Friday 2 May
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| Spoonbill Espatula Comun Platalea leucorodia |
Up early and off to the
Odiel Marshes about forty miles away, arriving at the Visitors Centre by 9am. Again, with clear skies and the sun already blazing down it looks like another very hot day. (Indeed it was bit there was certainly more scattered cloud developing during the late afternoon.) Too keen by half as high tide was only three hours previously and still very little mud exposed to attract the waders. Not withstanding, the water immediately opposite the entrance to the former cafe was full of small waders; mainly
Dunlin but also significant numbers of
Curlew Sandpipers along with a good number of
Ringed Plovers. To the rear, a number of
Flamingos were already feeding whilst the
Yellow-legged Gulls seemed more concerned with resting.
The small pool held very few birds, mainly
Common Coots and
Mallards but then I did pick up a couple of pairs of
Gadwall and a
Red-crested Pochard appeared out of the reeds. A number of
Moorhen foraged away whilst, overhead, there was a constant stream of
Common Swifts and
Barn Swallows with the very occasional
House Martin. To add to the excitement a pair of
Shelduck flew a circle above me before disappearing from whence they had come. At this point also
Magpie,
Little Egret and
Black-winged Stilt were also recorded.
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| The tide went out and the Crabs came out to play - in their thousands |
A 400m walk down to the public hide produced scores of
Dunlin and
Ringed Plovers, especially once I was safely ensconced inside the hide. First one then a second
Grey Plover appeared on the scene and not too far away the first of a couple of
Whimbrels seen during the morning. Before heading off south down the spit, a
Night Heron dashed form its hiding place behind the Visitors Centre and the first
Blackbird was recorded as it walked across the road on the nearby bridge. As I left the bridge area I regularly stopped to check out the small waders in the lagoons on the right and noted a large number of
Redshank plus a very small number of
Kentish Plovers.
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| Redshank Archibebe Comun Tringa nebularia |
Passing the first set of woods on the right after crossing the high bridge, I had a single
Wood Pigeon and then the first of the breeding
White Storks. A magnificent male
Marsh Harrier crossed in front of me. The laguna at the end of the inlet was rapidly emptying but, in addition to more of the same waders, I was also able to find the first of many
Spoonbills to be seen along with a couple of
Curlew and at least a quartet of
Bar-tailed Godwits. A
Grey Heron stood guard at he side of the water and then a steady number of
Turnstones were recorded as I moved on down the spit. At the same tome a single
Sandwich Tern made a pass over the still watered inlet before disappearing over towards the Odiel.
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| A handful of Bar-tailed Godwits Aguja Colipinta Limosa lapponica feeding in the Odiel |
Then it was far down towards the lighthouse passing the numerous anglers and others making their way to one of the beaches for the day (it turned out to be yet another public holiday today!). Nothing to see until suddenly I was confronted by a
Northern Wheatear which appeared out of the huge defence stones. Within minutes, stopping to check out a large sandy scrape, I suddenly had the most handsome
Black-eared Wheatear on the rocks below me. What were these birds doing here, had they just made landfall?
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| Northern Wheatear Collalba Gris Oenanthe oenanthe |
The journey back up the spit eventually turned up good numbers of
Sanderling on the Odiel side along with a good number of
Grey Plovers and a quintet of
Little Terns.
Crested Lark was seen on the road and, of course, there were a few
Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
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| A few Little Terns Charrancito Comun Sterna albifrons had arrived on site |
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| Sanderlings Correlimos ttridactilo Calidris alba and with a Dunlin Correlimos comun Calidris alpina (below) for company |
The next stop was at the old brick hide overlooking the
Laguna de la Mujer, on the eastern outskirts of Huelva on the Matalascanas road. A good stop this as it produced my fist
Pied Flycatcher of the year, a lovely male, plus numerous
Azure-winged Magpies. There were a couple of
Cattle Egrets on the entrance road and then both
Purple heron and
Purple Swamphen on the water's edge. Overhead, the
Barn Swallows were joined by a handful or more
Whiskered Terns. The far side of the water contained a single
Great Crested Grebe, its partner no doubt busy preparing the nest.
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| Is this Purple Heron Garza Imperial Ardea purpurea trying to get his coat on or off? |
Leaving Matalascanas for El Rocio, having recorded a
Buzzard on the last part of the journey, I stopped first at a very dry
El Accebuche centre which produced my first
Spotted Flycatcher of the year. Also seen was a
Hoopoe and a small flock of
Bee-eaters. in addition to the
Azure-winged Magpies,
House Sparrows and
Spotless Starlings, I did manage to see a
Little Grebe, pair of
Red-rumped Swallows,
Serins and a single
Woodchat Shrike.
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| The first Spotted Flycatcher Papamoscas Gris Musciapa striata of the year |
The
La Roscina centre was the opposite with abundant supplies of water. Greeted by
Chaffinches I also had a air of
Great Tits and near the full lake at the arroyo a number of
Spoonbills and
Glossy Ibis along with a
Red-crested Pochard, more
Purple Swamphens, another
Purple Heron and a second, nearer,
Squacco Heron. Overhead the resident
White Storks seemed to be permanently in the air and then a pair of
Black Kites grace me with their presence. Also seen were both
Reed Warbler and
Nightingale on the walk around the woods near the old palace, which was also housing a huge colony of
House Martin nests on its front.
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| A very watchful Squacco Heron Garcilla Cangrejera Ardeola ralloides |
I had intended to drive straight back to the hotel but being so near decided to pay a short visit to the SEO centre at
El Rocio in the hope that the local Imperial Eagle might be in the sky; it was not. However, I did meet up with John and Jenny Wainwright so that we could compare notes on our day's activities and not only picked up the distant small flock of
Greylag Geese but manged to add a
Pintail to both our lists; a first of the day and present Donana visit for both of us. For me, a day's total of
68 species. Then it was back to the hotel to recover and prepare for the next day.
Birds seen:
Greylag Goose, Shelduck, Gadwall, Mallard, Pintail, Red-crested Pochard, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Night Heron, Squacco Heron, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Glossy Ibis, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, White Stork, Spoonbill, Flamingo, Black Kite, Marsh Harrier, Buzzard, Moorhen, Purple Swamphen, Coot, Black-winged Stilt, Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Grey Plover, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Sanderling, Redshank, Bar-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Whimbrel, Turnstone, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Little Tern, Sandwich Tern, Whiskered Tern, Rock Dove, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Bee-eater, Hoopoe, Common Swift, Crested Lark, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Red-rumped Swallow, Nightingale, Northern Wheatear, Black-eared Wheatear, Blackbird, Reed Warbler, Great Tit, Pied Flycatcher, Spotted Flycatcher, Woodchat Shrike, Azure-winged Magpie, Magpie, Spotless Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Serin, Goldfinch.
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