Travelling North to Parque Polvoranca near Madrid, North to Santader, Cantabria, Spain.

A day travelling North.

Winter trip, day one.

Ebird List for the Park.

Ebird List for Pool.

 

I set off from the house at 05:30ish and went east to Granada and the north to Madrid, on the way I stopped for Coffee and a Tostarda at Hostal Restaurante El Puente and by the time I set off again it was getting light, so I was able to start the days list.

Some of the Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).

On the way to my only planned stop of the day, I recorded lots of Western Jackdaw (Grajilla occidental / Corvus monedula), Common Buzzards (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) and Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus) with lesser numbers of Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) and Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).

Bar-headed Geese (Ánsar indio / Anser indicus).

I reached the park, but the rain just kept coming, so I decided to put on the waterproofs and go for it, near where I had parked there was a small strip of water with some reeds where I saw and heard Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta), Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis).

After returning to the main path I made my way up to the larger park pool, on the way finding Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito ibérico / Picus sharpei) and Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Europeo / Certhia brachydactyla), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Eurasian Blue (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis) and European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).

Bar-headed Geese (Ánsar indio / Anser indicus).

Bar-headed Geese (Ánsar indio / Anser indicus).

I did a full loop of the main pool, there was a large gathering of around 275 Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), along with Bar-headed Geese (Ánsar indio / Anser indicus), Greylag Geese (Ansar Común / Anser anser) domestic, Egyptian Geese (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca), Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata), Mallard, Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Grey Heron, Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus) and Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus).

Once I was clear of Madrid I had a nice drive along the N6, just to the south of Labajos I picked up a large Raptor sat on one of the big pylons which I was fairly sure was an adult Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti) so a short way along the road I did a U-turn and went back to check it and found a nice convenient track which I turned into and got nice views of the Eagle.

Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti).

Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti).

A couple of hundred meters down the same track there was a nice looking pool (Laguna de San Bartolomé) which I checked and found Gadwall (Anade Friso / Mareca strepera), Mallard, Northern Shoveler, Eurasian Coot, Little Grebe, Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Common Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), White Wagtail, Eurasian Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis) and Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

The Pool, the Eagle was on the Pylon just to the Left out of view.

I continued on again and during my drive up to the North, adding Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Little and Great Egret (Garceta Grande / Ardea alba), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Northern Raven (Cuervo grande / Corvus corax), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real / Lanius meridionalis), Black Redstart and Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata) on the way, as I was feeling fine I just kept going and about 40 mins south of Santander I booked a place to stay to the NW of the main town up near Cabo Mayor where I wanted to start in the morning.