Thursday, 26th April 2012

Cabo de Palos lighthouse garden

Weather: Sky 1/8 cloud, misty, no wind, temp.13ºC.  08:00 – 09:40.

There has obviously been a small overnight fall as on my way around the garden area I saw 14 Willow Warblers, 3 Turtle Doves, 3 Redstart, 4 Woodchats, 5 Subalpine Warblers, 6 Northern Wheatears, 2 Short Toed Larks, 6 Common Whitethroats, 3 Pied Flycatchers, a single Robin and the first Melodious Warbler I’ve seen this year that didn’t come out of a ringing net.

Apart from these, the only other bird of note was the Great Tit, still singing in the same place as yesterday.

 Two juvenile Shag swimming around the base of the lighthouse

One of 5 Subalpine Warblers seen this morning

One of the lightrhouse gardens residents, Crested Lark

 Another resident, always on the lookout for an easy meal (tired incoming migrants), Kestrel

One of the 3 Pied Flycatchers seen here today

Species seen/heard (and numbers)

Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) -1

Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) - 1

Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis) - 2

Yellow Legged Gull (Larus michahellis) – c 60

Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) - 3

Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis) -1

Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) - 8

Rock Dove/Domestic Pigeon (Columba livia)

Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur) - 3

Swift (Apus apus) – 5

Crested Lark (Galerida cristata) - 2

Short-toed Lark (Calandrella brachydactyla) - 2

‘flava’ Wagtail (Motacilla flava) - 1

White Wagtail (Motacilla alba alba) – 1

Swallow (Hirundo rustica) - 4

Blackbird (Turdus merula) - 7

Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) - 6

Common Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus) – 3

Robin (erythacus rubecula) - 1

Common Whitethroat (Sylvia communis) – 6

Subalpine Warbler (Sylvia cantillans) – 5

Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala) - 5

Melodious Warbler (Hippolaispolyglotta) - 1

Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) - 14

Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) - 3

Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata) - 1

Woodchat Shrike (Lanius senator) - 4

Great Tit (Parus major) - 1

Spotless Starling (Sturnus unicolor) - 15

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) - 11

Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris) – 2

Marchamalo Salinas (La Manga)

Weather: Sky 1/8 cloud,  wind SW F1, temp. 16ºC.  09:45 – 10:25.

On the way back from Cabo de Palos, a quick call into the Salinas.  The waders were much as in previous days, with 32 Curlew Sandpiper, 6 Redshank and a Greenshank.  The area of Mimosas however was buzzing.  Singles of Woodchat Shrike, Spotted Flycatcher, Short-toed Lark, Common Redstart, ‘flava’ Wagtail and Whinchat, and 4 Red Rumped Swallows, 2 Turtle Doves, 3 Willow and Subalpine Warblers, 5 Common Whitethroats, and 9 Pied Flycatchers, 4 of which were males.  Not a bad tally of birds for such a small area.

This was definitely the day for Pied Flycatchers

With 9 seen on or near this fence

Mustn't forget the other migrants though, like this Whinchat

 

Species seen/heard

Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)

Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)

Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)

Redshank (Tringa totanus)

Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea)

Slender-billed Gull (Larus genei)

Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur)

Crested Lark (Galerida cristata)

Short-toed Lark (Calandrella brachydactyla)

‘flava’ Wagtail (Motacilla flava)

Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

Red-rumped Swallow (Hirundo daurica)

Fan-tailed Warbler (Cisticola juncidis)

Common Whitethroat (Sylvia communis)

Subalpine Warbler (Sylvia cantillans)

Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala)

Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus)

Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus)

Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra)

Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata)

Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca)

Woodchat Shrike (Lanius senator)

Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris)

Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)

Serin (Serinus serinus)

Corn Bunting (Miliaria calandra)