Sunday 29th July 2012 – San Pedro salinas, Murcia

Weather: Sky mainly clear, wind F1 NE, temp. 26 - 29ºC.  08:35 – 12:30.

I spent the morning at the Salinas, once again hunting for phalaropes (without success).  In general, bird species seen were much the same as on my last trip, although two Dunlins in breeding plumage were new arrivals.  Wader numbers were definitely up though, with 6 Ruff, 25 Black-tailed Godwits and 4 Little Stints.  Also there was a lot of movement of the flamingos from one lagoon to another, and I estimated around 1,500 in total – a fair arrival since my last visit.  I managed to read a couple of colour rings, of birds presumably ringed as pulli at the Delta del Ebro (Tarragona, Cataluña).  I also saw up to 4 Little Bitterns in the air together, flying around the reedbeds on the right as you enter the Salinas - 3 males and a female.

  Part of the group of Greater Flamingos in one of the lagoons

 Swapping over to another lagoon

 A Little Stint I almost tripped over

 

 One of the mud banks between the lagoons with a variety of bird species

 

A couple of Curlew Sandpipers that dropped in

 

 A record shot of the reedbed, with three Little Bitterns in flight

 

Species seen/heard

Black Necked Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis)

Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)

Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus)

Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)

Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)

Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)

Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)

Black Winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)

Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa)

Redshank (Tringa totanus)

Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)

Ruff (Philomachus pugnax)

Little Stint (Calidris minuta)

Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea)

Dunlin (Calidris alpina)

Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius)

Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus)

Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis)

Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus)

Mediterranean Gull (Larus melanocephalus)

Slender-billed Gull (Larus genei)

Gull-billed Tern  (Sterna nilotica)

Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis)

Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)

Little Tern (Sterna albifrons)

Black Tern (Chlidonias niger)

Woodpigeon (Columba palumbus)

Swift (Apus apus)

Iberian Wagtail (Motacilla flava iberiae)

Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

Red-rumped Swallow (Hirundo daurica)

House Martin (Delichon urbicum)

Sand Martin (Riparia riparia)

Fan-tailed Warbler (Cisticola juncidis)

Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris)