La Punta, Castropol in Asturias and Miño in Galicia, Spain.

Moving out further west, calling at Castropol on the way.

Ebird List for La Punta, Castropol.

 

The sun just about getting through the cloud at Castropol.

I packed the kit and headed off west towards Galicia and then to my Hotel in Miño, on the way I called in at La Punta near Castropol where a Red-necked Grebe (Somormujo Cuellirrojo / Podiceps grisegena) had been reported for a few days. 

Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia) heading out to feed.

I arrived to find a birder already there, but it was still not very light and he had not found anything, so I got the scope set up and started to scan finding good numbers of Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus), Yellow-legged and Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and the first of a couple of Great Northern Divers (Colimbo Grande / Gavia immer).

One of Great Northern Divers (Colimbo Grande / Gavia immer).

As the light got better things started to move around more and Western Osprey (Águila Pescardora / Pandion haliaetus), Eurasian Oystercatcher (Ostrero Euroasiático / Haematopus ostralegus), Eurasian Whimbrel (Zarapito Trinador / Numenius phaeopus), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), several 20+ flocks of Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Eurasian Wren (Chochin paleártico / Troglodytes troglodytes) and European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula).

Red-necked Grebe (Somormujo Cuellirrojo / Podiceps grisegena).

As time went on birders came and went but the original guy and I stuck it out and as the tide started to drop we picked up the Red-necked Grebe feeding busily along a newly exposed sandbank some way off, while we watched it through the scopes it came a little closer or in reality the dropping tide pushed it out into the channel, but it was always distant as the photo's show.

Red-necked Grebe (Somormujo Cuellirrojo / Podiceps grisegena).

I had nice views of the bird so decided to go and find some coffee and continued my drive to Miño, on the way the weather went through some changes, started in sun, changed to drizzle, then heavy rain which turned to sleet and then full on snow which was settling on the fields and verges. 

I found my way to Miño and after finding a bank I went and checked in at the hotel La Terraza for the next 5 night, as the evening went on the rain got worse and the wind started to sound quite nasty but after catching up with things on the laptop I had a good (by my standards) nights sleep.