EDAR Cabeza Beaza, Cartagena – Thursday 16th August 2012

Weather: Sky clear, no wind, 30ºC.  With Diego Zamora Urán, Antonio Fernandez-Caro.

Today we did the monthly count at the Cartagena sewage farm at Cabeza Beaza, just outside Cartagena.

We had all the normal birds seen on the two lagoons – around 1,500 Black Necked Grebes, Little Grebes, Mallard, Cattle Egrets, Coot, Moorhen, Shelduck, Mallard, 50+ Pochard, the first couple of Shoveler of the post-breeding period, around 150 White Headed Ducks.  Of note were 11 Red-crested Pochards, and in amongst the Pochards a single adult male Tufted Duck in eclipse plumage.  Also 4 adult Greater Flamingos.  Of waders there was a sizeable group of Black Winged Stilts (around 200), 2 Common Sandpipers and a single Ruff.

No photos of the ducks I'm afraid - as always they were a long way off, but a few photos of the other birds seen. 

 Hoopoe seen out of the car window

 Part of the group of Black Winged Stilts

 ...that soon took to the air

Part of a family group of 4 Red-rumped Swallows

 

Flying continually over the lagoons were both Common and Pallid Swifts, Swallows, Red-rumped Swallows and House Martins, while around the edge of the lagoons were both Iberian and White Wagtails.  On overhead H.T. cables were a large group (50+) of Woodpigeons and another of 30+ Turtle Doves.

Species seen

Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)

Black-necked Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis)

Cattle Egret (Bubulbus ibis)

Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)

Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)

Pochard (Aythra ferina)

Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina)

Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

Shoveler (anas clypeata)

White-headed Duck (Oxyura leucocephala)

Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis)

Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus)

Coot (Fulica atra)

Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)

Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)

Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)

Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)

Ruff (Philomachus pugnax)

Red Legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa)

Swift (Apus apus)

Pallid Swift (Apus pallidus)

Woodpigeon (Columba palumbus)

Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)

Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur)

Hoopoe (Upupa epops)

Iberian Wagtail (Motacilla flava iberiae)

White Wagtail (Motacilla alba alba)

Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

Red-rumped Swallow (Hirundo daurica)

House Martin (Delichon urbicum)

Ringing at the Rio Quípar, Calasparra – Wednesday 15th August 2012

Weather: Sky clear, no wind, 13 - 30ºC.  With Fran Garcia.

The 15^th of August here in Spain is a public holiday (Ascension Day), and as I knew that there was ringing going on at one of my favourite places, I decided to take a trip out - more than anything to see some different birds.

After an hour and a half’s drive, I arrived at 8 a.m.  The nets were already set up at the site, which is a stream surrounded by reeds and bushes.  We didn’t catch many birds, but did catch the first passerine migrants of the autumn migration, 2 Willow Warblers.  We also caught a single Melodious Warbler which could have been on migration, and 6 Reed Warblers and a couple of Nightingales.  Other interesting birds caught were a couple of Thekla Larks (the first for this site), 3 Crested Larks, Great Tit, Cettis Warblers, Goldfinches and Sardinian Warblers.  Although it makes this post long-winded, I include photos of all the Crested and Thekla Larks so that the differences can be seen (or not!).

  Melodious Warbler

 Cetti's Warbler

 Willow Warbler

Adult female Sardinian Warbler

Reed Warbler taking a quick snack!

 Crested Lark - note long curved bill, and crest flattened

 

 Another Crested Lark

Adult Thekla Lark (left) and adult Crested Lark (right).  Note the Thekla is much greyer

 The same two birds.  Note the full crest on the Thekla, and shorter more triangular bill

 Back view of the same two birds (the Thekla is in moult and has lost its tail)

 Front/side view of the Thekla Lark

 A closer view of the same bird

A juvenile Crested Lark - note the crest made of much fewer feathers

The second adult Thekla Lark caught, also in moult but this time with a tail!

Underwing of the second Thekla Lark caught - much greyer than the orangey underwing of Crested Lark

The second Willow Warbler caught

 And finally, a Nightingale

Interesting birds seen around the area included a juvenile Woodchat Shrike, a couple of Chough, a dozen or so Corn Buntings, House Martins bringing food to their nests under a bridge, and a single Crossbill flew through.

Species seen/heard during the day

Woodpigeon Columba palumbus)

Swift (Apus apus)

Crested Lark (Galerida cristata)

Thekla Lark (Galerida theklae)

Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos)

Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

House Martin (Delichon urbicum)

Cettis Warbler (Cettia cetti)

Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus)

Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala)

Melodious Warbler (Hippolais polyglotta)

Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus)

Great Tit (Parus major)

Woodchat Shrike (Lanius senator)

Chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax)

Jackdaw (Corvus monedula)

Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)

Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)

Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra)

Corn Bunting (Miliaria calandra)

San Javier and San Pedro Salinas – Tuesday 14th August 2012

Farm reservoirs, airport road San Javier.  18:40 – 19:10.

Weather: Sky clear, wind NE F1, 33ºC

An evening visit to the reservoirs in San Javier close to the airport showed not a lot new.  A single Hoopoe, 3 Turtle Doves, 8 Black Winged Stilts, 2 Common Sandpipers, 7 Little Grebes (including 3 young), 5 Coot, 3 Moorhen, a single very dark Grey Heron, 2 Pochard, a single Little Egret, 4 Night Herons (1 adult and 3 juveniles), 2 Squacco Heron (adult and juvenile), and interestingly, around 70 Black Terns, a few of which were juveniles.

 One of the two Pochard that seem to have made the reservoir their home

 Adult and juvenile Night Herons (with a couple of Turtle Doves on the fence behind!)

Five of a large group of Black Terns seen today

Salinas de San Pedro del Pinatar.  19:25 – 21:30.

Weather: No cloud, wind NE F1, 28ºC

Moving on to the San Pedro Salinas, again there was nothing that I haven’t been seeing over my last visits.  The most interesting birds being around 80 Black Terns, 2 Whiskered Terns, 8 Little Stints, 2 Curlew Sandpipers, 16 Turnstone, 3 Dunlin, 2 Ruff, 3 Stone Curlews, 8 Black-tailed Godwits, around 80 Black Terns, 2 Red Crested Pochard (presumably the same two I saw at the weekend), and 12 Mediterranean Gulls (adults, moulting into winter plumage).

There was no sign of the Red-necked Phalarope, which I think has now gone, along with many of the other waders no longer around.  Also missing were Sand Martins, which presumably have now headed on south.

A couple of Red Crested Pochard spotted flying over the road that splits the salinas

Species seen

Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)

Black Necked Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis)

Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)

Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)

Night Heron (Nicticorax nicticorax)

Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides)

Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)

Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)

Coot (Fulica atra)

Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)

Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

Pochard (Aythya ferina)

Red Crested Pochard (Netta rufina)

Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)

Black Winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)

Stone Curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus)

Ruff (Philomachus pugnax)

Dunlin (Calidris alpina)

Little Stint (Calidris minuta)

Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea)

Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)

Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa)

Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus)

Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)

Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis)

Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus)

Mediterranean Gull (Larus melanocephalus)

Slender-billed Gull (Larus genei)

Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis)

Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)

Little Tern (Sterna albifrons)

Black Tern (Chlidonias niger)

Whiskered Tern (Chlidonius hybrida)

Woodpigeon Columba palumbus)

Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)

Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur)

Swift (Apus apus)

Iberian Wagtail (Motacilla flava iberiae)

White Wagtail (Motacilla alba alba)

Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

House Martin (Delichon urbicum)

Fan-tailed Warbler (Cisticola juncidis)

Southern Grey Shrike (Lanius meridionalis)

Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris)

A look around the Mar Menor – Wednesday 8th August 2012

Marchamalo Salinas.  08:15 – 08:30.

Weather: Sky 7/8 cloud, wind NE F2, 24ºC.

Prior to going to work, I had a quick look at the Salinas again, mainly to see if I could relocate the Oystercatchers seen last night.  I had no luck with these, and the Salinas were pretty quiet, with just 4 adult Mediterranean Gulls, the 2 juvenile Shelduck that seem to be hanging around, 3 adult Black-headed Gulls, 2 Little, 6 Common and 12 Sandwich Terns, 3 Kentish Plover, 7 Audouins Gulls (all adults) and around 150 Yellow-legged Gulls.

Lo Poyo (between Los Nietos and Los Urrutias on the Mar Menor).  16:20 – 16:50.

Weather: Sky 1/8 cloud, wind NE F2-3, 28ºC

I had arranged to meet up with some birders this afternoon at the Salinas of San Pedro del Pinatar, and en route there, I stopped off briefly at Lo Poyo.  This is an area with a few small sandbars in the Mar Menor where occasionally waders, terns and gulls roost if there is not too much disturbance, and at this time of day there doesn’t tend to be too many people around.

There was a fair roost of birds, mainly terns, the most unusual being a roosting group of 26 Gull-billed Terns.  Apart from these there were around 30 Common Terns, 40 Little Terns and 20 Sandwich Terns.  Amongst the waders were 2 Greenshanks, 14 Ringed Plovers, 18 Kentish Plovers and at least 9 Common Sandpipers in a flock together.  Unusually there wasn’t much in the way of gulls, just a single adult breeding plumage Mediterranean Gull.  Other birds seen were a single Little Egret, and there was a continual stream of Common Swifts, a few Alpine Swifts and many Swallows and Red-rumped Swallows through.

Part of the group of Common Sandpipers - seems strange to see them at a beach

Salinas de San Pedro del Pinatar.  17:20 – 20:00. With José Manuel Escarabajal, Paul Sparkes, Jose Navarro Leandro, Conrado Requena, Juan and Santiago.

Weather: Sky 2-3/8 cloud, wind NE F3-4, 28ºC

I met up with the group I was going to be birdwatching with. Our principal aim was to look for the Red-necked Phalarope (which we eventually found) and to generally have a look at the lagoons for whatever may be around.  The lagoons seemed pretty quiet, but with effort we managed to pick out a few good birds, such as male and female Little Bittern, Squacco Heron, the aforementioned Red-necked Phalarope, 2 Dunlin, 4 Ruff, 8 Little Stint, 8 Turnstone, 8 Common Sandpiper, 14 Curlew Sandpiper, 12 Kentish Plover, 3 Redshank, a single Greenshank, 18 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 adult Sanderling and around 800 distant Greater Flamingos.  The Sand Martins were down to just 2 birds – presumably the rest have either gone elsewhere to moult or are on their way back to Africa.

 One of the Black Terns seen flying overhead

 The Red-necked Phalarope, still hanging around

Farm reservoirs, airport road San Javier.  20:20 – 21:00. With José Manuel Escarabajal, Paul Sparkes, Jose Navarro Leandro, Conrado Requena, Juan and Santiago.

Weather: Sky 3/8 cloud, wind NE F3, 26ºC

The other reason for gathering us all together was to show people where the farm reservoirs are where I have recently been seeing the Black Terns and herons, so we all gathered here for a while.  The Black Tern numbers were definitely down, with just 6 being seen plus the adult Whiskered Tern that has been around lately.  There were also 3 Gull-billed Terns that flew over.

Waders were represented by 6 Black Winged Stilts (plus one adult recently squashed on the road), 2 Little Ringed Plovers and a single Green Sandpiper.

The other stars for this location are the herons, but having got here quite late, we only saw a single Cattle Egret and single Little Egret.  We also had a Grey Heron come over presumably to roost.  We did however see a good number of Night Herons (7 in total, 4 adults, 1 sub-adult and 2 juveniles) and 3 Squacco Herons (1 adult and 2 juveniles).

 One of the Squacco Herons seen in one of the reservoirs

Not quite sure whats going on here - adult and juvenile Sqacco Heron, but notice the size difference!

I thought that we were going to call it a day at that, but a couple of people (José Navarro and Conri) were going to continue birding, so I decided to continue with them.

On the way out from the reservoirs, next to the motorway I had a Red-necked Nightjar fly over the car – it seems that they are quite active at the moment as I’ve heard of various sightings of these over the past week or so, presumably young on the wing.

I followed José and Coni to a site where Long-eared Owls had been found nesting earlier in the year.  We hoped that there might still be some around, but we had no luck with these. 

We then went over to the ‘Marina de Carmolí’ area near Los Urrutias, and here we DID have some luck as we flushed another Red-necked Nightjar.  We only saw it for a second or so, but sometime later when we went past the same spot, it was there again, and this time we had much better views although just as short, seeing the white flashes on the wings as it flew up.  We decided to call it a night at that, as it was by now around 11pm.

Species seen/heard during the day

Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)

Black Necked Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis)

Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)

Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)

Night Heron (Nicticorax nicticorax)

Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides)

Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)

Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus)

Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)

Coot (Fulica atra)

Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)

Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

Pochard (Aythya ferina)

Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)

Black Winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)

Stone Curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus)

Redshank (Tringa totanus)

Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)

Ruff (Philomachus pugnax)

Dunlin (Calidris alpina)

Little Stint (Calidris minuta)

Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea)

Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)

Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa)

Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus)

Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus)

Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)

Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus)

Sanderling (Calidris alba)

Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis)

Audouin’s Gull (Larus audouinii)

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)

Whiskered Tern (Chlidonius hybrida)

Woodpigeon Columba palumbus)

Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)

Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur)

Swift (Apus apus)

Alpine Swift (Apus melba)

Iberian Wagtail (Motacilla flava iberiae)

White Wagtail (Motacilla alba alba)

Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

Red-rumped Swallow (Hirundo daurica)

House Martin (Delichon urbicum)

Sand Martin (Riparia riparia)

Fan-tailed Warbler (Cisticola juncidis)

Southern Grey Shrike (Lanius meridionalis)

Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris)

Marchamalo salinas, Murcia – 7th August 2012

 Weather: Sky 7/8 cloud, wind F3-4 E, temp. 24ºC.  20:15 – 20:45.

Having not been to the Salinas over the last few days, and having an hour to spare, I called by late on to see if there was anything roosting in the areas visible.

The Salinas themselves still look pretty sorry for themselves, with a trickle of water entering into them, probably much less than evaporates on a daily basis, and still half the lagoons are just mud (particularly towards the urbanization Playa Paraiso) – no water at all.  There is only one area where birds are normally seen, sitting on to of a stone wall dividing two of the lagoons, but in the evening you are looking directly into the sun to see them, so I didn’t hold out any high hopes of anything out of the ordinary.

On this wall were the usual birds, a few Mediterranean Gulls, Black Headed Gulls, Sandwich, Common and Little Terns, and actually in one of the lagoons was a group of Slender-billed Gulls feeding, and on the muddy fringes, a couple of Kentish Plover.

Thinking this was the sum total of birds, I drove my car to an area where I can turn it round, and looking back towards the Salinas I saw a distant large ‘white’ flock get up from an area normally hidden from view when you’re close up to the salinas.  Jumping out of the car and getting my binoculars on it, I could see it was a flock of about 250 – 300 terns.  Something had obviously spooked them, as together with them was a separate group of about 40 Black Winged Stilts, and another smaller flock of 21 largish waders, dark and white with a medium-sized straight bill (remember I was looking into the sun, so couldn’t get any idea of colours).  I grabbed my camera and reeled off a few photos to help identification – it was only later that I realized that I had the focus in ‘manual’ mode (normally I have it in ‘auto’), and so all the photos were out of focus!  Luckily, they were calling, and I could identify them as Oystercatchers – definitely the largest group I’ve seen together locally, and the first I’ve seen this year.  And while I was watching them, a small flock of 9 Greater Flamingo flew over, circled a few times and then continued on their way.

 Out of focus record shot of the Oystercatcher (they are, honest!)

  

So considering I wasn’t expecting to see a lot, not bad for a half hour of birding!

 

Species seen/heard

Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)

Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)

Black Winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)

Oystercatcher  (Haematopus ostralegus)

Redshank (Tringa totanus)

Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus)

Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis)

Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus)

Mediterranean Gull (Larus melanocephalus)

Slender-billed Gull (Larus genei)

Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis)

Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)

Little Tern (Sterna albifrons)

Swift (Apus apus)

Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

A weekend with the Heron family – 3^rd to 5^th August 2012

Friday 3^rd August, 18:25 to 21:30, farm reservoirs near San Javier airport and Salinas at San Pedro del Pinatar.

Weather: Sky clear but hazy and very humid, wind F1 NE, temp. 32º - 25ºC.

En route to the Salinas at San Pedro, I called in for about half an hour to the farm reservoirs near San Javier airport to see if there was anything new there.  Numbers of Black Tern were on the increase with about 30 adult birds being seen, plus an adult Whiskered Tern in moult.  New birds actually IN the reservoirs were a couple of drab-looking Pochard.  The most interesting birds however were around the edges of one of the reservoirs – on the fence 15 Cattle Egrets, a Little Egret, 2 Night Herons (an adult and sub-adult), and on the banks of the reservoir, a Squacco Heron.

 Immature Night Heron

And an adult

 Record shot of the Squacco Heron seen there

 The adult moulting Whiskered Tern that was flying around the reservoirs

 Part of the group of Black Terns seen

 And the Gull-billed Tern that always comes to investigate whenever you stop there

At the Salinas of San Pedro, as I stayed till it was almost dark, I got to see all the Black Terns doing their feeding ‘dance’ – I estimated about 120 birds, and I checked them out for White-winged Black Terns but didn’t see any.  What I did see were a further 4 Whiskered Terns here.

Waders were thin on the ground here - apart from the breeding birds (Avocet, Black Winged Stilts, Stone Curlews and Kentish Plovers), I only saw 5 Redshank, a single Spotted Redshank and a couple of Greenshank, 6 Little Stint, 4 Curlew Sandpiper, 4 Ruff, c40 Black-tailed Godwit and 4 Common Sandpiper.

Other birds of note were a good concentration of around 80 Little Egrets, including a single Western Reef Heron hybrid.  The bird was obviously mainly Little Egret, the same as any other Little Egret, but the wings were a light grey colour.

Resting on some distant greenery alongside one of the lagoons I made out a bird, and on putting my scope on it, I could see it was another Squacco Heron, my second of the day.

Coming away from the Salinas, I checked along the base of the reedbeds in the first lagoon, and was rewarded with a male Little Bittern stalking and feeding.

Saturday 4^th August, 12:45 to 16:10, Salinas at San Pedro del Pinatar and Lo Poyo (Los Nietos).

Weather: Sky clear but hazy and very humid, wind F1-2 SE-E, temp. 32ºC.

After a morning spent doing the monthly RAM seawatch from Cabo de Palos (which was fairly quiet – a slight movement of Balearic Shearwaters south and Cory’s north and lots of Sandwich and Common Terns south), I went back over to the San Pedro Salinas around midday.  Here there was not much change from yesterday, except that the Red-necked Phalarope showed itself again, feeding around a group of feeding Greater Flamingos, and being chased off by an adult Avocet whenever it got too close to the shore near the Avocets chick.  It was while watching this that I noticed a large dark looking heron drop down into the canal that runs alongside the Salinas.  My first thought was Purple Heron but wanted to confirm it, so I walked up to the canal.  Looking along it from the new wooden bridge, there was the bird I had seen – an adult Purple Heron.  And as a bonus, a Kingfisher flew out from under the bridge and along the canal.  Kingfishers do not breed here, but are early arrival winter visitors, normally arriving at the end of July/beginning of August, and this was my first post-breeding sighting.  

 Curlew Sandpiper that was walking along the side of one of the lagoons...

 ...together with this Little Stint

 Record shot of the Red Necked Phalarope seen again today

 Just for a change, a photo of some common birds - adult and juvenile Slender-billed Gull

And a record shot of the Purple Heron

  

Leaving San Pedro, on the way home I decided to drop in to Lo Poyo which is on the Mar Menor, about midway between Los Urrutias and Los Nietos.  There wasn’t too much disturbance at this time, and their was a good group of terns on the sandbanks, with 45 Sandwich, 10 Common and 12 Little Terns.  A recent arrival must have been the two adult Sanderlings in breeding plumage, but for me the most unusual were a group of 11 Audouin’s Gulls, of which 4 were juveniles.  Obviously, Audouins Gulls are not scarce around here, but to see 4 juveniles IS unusual.  Passage birds and winter birds here are normally adults, and seeing 4 juveniles makes me think that there must be a new breeding colony somewhere nearby – this year locally I have probably seen more juveniles than in any other year.

 The group of mixed terns - Sandwich, Common and Little

 Recoed shot of the two adult Sanderlings

Part of the group of 11 Audouins Gulls - adult and three of the juveniles

 

Sunday 6^th August, 09:15 to 13:25, Salinas at San Pedro del Pinatar, farm reservoirs at San Javier and old sewage farm (EDAR)  of El Algar.

Weather: Sky clear but hazy, no wind, temp. 28º -32ºC.

Another morning visit to the Salinas, but numbers of just about everything seemed less than the last two days.  I had a look for the Purple Heron but without success, but I did see the Red-necked Phalarope again briefly, when it dropped into one of the lagoons I was scoping.  But as I set up my camera, it must have flown off and I didn’t see it again.  What also dropped in were a couple of juvenile/female Red Crested Pochard – quite unusual for here.

 The two Red Crested Pochards that dropped in

 Part of a large feeding flock of Slender-billed Gulls that formed on one of the lagoons

  Waders were in short supply today - one of the few seen, a Little Stint

On my way back towards home, I called by the farm reservoirs at San Javier.  Here I had around 40 Black Terns and a single Whiskered, half a dozen Gull-billed Terns, and on the usual fence, 18 Cattle Egrets, 1 Little Egret, 3 Night Herons (1 adult and 2 juveniles), a Grey Heron and a Squacco Heron!  Quite a tally of the heron family.

 One of three Little Grebes on the reservoirs

 A juvenile Night Heron that flew off as soon as I approached

 As did this Grey Heron

 Three of the Pochard seen on a reservoir

 

 

 On the banks of one of the reservoirs, Black Winged Stilt, juvenile Night Heron and Cattle Egret

 

 Whilst on the fence above the bank, adult Night Heron, various Cattle Egrets, a single Little Egret and a Squacco Heron (you can only see its leg)

 A better view of the Squacco Heron, after some of the Egrets had flown off

 Continually flying around the reservoirs, this adult Whiskered Tern

Meanwhile, roosting on whatever they can, some of the Black Terns

My last port of call was at the EDAR El Algar where there is still only a very small pool with liquid in (I say liquid, as I’m not sure exactly what it is, but it’s certainly not water, and with a couple of dead birds around it, I am starting to wonder).

Here were 4 Black Winged Stilts, 3 Green Sandpipers, a single Common Sandpiper, 5 Little Ringed Plovers and 2 Little Stints.

Species seen/heard over the weekend

Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)

Black Necked Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis)

Balearic Shearwater  (Puffinus mauretanicus)

Cory’s Shearwater (Calonectris diomedea)

Gannet (Morus bassanus)

Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis)

Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)

Little Egret/Western Reef Heron hybrid (Egretta garzetta x Egretta gularis)

Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)

Night Heron (Nicticorax nicticorax)

Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides)

Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)

Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea)

Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus)

Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)

Coot (Fulica atra)

Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)

Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina)

Pochard (Aythya ferina)

Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)

Black Winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)

Stone Curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus)

Redshank (Tringa totanus)

Spotted Redshank (Tringa erythropus)

Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)

Ruff (Philomachus pugnax)

Dunlin (Calidris alpina)

Little Stint (Calidris minuta)

Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea)

Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)

Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)

Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa)

Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus)

Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus)

Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)

Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus)

Sanderling (Calidris alba)

Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis)

Audouin’s Gull (Larus audouinii)

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)

Whiskered Tern (Chlidonius hybrida)

Woodpigeon Columba palumbus)

Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)

Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur)

Swift (Apus apus)

Alpine Swift (Apus melba)

Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)

Iberian Wagtail (Motacilla flava iberiae)

White Wagtail (Motacilla alba alba)

Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

Red-rumped Swallow (Hirundo daurica)

House Martin (Delichon urbicum)

Sand Martin (Riparia riparia)

Fan-tailed Warbler (Cisticola juncidis)

Southern Grey Shrike (Lanius meridionalis)

Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris)