Thursday 29th March 2012

Cabo de Palos lighthouse garden

Weather: Sky no cloud, wind NW F2, temp. 13ºC.  08:30 – 09:20.

Back to the morning sessions at the lighthouse garden, a bit of a surprise in the form of a Songthrush and 3 Robins heard, but apart from that nothing unusual.

 Record shot of the Songthrush seen this morning - a bit of a surprise this, as most have passed through by now

Species seen

Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis)

Yellow Legged Gull (Larus michahellis)

Audouin’s Gull (Larus audouinii)

Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala)

Rock Dove/Domestic Pigeon (Columba livia)

Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)

Blackbird (Turdus merula)

Songthrush (Turdus philomelos)

Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros)

Robin (Erithacus rubecula)

Spotless Starling (Sturnus unicolor)

White Wagtail (Motacilla alba alba)

Serin (Serinus serinus)

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)

Marchamalo Salinas, La Manga

Weather: Sky no cloud,  wind NW F1, temp. 14ºC.  09:30 – 09:40.

On the way back from Cabo de Palos, I called in just at the La Manga side of the Salinas.  Of note there was a group of 8 Grey Herons standing together in one of the pools, obviously newly arrived.

Also, a flock of 24 Little Stints feeding on the muddy fringes.  There were still a fair number (12) of Slender-billed Gulls about, but much more dispersed than yesterday.

Species seen

Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)

Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)

Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)

Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)

Little Stint (Calidris minuta)

Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius)

Yellow Legged Gull (Larus michahellis)

Slender-billed Gull (Larus genei)

Audouin’s Gull (Larus audouinii)

White Wagtail (Motacilla alba alba)