Driving North, Observatorio De Aves De La Arenilla, Santoña Port and Mirador Montehano, Santoña, Cantabria, Spain.

Travelling North from Santi's to Santoña for a bit of birding.

Ebird list for the Hide.

Common Eider (Eider Común / Somateria mollissima) Male.

I left Santi's after breakfast and drove North towards Santander and then across to Santoña, on the way I saw Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina) and Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos).

Common Eider (Eider Común / Somateria mollissima) Male.

Whimbrel (Zarapito Trinador / Numenius phaeopus).

My first stop was at the Observatorio De Aves De La Arenilla where I sat and scanned the estuary at about half tide, As I arrived I picked up the resident male Common Eider (Eider Común / Somateria mollissima) mid channel, lots of both Eurasian Curlews (Numenius arquata) and Whimbrel (Zarapito Trinador / Numenius phaeopus), as well as good numbers of Eurasian Spoonbills (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), 50+ Northern Pintails (Ánade Rabudo / Anas acuta), a large flock of around 250 Dark-bellied Brent Geese (Barnacla Carinegra / Branta bernicla) which I realized later was only part of the Flock, Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), 5x Common Scoter (Negrón Común / Melanitta nigra), a Razorbill (Alca Común / Alca torda) which I got better views of later near the port, a distant Great Northern Diver (Colimbo Grande / Gavia immer), lots of Western Cattle (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) and Little Egrets (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) as well as a single Great Egret (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba) which was feeding amongst the Spoonbills.

Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).

Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).

I moved just up the road and parked at the central point of the port and walked out onto the nearest of the larger jetties where I could see the full extent of the Brent Goose flock which must have numbered well over 400 birds.

Great Northern Diver (Colimbo Grande / Gavia immer) just surfaced.

Great Northern Diver (Colimbo Grande / Gavia immer).

Great Northern Diver (Colimbo Grande / Gavia immer) taking a deep breath.

Great Northern Diver (Colimbo Grande / Gavia immer) about to Dive.

I spent quite a while scanning the main channel in front of me and got better views of another Great Northern Diver, the Razorbill, Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis), Great Black-backed Gull (Gavión Atlántico / Larus marinus), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Eurasian Oystercatcher (Ostrero Euroasiatico / Haematopus ostralegus), 8x Shag (Cormorán Mondudo / Phalacrocorax aristotelis), Bar-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colipinta / Limosa lapponica), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus) and Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis).

Dark-bellied Brent Geese (Barnacla Carinegra / Branta bernicla) after being flushed by photographers on a boat.

Dark-bellied Brent Geese (Barnacla Carinegra / Branta bernicla).

Dark-bellied Brent Geese (Barnacla Carinegra / Branta bernicla).

Dark-bellied Brent Geese (Barnacla Carinegra / Branta bernicla).

Dark-bellied Brent Geese (Barnacla Carinegra / Branta bernicla).

I returned to the hide breifly but did not add anything new so I started to make my way around to my hotel for the night in Escalante, on the way I made a stop at the Mirador Montehano and checked the river and marshes, just below me I had my fourth Great Northern Diver, more Black-necked Grebes, Eurasian Wigeon (Sibón Europeo / Anas penelope), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca) and big numbers of Western Cattle Egrets flying passed heading for their roost.

Razorbill (Alca Común / Alca torda).

Razorbill (Alca Común / Alca torda).

Razorbill (Alca Común / Alca torda).

Razorbill (Alca Común / Alca torda).

Razorbill (Alca Común / Alca torda).

I arrived and checked in at the Hotel Rural las Solanas de Escalante before going for a couple of beers and some food just up the road at Mesón Blanyfer.

Shag (Cormorán Mondudo / Phalacrocorax aristotelis).

Shag (Cormorán Mondudo / Phalacrocorax aristotelis).

Great Northern Diver (Colimbo Grande / Gavia immer).

Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta).

View from the Port of Santoña.

Looking from Mirador Montehano to Escalante.

Christmas lights in Escalante.

Santo Domingo de Silos to Burgos and back, Burgos Province, Spain.

A drive up to Burgos to get Santi's Car serviced.

We had breakfast and then headed up to Lerma and then to the Southern side of Burgos City where Santi dropped his car at the VW dealership and we caught the free bus into the City.

We did a bit of shopping and then had a coffee before catching the bus back and heading back to Silos.

The weather was hideous all day but during the drive there, back and on the walk around the City I saw Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) x 1, Red Kites (Milano Real / Milvus milvus) x 20+, Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) x 1, Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax) x 2, Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone) x 5+, Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo) and Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos).

North to Santo Domingo de Silos, Burgos Province, Spain.

A wet, windy and snowy drive North to friend Santi's.

The main square in Silos with the Monasterio in the back ground.

I set off early but spent most of the time until it was light driving slowly due to the heavy rain, patchy fog and low cloud, once it was light things didn't get much better until I was well North of Madrid.

During the drive I saw Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), 2x Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Woodpigeons (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), 3x Common Cranes (Grulla Común / Grus grus) in flight, Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), 2x Common Buzzards (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), 10+ Red Kites (Milano Real / Milvus milvus), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

Heading for the Bar.

I arrived at Santi's just before Lunch, later in the evening we went down to the Monasterio de Santo Domingo de Silos where we listened to the best of the Gregorian Chants I have been to so far.

Whilst there we met up with Maria, a very nice friend of Santi's and we all went for a drink in Bar of the Hotel Rural Villa de Silos.

Huétor Tajar, Granada Province, Spain.

An early walk before the rain arrived.

Ebird List.

White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

I was out early as heavy rain was forecast for later in the day (and they got it right), I did my usual walk along the fields and out as far as the crossroads where I took the road down towards Huétor, near the car I had a nice White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) sat on the top of the new gates and as I walked I picked up Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Crested (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) and Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea).

Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus).

On the next section towards the town I picked up Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and just after I turned left towards the Mesia road I found a flock of over 200 Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus) which were flushed up by a guy spreading fertilizer on the next field.

Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus).

Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus).

I walked on and had a very nice chat with a Spanish Lady who was very interested in the local birds and she told me that she had seen a couple of Common Cranes (Grulla Común / Grus grus) fly through earlier in the morning, just after dawn which I had unfortunately missed.

Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus).

Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus).

On the track back to the road to Huétor I picked up Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) and just before I reached the road a flock of around 40 Bramblings (Pinzón Real / Fringilla montifringilla) flew into a large Walnut tree.

Bramblings (Pinzón Real / Fringilla montifringilla).

Bramblings (Pinzón Real / Fringilla montifringilla).

I checked the fields from the bridge before heading back towards the car, on the way Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) and Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus).

Bramblings (Pinzón Real / Fringilla montifringilla).

Bramblings (Pinzón Real / Fringilla montifringilla).

Huétor Fields and Sierra de Loja, Granada Province, Spain.

Out birding with Friends, a morning on the Fields and later up my favorite hill.

Ebird List for Fields.

Ebird List for the Sierra.

Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus).

I met Barbara, Derek Etherton and Andy Patterson at the Cortijo de Tajar where we had coffee and breakfast before heading out on to my local patch.

Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax).

We started just North of the town where we checked some fields and soon found a good number of Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) x69, Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) x25, Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus) x3, Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

Second Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) of the day.

We moved up to the Lucerne fields where we added the first Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) of the day, Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) and on our way around to the next spot we saw a nice female Brambling (Pinzón Real / Fringilla montifringilla), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) and my first Water Pipit (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta) of the winter on the patch.

Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis).

Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae).

Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis).

Near the model aircraft field we parked again and found Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), the second Black-winged Kite, Iberian  Magpies (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Dartford (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala).

Hacho and off to the North.

Archidona direction.

Looking out to the West.

Along the Irrigation Channels out on the Mesia side of the town we had views of Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica), Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).

Walking below the Crags.

Looking along the Crags.

We returned to the Hotel had a second coffee, which I accidentally ended up wearing all down my top and trousers, a short while later we headed for the service area along the A92 and then took the track up the mountain, on the way we saw the first flowers on the Broad-leaved Iris (Iris planifolia), Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) and by the low quarry several Red-legged Partridges (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa).

1st Winter female Ring Ouzel (Mirlo Capiblanco / Turdus torquatus).

Male Ring Ouzel (Mirlo Capiblanco / Turdus torquatus).

Male Ring Ouzel (Mirlo Capiblanco / Turdus torquatus).

Male Ring Ouzel (Mirlo Capiblanco / Turdus torquatus).

As we climbed further up the hill we caught up with a cracking Northern Goshawk (Azor Común / Accipitor gentillis), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Little Owl, Hoopoe, Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) x30, Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius) and Black Wheatears (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura).

Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica) Male.

Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica) Male.

As we reached the furthest point amongst the Hawthorns (Crataegus monogyna) we picked up the first of 40+ Ring Ouzels (Mirlo Capiblanco / Turdus torquatus) and a calling Fieldfare (Zorzal Real / Turdus pilaris) which was soon followed by another three birds mixed in with a group of Ouzels, a little further on we had around 20 or so Alpine Accentors (Acentor Alpino / Prunella collaris) fly off the ridge and away, most unexpected and a new species for my Sierra list a small group of Yellowhammers (Escribano Cerillo / Emberiza citronella) which comprised of what looked like 2x adults and 3x 1st winters, an adult Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos) which flew along the crags and a group of Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica) which included a couple of cracking Males.

Yellowhammer (Escribano Cerillo / Emberiza citronella) adult.

Yellowhammer (Escribano Cerillo / Emberiza citronella) adult.

Yellowhammers (Escribano Cerillo / Emberiza citronella) 2 of the 3 1st Winter birds.

We parked and tried to get better views of the Yellowhammers which we did and as we started to make our way down the hill we found another Water Pipit which was feeding in the same fields as the Buntings and Yellowhammers.

Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica) Male.

Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica) Male.

We reached my car at the Service station at 17:00 after a brilliant days birding with some great species and very good company, thanks all.