Monday 26th March 2012

Cabo de Palos lighthouse garden

Weather: Sky 2/8 cloud, wind NE F2-3, temp. 13ºC.  08:55 – 09:35.

Another slow morning in the lighthouse garden, with nothing at all out of the ordinary, and no sign of migration!

Species seen

Yellow Legged Gull (Larus michahellis)

Audouin’s Gull (Larus audouinii)

Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala)

Blackbird (Turdus merula)

Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros)

Robin (Erithacus rubecula)

Spotless Starling (Sturnus unicolor)

White Wagtail (Motacilla alba alba)

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)

Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)

Marchamalo Salinas, La Manga

Weather: Sky 3-4/8 cloud,  wind NE F3-4, temp. 15ºC.  09:40 – 10:00.

On the way back from Cabo de Palos, a quick visit to the Salinas, but again, no great change.

Species seen

Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)

Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)

Spotted Redshank (Tringa erythropus)

Redshank (Tringa totanus)

Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)

Yellow Legged Gull (Larus michahellis)

Slender-billed Gull (Larus genei)

White Wagtail (Motacilla alba alba)

EDAR Cabeza Beaza, Cartagena

Weather: Sky 2-3/8 cloud, wind NE F2, temp. 17ºC.  17:00 – 19:45.

This afternoon was the monthly count at the EDAR (sewage farm) at Cabeza Beaza, just outside Cartagena, which I do together with Antonio Fernandez-Caro Gomez, Diego Zamora Uran and Antonio S S.  This is the only location locally where such birds as White-headed Duck and Shoveler can be guaranteed, and there’s always the chance of something out of the ordinary.  The level of water in the two large lagoons today was particularly low, showing a lot of mud around the margins of the water, and there were a lot of waders taking advantage of this.  Notable amongst the ducks was a pair of Red Crested Pochard, while the number of Black-winged Stilts was particularly high.  Other birds of note seen, were a total of 8 first-year Greater Flamingos, a female-type Marsh Harrier hunting over the banks of the lagoons, and a Sparrowhawk flying around with a mixed group of Pallid and Common Swifts.

One of a few Little Ringed Plovers to be seen round the lagoons

 Common Swift flying over one of the lagoons

This Sparrowhawk caused some havoc amongst the Swifts

Species seen

Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)

Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)

Black-necked Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis)

Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)

Red-crested Pochard (Netta rudina)

Shoveler (Anas clypeata)

Pochard (Aythra ferina)

Teal (Anas crecca)

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

White-headed Duck (Oxyura leucocephala)

Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus)

Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis)

Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus)

Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa)

Coot (Fulica atra)

Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)

Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)

Ruff (Philomachus pugnax)

Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)

Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius)

Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus)

Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)

Dunlin (Calidris alpina)

Redshank (Tringa totanus)

Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)

Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)

Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)

Swift (Apus apus)

Pallid Swift (Apus pallidus)

Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

House Martin (Delichon urbicum)

Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita)