Wednesday, 25th April 2012

Cabo de Palos lighthouse garden

Weather: Sky 6/8 cloud, no wind, temp.12ºC.  07:30 – 08:55.

Another day with a slight passage of migrant birds at the lighthouse, the most numerous being Northern Wheatears (17) and Common Redstart (4), with a supporting cast of 3 flyover ‘flava’ Wagtails, 2 Woodchats, 2 Robins and singles  of Subalpine  and Willow Warbler, Common Sandpiper and Spotted Flycatcher.  Of interest (to me at least) was a male Great Tit seen and heard calling – not unheard of here but pretty unusual.

A couple of the 17 Northern Wheatears seen today

 

Another new arrival - Spotted Flycatcher

Species seen/heard

Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)

Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis)

Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)

Yellow Legged Gull (Larus michahellis)

Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)

Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)

‘flava’ Wgtail Motacilla flava)

Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

Blackbird (Turdus merula)

Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe)

Common Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus)

Robin (erythacus rubecula)

Subalpine Warbler (Sylvia cantillans)

Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala)

Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus)

Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata)

Woodchat Shrike (Lanius senator)

Great Tit (Parus major)

Spotless Starling (Sturnus unicolor)

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)

Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris)

Serin (Serinus serinus)

Marchamalo Salinas (La Manga)

Weather: Sky 6/8 cloud,  wind SW F1 - 2, temp. 15ºC.  09:00 – 09:30.

On the way back from Cabo de Palos, I called in for a quick look at the Salinas area.  On the Salinas themselves (which are drying out rapidly), there was a group of 24 Curlew Sandpipers, a few of which were in their red breeding plumage.  Also a pair of Kentish Plover – presumably they’ll stay to breed.  Also, another ringed Slender-billed Gull, ringed as a pullus in Roquetas del Mar (Almeria).  With regards to small birds I only had time to have a quick look along the fence between the Salinas and the Mimosas area, but did see a Woodchat, Northern Wheatear and had a ‘flava’ Wagtail fly over.

 Part of the group of 24 Curlew Sandpipers

The male of the pair of Kentish Plover

 

Species seen/heard

Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)

Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)

Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)

Kentish Plover  (Charadrius alexandrinus)

Black Winged Stilt (Himantopus Himantopus)

Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)

Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)

Redshank (Tringa tetanus)

Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea)

Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)

Slender-billed Gull (Larus genei)

Audouin’s Gull (Larus audouinii)

Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus)

Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis)

‘flava’ Wagtail  (Motacilla flava)

Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe)

Corn Bunting (Miliaria calandra)

EDAR Cabeza Beaza, Cartagena

Weather: Sky 5/8 cloud, wind SW F3-4, temp. 18ºC.  17:00 – 19:00.  With Diego Zamora Urán, Antonio Fernández-Caro Goméz.

This afternoon was the monthly count at the EDAR (sewage farm) at Cabeza Beaza, just outside Cartagena,  The level of water in the two large lagoons today was even lower than last month, giving large muddy margins and so again there were a lot of waders taking advantage of this.  Notable amongst the ducks was a single male Red Crested Pochard, and among the waders 2 Temmincks Stints, 4 Wood Sandpipers and high numbers of Black-winged Stilts, Common Sandpipers and Little Ringed Plovers.  Other birds of note seen, were the  8 first-year Greater Flamingos (presumably the same birds as last month), 7 Audouin’s Gulls (one with a colour ring which we could read, which was ringed the 12th June 2008 at the Laguna de La Mata (Alicante) as a pullus), and 8 Turtle Doves around the banks of the lagoons.

Species seen/heard

Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)

Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)

Black-necked Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis)

Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)

Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina)

Shoveler (Anas clypeata)

Pochard (Aythra ferina)

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

White-headed Duck (Oxyura leucocephala)

Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus)

Audouin’s Gull (Larus audouinii)

Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis)

Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus)

Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa)

Coot (Fulica atra)

Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)

Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)

Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)

Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius)

Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus)

Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola)

Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)

Dunlin (Calidris alpina)

Redshank (Tringa totanus)

Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)

Swift (Apus apus)

Pallid Swift (Apus pallidus)

Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur)

Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

House Martin (Delichon urbicum)

Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita)

Rambla de Albujon, Cartagena

Weather: Sky 5/8 cloud, wind SW F2-3, temp. 17ºC.  19:20 – 20:20.  With Antonio Fernández-Caro Goméz.

After the Beaza census, Antonio and I decided to have a quick look at the Rambla de Albujon, where apart from hearing Quail calling, we had a Group of 15 Collared Pratincoles fly over.  In the rambla itself, 3 Great Reed Warblers could be heard, and a pair of Mallard with 2 ducklings were seen.  There was also still a Common Snipe still there, and on leaving the area I had two Bee-eaters fly over.

Species seen/heard

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)

Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)

Black Winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)

Collared Pratincole (Glareola pratincola)

Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus)

Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius)

Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)

Stone Curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus)

Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)

Quail (Coturnix coturnix)

Bee-eater (Merops apiaster)

Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

Blackbird (Turdus merula)

Great Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus)