A morning birding with Barbara and Derek and a quick visit to the Fields on my way home.
Ebird List for Fuente de Piedra.
Ebird List for Laguna Dulce.
Ebird List for Huétor Fields.
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| The Roadside Laguna. |
I was up earlyish to met Barbara and Derek Etherton in Fuente de Piedra, on the drive over I picked up
Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus) and a couple of
Common Buzzards (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo). |
| Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) 2x AD and 1x Imm. |
We went for some breakfast at
Tirititran Bar in the town before heading down to the reserve, on the drive in we checked the fields seeing a group of Little (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta) and Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) in amongst the olives
and on the roadside pool we found the first of a good number of Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), several
Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), a single
Pied Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta) and
Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus). |
| Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) 2x AD and 1x Imm. |
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| Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) 2x AD and 1x Imm. |
We parked and walked back along the side of the entrance pool adding Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común /
Tachybaptus ruficollis), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Western House (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum) and Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis) and European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).
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| The flooded crop fields. |
At the far end of the pool we took the track around to the far end of the Boardwalk and then across the pool back towards the main track, as we walked we saw
Western Jackdaws (Grajilla occidental / Corvus monedula) on the tower, 30 odd
Black-winged Stilts out on the flooded crop field,
Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus) and
Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus),
Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis),
Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata) and
Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis). |
| Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus). |
At the end of the boardwalk, we took the track around towards the Mirador del Cerro del Palo, on the way we saw more European Greenfinch,
European Goldfinch,
European Serin,
Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala),
House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus),
Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos) and on the pool a good few more
Black-winged Stilts,
Northern Shoveler, Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) and
Field Marigold (Calendula arvensis).
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| Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus). |
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| Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus). |
At the Mirador del Cerro del Palo we scanned the main, very full Laguna adding Common Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna),
Gadwall (Anade Friso / Mareca strepera),
Greater Flamingo's, Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus),
Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula),
European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula) and as we walk around to the hide a
Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada).
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| The Boardwalk. |
At Observatorio El Laguneto we saw Rabbits (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus), Northern Shoveler, Gadwall,
Mallard,
Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca),
Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina),
White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala),
Black-necked (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis) and
Little Grebe and at least 2
Dartford Warblers (Curruca Rabilarga / Curruca undata), around
at the smaller Observatorio de las Palomas a distant Black Stork (Cigüena Negra / Ciconia nigra) which was circling off to the west, European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola) and a
Bluethroat (Ruiseñor Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica) which I unfortunately missed. |
| The view from Observatorio El Laguneto. |
We returned to the cars picking up a fine looking ♂
Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius) as it flew across in front of us
and 3 Common Buzzards (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), we then tried to reach Laguna Dulce via the western road but found that it was closed due to flooding so we turned around and went down the Eastern side, making a stop at some flooded fields, but we only found another couple of Black-winged Stilts.
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| At the almost full Laguna Dulce. |
Just before we reached Laguna Dulce we saw a flock of
Common Cranes (Grulla Común / Grus grus) on the fields and after parking we scanned the Laguna where we saw loads of
Black-headed and
Lesser Black-backed Gulls,
Common Shelduck,
Northern Shoveler, Gadwall,
Common Pochard,
White-headed Duck,
Eurasian Coot,
Black-winged Stilt,
Northern Lapwing, Greater Flamingo, Black-necked and
Little Grebe, 3x Western Marsh Harrier, a distant
Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus),
Western Jackdaw,
Great Tit,
Crested Lark, 100+
Eurasian Crag and
Western House Martin,
Barn Swallow,
Common Chiffchaff, Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor),
Black Redstart, White Wagtail and
European Goldfinch.
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| Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis). |
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| Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis). |
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| Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris). |
Once the wind got up and the Temperature dropped we decided to head off, so after saying goodbye Barbara and Derek headed off back down towards the coast and I went back to Huétor where I went and had a quick look out on the fields adding a very distant ♂
Merlin (Esmerejón / Falco columbarius), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus),
Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto),
Western Cattle Egret,
Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus), Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel, Iberian (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki) and
Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica),
Crested Lark, European Stonechat,
Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus), White Wagtail,
Meadow Pipit,
Common Chaffinch, Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina), European Goldfinch and
White Wallrocket (Diplotaxis erucoides).
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| The grey speck in the middle is the ♂ Merlin (Esmerejón / Falco columbarius), Honest. |
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| Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo). |
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| Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo). |
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| Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus). |
