE.
European Shag (Cormorán Moñudo / Phalacrocorax aristotelis) and a Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus).
My last stop of the day was on the sea wall near the bullring in Santoña Port, I didn't see anything new, so I headed back to the accommodation via the supermarket and chilled for the night.

No comments: