Bit of Raptor Migration at Tarifa and then some early waders at Barbate.
Trip with Derek, Day One.
Ebird List for Barbate main Lagoons.
Ebird List for Barbate Second area.
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Looking down to Tarifa from Cazalla.
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We headed off down the coast towards Tarifa picking up an immature
Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) on the way and after being held up for getting on for an hour due to the roadworks on the Western side of Algeciras we arrived at about mid-day at Cazalla Observatorio de Aves Planeadoras.
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| Black Kites (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans). |
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| Immature Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans). |
Once we had parked we started to see small numbers of Raptor's coming through including
Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans) x32,
Booted (Aguila Calzada / Aquila pennatus) x4 and Short-toed Snake Eagles (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus) x3, Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) x2, Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus) x5,
Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirundo daurica) x2,
Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) x2 and
Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) x1.
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| Intermediate Morph Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila pennatus). |
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| Intermediate Morph Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila pennatus). |
We were seeing more birds over at the Tráfico Watch Point so we headed over that way and found a quiet spot with a bit of a breeze where we saw more
Black Kites x40+,
Booted x30+ and
Short-toed Snake Eagles x9,
Griffon Vulture x6, Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus) x3, Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) x4 and the most obvious sign of visible migration were the several hundred White Storks (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia) which were making the crossing.
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| Pale Morph Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila pennatus). |
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| Female Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus). |
Other species seen here included Pallid Swift x6, Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) x1, Western House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).
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| White Storks (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia) hundreds arriving. |
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| White Storks (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia) some departing. |
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| White Storks (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia) some departing. |
Things started to quiet down so we decided to leave but when we were turning around we started to have a chat with Niki from
Inglorious Bustards and as we chatted Simon the other half of the company put the shout out for an immature
Lanner Falcon (
Halcón borní / Falco biarmicus) but by the time we got up the bank it was distant and although we saw it we did not get good enough views to count it.
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| Northern Bald Ibis (Ibis Eremita / Geronticus eremita). |
We returned to the car and headed for Barbate, on the way we saw several of the reintroduced
Northern Bald Ibis (Ibis Eremita / Geronticus eremita), more Griffon Vultures, Western Cattle Egrets and a flyby Monarch (Danaus plexippus) butterfly. |
| Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus). |
Once we reached Barbate we Parked in the shade and set up the Scope and scanned the Lagoons picking up Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus),
Audouin's (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii) x60 odd, Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus) and
Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata),
House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus),
Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta),
Greater Short-toed Lark (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla),
Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus),
European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis),
Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba) and after we moved further around the site to we added
Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia) x1,
Northern Bald Ibis x4,
Western Cattle Egret,
Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata),
Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator),
Barn Swallow,
Eurasian Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) x16,
Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Spotless Starling, Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto),
Little Tern (Charrancito Común / Sternula albifrons),
Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) and Common Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna).
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| Whimbrel (Zarapito Trinador / Numenius phaeopus). |
We moved back to the beach were there were lots of flowering Sea Daffodils (Pancratium maritimum)
and then Derek showed me a new spot along a short track out to another spot where we picked up Whimbrel (Zarapito Trinador / Numenius phaeopus) x3,
Curlew Sandpiper x1,
Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres) x2,
Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) x1,
Common Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia) x1,
Common Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula) x6, lots more
Kentish Plover,
Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus) x15 and a smart looking adult
Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus).
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| Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) adult. |
We moved on again to another spot nearby that I didn't know about and had views of
Ruff (Combatiente / Philomachus pugnax) x2,
Red Knot (Correlimos Gordo /
Calidris canutus) x6, Grey Plover (Chorlito Gris / Pluvialis squatarola) x12 including 4 nice adults, Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus) as well as a nice female Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea). |
| Female Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea). |
By know it was getting hot so we headed to a friends house where we were going to be staying for the next three nights.
