A days birding around the Desert like areas in Almeria.
Ebird List for Playa Amoladeras.
Ebird List for Rambla Morales.
Ebird List for Salinas-Observatorio 3.
Ebird List for Salinas-Observatorio 0.
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| Playa Amoladeras just after sunrise. |
I was up and out early and having breakfast near Almeria just as the sun was rising and then not long after that I was on the Playa Amoladeras, I came to the beach from Torre Garcia and was going to drive all the way down to a pull in just passed the Búnker de la playa de la Almoladera but a couple of Motorhome drivers had got bogged up to their axles in sand so I was forced to walk.
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| European Golden Plovers (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia) on the way in. |
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| European Golden Plovers (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia) on the way in. |
I reached the area near the Bunker and I started the search for some target species, soon I had found 2
European Golden Plover (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia) but later 4 cyclists flushed the flock and I counted at least 57 birds,
Thekla's Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae),
European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola),
White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba),
Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis),
European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris) and then the first of the species I had come for popped up on the Bunker, a fine looking
Desert Wheatear (Collalba Desértica / Oenanthe deserti), the third I have seen in Spain and all within a couple of KMs along this beach.
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| My first view of the Desert Wheatear (Collalba Desértica / Oenanthe deserti). |
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| Desert Wheatear (Collalba Desértica / Oenanthe deserti). |
After getting nice views of the
Wheatear I decided to do a walk across to the other track and then back towards the Torre cutting back across to the beach track at the next track back, as I did this I saw a couple of
Dartford Warblers (Curruca Rabilarga / Curruca undata), 8x
Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Ganga Ortega / Pterocles orientalis) which I could see and hear off in the distance,
Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica),
Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real / Lanius meridionalis),
Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor),
Eurasian Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica),
Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis).
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| Desert Wheatear (Collalba Desértica / Oenanthe deserti). |
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| Desert Wheatear (Collalba Desértica / Oenanthe deserti). |
I walked back towards the car but at each point where there was a walk through to the beach I checked it out finding
Common Ringed (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula) and
Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Anarhynchus alexandrinus),
Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba),
Northern Gannet (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus), Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and
Audouin's Gull (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii). |
| Richards Pipit (Bisbita de Richard / Anthus richardi). |
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| Richards Pipit (Bisbita de Richard / Anthus richardi). |
Back near the bunker I thought I heard the call of a Richards Pipit (Bisbita de Richard / Anthus richardi), another of my targets that had been around for a few days but I couldn't see it, I heard it again and on the third occasion I managed to see it as it was being chased by a
Thekla's Lark.
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| Thekla's Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae). |
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| Thekla's Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae). |
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| Looking West from the top Track. |
After a while I managed to relocate the
Pipit but it was quite distant but identifiable and it called a few more times as it flew passed the Bunker, I returned there and saw the
Wheatear again and then the Pipit reappeared on the bank behind the bunker and showed well but still distant.
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| Male White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala). |
I took another track, parked and walked the rest of the way in finding
Fagonia cretica on the way and as I sat on the beach I saw
Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina),
Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata), White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala),
Little (Zampullín Común /
Tachybaptus ruficollis) and Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis),
Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus),
Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra),
Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Kentish Plover,
Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus),
Little Stint (Correlimos Menudo / Calidris minuta),
Sanderling,
Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina),
Mediterranean Gull (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), at least 2x
Mediterranean Short-toed Lark (Terrera Marismena / Alaudala rufescens) and
Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita). |
| Fagonia cretica. |
I went back through the town and the along the main road out to the Lighthouse, I turned off and parked at the Salinas-Observatorio 3 where I added Common Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna),
Pied Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta),
Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus),
Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus),
Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Thalasseus sandvicensis),
Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus),
Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo) and in the grassland nearby at least 10
Eurasian Dotterel (Chorlito Carambolo / Eudromias morinellus) which were distant and very shimmery in the heat haze.
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| Some bad shots of Eurasian Dotterel (Chorlito Carambolo / Eudromias morinellus) through a very strong Heat Haze. |
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| Eurasian Dotterel (Chorlito Carambolo / Eudromias morinellus). |
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| Eurasian Dotterel (Chorlito Carambolo / Eudromias morinellus). |
Out on the scrubby areas along the roadside I also saw Fleshy-leaved Thymelaea (Thymelaea hirsuta),
Silene littorea,
Sweet Alison (Lobularia maritima),
Seaside Daisy (Asteriscus maritimus), Winged Sea Lavender (Limonium sinuatum) and
Sand Lotus (Lotus creticus).
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| Silene littorea. |
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| Sand Lotus (Lotus creticus). |
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| Reichardia tingitana. |
I returned to the town and then went around to Salinas-Observatorio 0 but it was fairly quiet and I only added Black-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa) to the day list before I headed off to check in at my accommodation for the night.
