Punta Jarri and Altu la Torneria, Asturias, Spain.

A bit of a sea watch and then a walk in the hills.

Female Pied Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla yarrellii).

I went just down the road again and walked out to Punta Jarri where I set up for a while sea watching but it was much quieter than the last two visits and I only recorded 14x Northern Gannets (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus), 9x Balearic (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus) and a single Manx Shearwater (Pardela Pichoneta / Puffinus puffinus), 3x Razorbills (Alca Común / Alca torda), a single Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo) as well as Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis).

Female Pied Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla yarrellii).

Fire in the hills nearby there was another off to the left which had been burning all night.

Out on one of the rocky Islands I found a  Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus) and as i walked back down to the car I added Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and a more unexpected female Pied Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla yarrellii).

Bullfinch (Camachuelo Común / Pyrrhula pyrrhula) male.

I got to the car and went inland for a walk in the hills but stopped just down the road to get a shot a fire in the hills just down coast, there had been another fire off to the left which had been going all night.

Hepatica (Hepatica nobilis).

I drove upto and parked at Altu la Torneria and took the track out to Pico Los Resquilones, a nice 2.5 KM walk which give good views back down to the coast.

On the way I saw several Bullfinches (Camachuelo Común / Pyrrhula pyrrhula) but as usual they were secretive and difficult to get a clear shot of, I also saw a Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago) which flushed up from a track side ditch, Coal (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Long-tailed Tits (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), good numbers of Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) and on the way back down a Water Pipit (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta) which was feeding by a small pool and a couple of Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni) which were on the wing in the warm sun. 

 

Santoña and Santaner areas, Cantabria, Spain.

Getting the Year list off to a good start.

Great Northern Diver (Colimbo Grande / Gavia immer).

I set off too early yet again and arrived at the Ría de Escalante near to Santoña half an hour before light but still managed to get a few species in the dark including Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula) and Eurasian Wigeon (Sibón Europeo / Anas penelope).

Goldeneye (Porrón Osculado /Bucephala clangula).

As the light came up I got the scope out and walked to the observatory and scanned the river, the tide was out but down in the channel I could see two immature Great Northern Divers (Colimbo Grande / Gavia immer), Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), Whimbrel (Zarapito Trinador / Numenius phaeopus), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) and Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) and then the female Goldeneye (Porrón Osculado /Bucephala clangula), the main bird I had come to this spot to see put in a brief appearance before it disappeared up river. 

Great Northern Diver (Colimbo Grande / Gavia immer).

Other species added to the year list here were Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Northern Pintail (Ánade Rabudo / Anas acuta), Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis), Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia), loads of Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) which were heading out from their roost to feed up river, a singing Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Bullfinch (Camachuelo Común / Pyrrhula pyrrhula), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) and Greylag Geese (Ansar Común / Anser anser).

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

My next stop was at the Hide but I didn't actually go in but walked along the path towards the bridge where I scanned the channel and had distant views of a winter plumage Red-necked Grebe (Somormujo Cuellirrojo / Podiceps grisegena), 7x Common Scoters (Negrón Común / Melanitta nigra), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica) and Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus).

Distant 1st winter Iceland Gull (Gaviota Groenlandesa / Larus glaucoides).

Distant 1st winter Iceland Gull (Gaviota Groenlandesa / Larus glaucoides).

I returned to the car and then drove around to Santoña where I parked near the Bull Ring as I was hoping for one of the wintering Rock Pipit (Bisbita Costero / Anthus petrosus) to come in but they were playing hard to get so I went out on to the sea wall and scanned the estuary finding Eurasian Oystercatcher (Ostrero Euroasiatico / Haematopus ostralegus), around 500 or so Dark-bellied Brent Geese (Barnacla Carinegra / Branta bernicla), Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis) and whilst I was scanning a couple of Rock Pipits flew over me calling and landed on the wooden structure around the top of the Bull Ring before dropping down inside. 

A Great Northern Diver (Colimbo Grande / Gavia immer) which was suprised to see me sat on the wall when it surfaced.

Great Northern Diver (Colimbo Grande / Gavia immer).

I walked down to the Fish port but as it was a holiday all the boats were in port and there were very few gulls around so like at the last spot I went out onto the sea wall and scanned through the gulls out there finding Great Black-backed Gull (Gavión Atlántico / Larus marinus) and the 1st winter Iceland Gull (Gaviota Groenlandesa / Larus glaucoides) resting up on a sandy island as well as a few Shags (Cormorán Mondudo / Phalacrocorax aristotelis) sat on the buoys where the smaller boats were moored and a Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis) which was fishing from some rocks at the base of the sea wall.

Great Northern Diver (Colimbo Grande / Gavia immer).

I crossed the road and went further up stream as I had seen a good number of distant grebes from the port, I sat down on the wall along side the river and scanned the birds seeing Mute Swan (Cisne Vulgar / Cygnus olor), another Great Northern Diver which surface to find me there and was none to happy for a moment but soon just carried on fishing and in amongst the 15 or so Black-necked and 10+ Great Crested (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus) I found a smart looking Slavonian / Horned Grebe (Zampullín Cuellirrojo / Podiceps auritus) but it always stayed distant.

Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis).

My next stop was a few Kms up the coast at a pool by the Casa de las Mareas where I gave the year list a good boost with Tufted Duck (Porrón Monudo / Aythya fuligula), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) but there was no sign of the Ring-necked Duck (Porrón acollarado / Aythya collaris) or the two Caspian Gulls (Gaviota del Caspio / Larus cachinnans) reported a day or so ago.

Mute Swan (Cisne Vulgar / Cygnus olor) on t the river.

I drove around to the far side of the Estuary and out to a spot along a track called Calle Santander where I parked and went up onto the Dunes where I scanned the now full channel, after a while I found the two Velvet Scoters (Negrón Especulado / Melanitta fusca) and as I continued I found two Red-breasted Merganser (Serreta Mediana / Mergus serrator) and the male Common Eider (Eider Común / Somateria mollissima) which I usually see from the hide all in a row on the sea just a 100 meters apart. 

Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis).

Other species seen here included Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Grey Plover (Chorlito Gris / Pluvialis squatarola), Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina) and Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba).

Tufted Ducks (Porrón Monudo / Aythya fuligula) males.

Mute Swan (Cisne Vulgar / Cygnus olor) on the lake.

I drove back around to the hide to give the Long-tailed Duck (Pato Havelda / Clangula hyemalis) another go but again I dipped so I decided to the back via Marismas Blanca but I could not find the Greater Scaup (Porrón Bastardo / Aythya marila) and only added a Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago) before heading back to Porrua.

Punta de Jarri, Llanes, Asturias and San Vicente de la Barquera and Senda Fluvial del Nansa, Cantabria, Spain

Sea watching followed by two walks, one on the coast and one inland.

Ebird List for the Sea Watch.

My view West along the coast from Punta de Jarri.

I started the day by popping just down the road to Punta de Jarri where I took the scope and the chair and spent an hour and a half seeing what was passing, by far the commonest species was Northern Gannet (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus) with 336 all moving west as were several Razorbills (Alca Común / Alca torda), 2x Manx (Pardela Pichoneta / Puffinus puffinus) and 26x Balearic Shearwaters (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus), 5x Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo) and 2x Great Skuas (Págalo Grande / Stercorarius skua).

Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus) and Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus).

Other species seen in the area included Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), 2x Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) and Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis).

Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo).

Once I was back at the car I rove down to have a look along the river at San Vicente de la Barquera where a Goosander (Serreta Grande / Mergus merganser) had been seen a few days earlier but I did not find it, however during my walk along the river I did see Great Black-backed Gull (Gavión Atlántico / Larus marinus), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Eurasian Wigeon (Sibón Europeo / Anas penelope), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Whimbrel (Zarapito Trinador / Numenius phaeopus), Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata), Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Grey Plover (Chorlito Gris / Pluvialis squatarola), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo).

Again I returned to the car and went just a short way inland where I saw a sign for a walk called the Senda Fluvial del Nansa where I followed the river and then retraced my steps back to the car, along the route I saw Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Dipper (Mirlo Acuático / Cinclus cinclus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Siskin (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus), Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus), Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla) and a female Bullfinch (Camachuelo Común / Pyrrhula pyrrhula).

Laguna de Covadonga, Pico's de Europa and Punta de Jarri, Llanes, Asturias, Spain

A morning in the mountains and then some sea watching in the afternoon.

Ebird List for Covadonga area.

 

The view from Mirador de La Reina with the fog still in the valley.

I started out along the coastal motorway heading west and then drove inland hoping to get up to the mountain Lakes in the Covadonga area of the Pico's, the last time I had tried the road up to the spot had been closed to private vehicles and they were charging €9 per-person to take you up in a bus and as it was totally covered in low cloud we decided not to bother.

Lago Enol.

This time as it was winter there were no barriers so I drove up, the road was interesting and tight at times which was made even more interesting on the way back down with the amount of traffic coming up and lots of drivers working on the theory that driving on the right is just an idea and not manditory.

Alpine Chough (Chova Piquigualda / Pyrrhocorax graculus) in the car park.

On the way up I stopped at the Mirador de La Reina where I got great views right down into the fog filled valleys below which I had just driven through, at the view point I saw a single Water Pipit (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and just a little further up the road the first of quite a few Alpine Choughs (Chova Piquigualda / Pyrrhocorax graculus).

Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax).

I arrived at the car park just below the Lago Enol, the first of the mountain lakes and found more Alpine Choughs and as I walked up the hill I also found a muddy beaked Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) which was picking around in one of the many mole hills.

Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).

Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).

On the lake I only saw a few Eurasian Coots (Focha Común / Fulica atra), 2x Little Grebes (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and a Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) which was flushed up by a herd of goats and their two guard dogs, it flew up on to the nearby cliff calling loudly all the way.

Alpine Chough (Chova Piquigualda / Pyrrhocorax graculus).

Alpine Chough (Chova Piquigualda / Pyrrhocorax graculus).

Alpine Chough (Chova Piquigualda / Pyrrhocorax graculus).

On the road side back I found a very nice little Narcissus species which I still need to put a name to along with Shrubby Gromwell (Lithodora fruticosa), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) and several Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) over head.

Alpine Chough (Chova Piquigualda / Pyrrhocorax graculus).

Alpine Chough (Chova Piquigualda / Pyrrhocorax graculus).

Alpine Chough (Chova Piquigualda / Pyrrhocorax graculus).

I dropped back down to the car and then drove up to the higher Lago de La Ercina where a few Alpine Choughs showed very well, I walked down to the lake but there were too many people around for my liking so I soon returned to the car and started to drive back down and not a minute to late as the number of cars coming up was massive so I got out of there and headed back to the coast.

Lago de La Ercina, which is a stunning spot that I will revisit when its not a holiday.

I arrived at a spot on the Western edge of Llanes were I walked out to th Punta de Jarri and set up the scope for a couple of hours sea watching which was more productive than expected.

Santuario de Covadonga.

Out on quite a rough sea I saw a 1000+ Northern Gannets (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus), 92 Auk species which I think were all probably Razorbills (Alca Común / Alca torda), 4x Manx (Pardela Pichoneta / Puffinus puffinus) and 7x Balearic Shearwaters (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus) and lots of Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis).

Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).

Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis).

As I walked back down to the car I saw a nice male Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), a Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) and on a road side pool as I drove back to the appartment I saw a single Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta).