A morning at the Laguna's and then back on the Patch.
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| A foggy start by the roadside Pool. |
I started the morning with a visit to Fuente de Piedra after getting info from Barbara and Derek Etherton about a
Lesser Flamingo (Flamenco Enano / Phoenicopterus minor) they had seen yesterday.
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| Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) in the Fog. |
On the way over I went through areas of thick Fog and once I reached Fuente I decide to go for some breakfast before visiting the Laguna as the fog was quite thick.
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| Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) in the Fog. |
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| Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) in the Fog. |
Once I arrived I parked and walked back to check the roadside pools out but the lingering fog made finding much quite difficult to start with but I did see
Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Pied Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta),
Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Black-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos),
Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra),
Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus) and
White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia).
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| Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae). |
On the opposite side of the road I checked the swampy looking area seeing several
Common Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), singles of both
Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) and
Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Thinornis dubius), as well as
Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae),
Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis),
Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti),
Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada),
Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus)
and a couple of calling Water Rails (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus).
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| Marbled Duck (Cerceta pardilla / Marmaronetta angustirostris). |
I walked around to the boardwalk and out to the field at the far end, on the way I added
Marbled Duck (Cerceta pardilla / Marmaronetta angustirostris), Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus),
Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata),
Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica),
Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and
European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris).
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| The pool from the Boardwalk. |
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| Looking back along the Foggy Boardwalk. |
Once I was back at the start of the Boardwalk I went back to the car and got the scope before taking the low track around to the seeing
European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola),
European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus),
Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis) and on the pool just before I went up to the Mirador Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca),
Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto),
Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) and
Western Jackdaw (Grajilla occidental / Corvus monedula).
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| Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis). |
Up at the Mirador I picked up several Red Admirals (Vanessa atalanta) x4,
Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), lots more
Greater Flamingo's and the target Lesser Flamingo which was surprisingly easy to loose amongst the other birds,
Common Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna),
Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), more Northern Lapwing, a smaller number of European Golden Plover (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia), several
Little Stints (Correlimos Menudo / Calidris minuta),
Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina),
Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus) and a few
Common Cranes (Grulla Común / Grus grus).
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| Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta). |
Next I made my way around to the Hides where the fog was still lingering, however I still picked out White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala),
Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata), Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina),
Black-necked (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis) and
Little Grebe (Zampullín Común /
Tachybaptus ruficollis), Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus) and from the smaller pool Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa) and Gadwall (Anade Friso / Mareca strepera).
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| Common Crane (Grulla Común / Grus grus). |
As I walked back to the Mirador I had
Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos),
Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor),
Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos),
Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and back at the Mirador I picked up Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) and
two female type Western Marsh Harriers (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus).
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| White Storks (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia). |
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| Vagrant Emperor (Anax ephippiger). |
I had a walk around to the front of the visitors center and checked the western end of the freshwater lagoon before dropping back down to the Roadside pool and swampy bit where I had
Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi), Vagrant Emperor (Anax ephippiger) x2,
Green-Striped White (Euchloe belemia) x1 and
European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula) before heading to the car and around the the bar at the camping place for a coffee.
After having the stop I went just up the road and took the track to a spot where you can view the Flamingo's a little closer and found the Lesser again but the heat haze was horrendous which meant the photo's were dreadful but the bird is just about identifiable.
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| Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Common Crane (Grulla Común / Grus grus) and Common Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna). |
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| Greater (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) and Lesser Flamingo (Flamenco Enano / Phoenicopterus minor). |
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| Greater (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) and Lesser Flamingo (Flamenco Enano / Phoenicopterus minor). |
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| Greater (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) and Lesser Flamingo (Flamenco Enano / Phoenicopterus minor). |
After showing some Spanish birders the Lesser I went back to the car and headed back to Huétor where i did a bit of food shopping before having a walk around the Lucerne Fields where I picked up
Eurasian Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus)
, Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Red Avadavat (Bengali Rojo / Amandava amandava),
Eurasian Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra),
Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica),
Northern Lapwing x2, Wild Grape Hyacinth (
Muscari neglectum), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) and
Small White (
Pieris rapae).
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Wild Grape Hyacinth (Muscari neglectum). |
