In search of a couple of new species for my Spanish List.
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Black Stork (Ciguena Negra / Ciconia nigra) in the fog.
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I was meant to be going on another Pelagic but due to high winds it was cancelled but as I had already booked a Hotel in Chipiona I thought that I may as well go anyway and give a couple of scarce American visitors a try.
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| Black Stork (Ciguena Negra / Ciconia nigra) in the fog. |
I drove into a foggy part of Braza del Este I had not been to before, on the way into the site I started the list with
Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia),
Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor),
Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos),
Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus),
Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio),
Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus),
Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta),
Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia),
Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) and Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo).
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| Great Egret (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba). |
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| Caspian Tern (Pagaza Piquiroja / Sterna caspia). |
I arrived at the spot where an
American Golden Plover (Chorlito Dorado Americano / Pluvialis dominica) had been seen for a few days but it was foggy when I first arrived so it was difficult to find anything to start with but as it began to lift I saw several
Black Storks (Ciguena Negra / Ciconia nigra), Great (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba), Little (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) and Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis),
Caspian Tern (Pagaza Piquiroja / Sterna caspia), lots of
Green Sandpipers (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) and
Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago) and a
Grey Plover (Chorlito Gris / Pluvialis squatarola) which I am guessing was the bird which caused a bit of confusion for some earlier visitors. |
| Grey Plover (Chorlito Gris / Pluvialis squatarola). |
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| Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta). |
As the light improved a bit more species came into view, in a ditch by the side of the track I heard and the saw a smart male Bluethroat (Ruiseñor Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica) which was spending its time chasing a pair of Cetti's Warblers (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and some
Black-headed Weavers (Tejedor Cabecinegro / Ploceus melanocephalus). |
| Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia). |
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| Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia). |
Further out on the fields there were lots of waders, most were Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina) and
Ringed Plovers (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula) but there were smaller numbers of
Little Stints (Correlimos Menudo / Calidris minuta),
Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia) and
Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus) but as hard as I tried I could only find a single
Golden Plover (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia) of the European type.
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| Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea). |
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| Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia). |
Other species seen in the area before I took to the tracks again include
Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus) and
Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus),
Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo),
White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba),
Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus),
Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus),
Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna),
Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis) and
Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis) but there was no sign of the target so I moved on.
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| Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus). |
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| Black Stork (Ciguena Negra / Ciconia nigra). |
As I was driving towards the part of Braza that I usually visit I had loads of Black and White Storks, Little and
Cattle and Great Egrets, Glossy Ibis, L B B Gulls and Eurasian Spoonbill feeding on newly ploughed Rice fields.
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| Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo). |
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| Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia). |
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| Squacco Heron (Garcilla Cangrejera / Ardeola ralloides). |
Out along the main track through the Braza del Este I added
Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata),
Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina),
Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos),
Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila pennatus), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Greylag Geese (Ansar Común / Anser anser) and a Squacco Heron (Garcilla Cangrejera / Ardeola ralloides) which sat out nicely for a few moments.
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| Lesser Scaup (Porrón Bola / Aythya affinis) on Lago Norte. |
I then made my way over to Costa Ballena getting some lunch on the way, once I was there I parked by Lago Norte where a female type
Lesser Scaup (Porrón Bola / Aythya affinis), as I walked around the pool I found good numbers of
Little Grebes (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Common Pochard, Northern Shoveler, Tufted Duck (Porrón Monudo / Aythya fuligula),
Lesser Black-backed,
Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus) and Black-headed Gulls, Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and out on the far side of the pool the
Lesser Scaup but just as found it a ********* on a powered Paraglider buzzed the lake and flushed everything.
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| White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala). |
I waited around to see what returned but not much did so I decided to go just up the road to Parque de Los Lagos to see if had relocated there, I arrived and walked out to the bridge where I scanned the pool finding
White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala),
Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra),
Common Pochard, Northern Shoveler, the Tufted Duck and then the
Lesser Scaup.
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| Common Gull (Gaviota Cana /Larus canus). |
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| Common Gull (Gaviota Cana /Larus canus). |
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| Common Gull (Gaviota Cana /Larus canus). |
The
Scaup was on the far side so I walked around there and sat on one of the seats and waited to for the bird to come to me, whilst sat there I also found adult and 1st winter
Common Gulls (Gaviota Cana /Larus canus), Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres),
Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus), Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis),
Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla),
Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula),
Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) and
Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica).
