Saturday, 3rd March 2012

Cabo de Palos RAM
Weather: Sky no cloud, wind NW F1 to SW F2, temp. 9 to 15ºC. 08:35 – 11:30.

After a quick trip around the lighthouse garden and surrounding area to check for summer migrants (of which there were none), together with Antonio Fuentes (Kuko) and Inés Chamón, we did the monthly census of marine birds from the point of the rocky area east of the lighthouse. Although there were a reasonable variety of birds, numbers were low. Apart from the seabirds, a pair of Peregrine falcons around the lighthouse itself entertained us for a few minutes.

Species seen

Gannet (Morus bassanus) – 16 (mainly adults)
Balearic Shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus) – 25
Razorbill (Alca torda) – 12 (all south)
Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) – 1
Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis) – 2 (north)
Audouin’s Gull (Larus audouinii) – 3 (south)
Great Skua (Catharacta skua) – 2 (south)
Peregrine (Falco peregrinus) – 2

Marchamalo Salinas
Weather: Sky no cloud; wind SW F2-3; temp.17ºC. 12:40 to 13:00.
On the way home from Cabo de Palos, I paid a quick call into the salinas at the back of the go-cart track. There was not a lot new there, the most interesting birds being 31 Golden Plovers on their roost on one of the lagoon walls, and 3 Swallows, the first I have seen this year in the region of Murcia.

Species seen

Golden Plover (Pluvialis apricaria)
Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)
Black Winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)
Redshank (Tringa totanus)
Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)
Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)
Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
Slender-billed Gull (Larus genei)
Crag Martin (Ptyonoprogne rupestris)
Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

Calblanque, Los Belones
Weather: Sky no cloud, wind SW F3-4, temp. 18ºC. 13:45 – 17:30.
My next stop was at the ‘Salinas de Rasall’ in Calblanque. I was principally there to read colour rings on the Audouin’s Gulls, but after that walked the fence at the back of the Salinas parallel to the coast, where in the past I have seen decent numbers of migrants. However, on this occasion all was pretty quiet, the only migrants being a couple of Chiffchaff, 5 Songthrushes and 12 Meadow Pipits. Also seen was an Iberian Hare.

Species seen

Crag Martin (Ptyonoprogne rupestris)
Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
Blackbird (Turdus merula)
Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris)
Crested Lark (Galerida cristata)
Stonechat (Saxicola torquatus)
Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala)
Serin (Serinus serinus)
Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita)
Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis)
Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)
Songthrush (Turdus philomelos)
Black Winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)
Audouin’s Gull (Larus audouinii)
Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis)