SIERRA de LOJA.

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Wednesday, 17 December 2025

Tina Mayor near Unquera and Desembocadura Río PIles in Gijón, Austarias, Spain.

Heading further West.
Ebird List for Tina Mayor.
Ebird List for Desembocadura Río PIles in Gijón.
 
Looking SW in the Pico's direction.
I left Leonor's after a very nice stay and headed West along the coast, on my way to Tina Mayor I saw Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone) and Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis).
I pulled into a site which is just off the motorway where I have been to a few times before, it's a place where there has been a rather controversial introduction of several White-tailed Eagles (Pigargo Europeo / Haliaeetus albicilla), I don't think it was very popular with the Spanish birders / ecologists.
Water Pipit (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta).
Water Pipit (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta).
Water Pipit (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta).
In the area I recorded Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Yellow-legged Gull, Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), a couple of Peregrine Falcons (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus) which were interacting with several Northern Ravens (Cuervo grande / Corvus corax) over the eucalyptus cover ridges off to the East, Eurasian Jay (Arrendajo Euroasiático / Garrulus glandarius), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Eurasian Blue (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Eurasian Wren (Chochin paleártico / Troglodytes troglodytes), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Meadow (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) and Water Pipit (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta) and Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs).
White-tailed Eagle (Pigargo Europeo / Haliaeetus albicilla) Adult.
White-tailed Eagle (Pigargo Europeo / Haliaeetus albicilla) Adult.
I walked back towards the car but turned around when I heard Gulls and Crows calling loudly, straight away I picked up a huge bird coming in from the direction of the sea which was obviously one of the 
White-tailed Eagles and as it turned, I could see its white tail I realised it was a smart adult bird which circled a few times and then headed off east at height.
White-tailed Eagle (Pigargo Europeo / Haliaeetus albicilla) Adult.
White-tailed Eagle (Pigargo Europeo / Haliaeetus albicilla) Adult.
As I got back to the car, there was a bit of a kerfuffle over the flooded fields where the Pipits were when a 
Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus) came in low and quick to try and snatch a snack for lunch.
Gijón seafront.
Some of the Gulls below me on the riverside.
I continued on to the West, my next stop was at the Desembocadura Río PIles where soon after parking I was scanning through the Gull flock on the beach and in the Rio, I found 
Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus), Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Yellow-legged Gull and Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) of various ages (Thanks to Ed McKrill-Verstraeten for help with a lot of this info as I am not too good with Gulls 😁😁😁).
34VJ Mediterranean Gull (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus).

A9PT Mediterranean Gull (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus).

36EH Mediterranean Gull (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus).

Adult Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis).

Adult Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis).

Adult Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis).

3rd Winter Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis).

3rd Winter Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis).

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

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

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

Baltic Type Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus fuscus) I actually got this one right but got it confirmed by Ed.

Other species seen were two more for the year list, Red-breasted Merganser (Serreta Mediana / Mergus serrator) and Purple Sandpiper (Correlimos Oscuro / Calidris maritima), along with 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), Northern RavenBlack Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus).
Red-breasted Merganser (Serreta Mediana / Mergus serrator).
Red-breasted Merganser (Serreta Mediana / Mergus serrator).
Purple Sandpiper (Correlimos Oscuro / Calidris maritima).
Purple Sandpiper (Correlimos Oscuro / Calidris maritima).
At this point it started to rain, so I headed for my accommodation in Hotel El Horreo in Llaranes which is part of Aviles where I was shown the place by Javi who was informative and helpful.

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