Tuesday 12 May
A very pleasant start to the day as I drove over to the
Lagna Dulce near Campillos to collect the latest supply of magazines for the
Andalucia Bird Society and, at the same time, took the opportunity to check out both this water and then wander round to Fuente de Piedra before returning home. The usual
Thekla Larks and
Serins as I descended the mountain and, upon arriving, I was already aware of the white mass on the laguna. It would appear that hundreds of
Flamingos had either turned up to feed or were on their summer holidays, perhaps due to the shortage of water at nearby Fuente.
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| Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus |
In addition to the
Flamingos, there was a good supply of
Coots and no shortage of ducks. The latter seemed to be many
Common and
Red-crested Pochards but also a few
Gadwall and
Mallard. Indeed, I even found a few
Shelduck on the far side. Very few grebes to be seen with just the single
Black-necked and a couple of
Little Grebes. Around me I had feeding
Goldfinches and
House Sparrow with the ever-calling
Cetti's Warbler. Over the water, the occasional
Black-headed Gull and a number of
Gull-billed Terns put in an appearance with the occasional
Barn Swallow and
Common Swift. Similarly, much searching eventually found a handful of
Black-winged Stilts and a visit would not be the same without finding a
Corn Bunting.
Then it was on round to
Fuente de Piedra with a short stop at the
Mirador de Cantarranas on the way. The relatively short journey produced both
Buzzard and
Kestrel along with
Serins,
Spotless Starlings,
Collared Dove and the first
Hoopoe of the morning. Cantarranas had very little different from the Dulce but I did find a small number of
Avocets.
 |
| Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula |
Entering the Fuente reserve I was surprised to still see water on the field to the left and this held a good number of waders in addition to more
Coots and overhead feeding
Gull-billed Terns,
Barn Swallows and
House Martins. The majority of waders were either
Ringed Plovers or
Curlew Sandpipers, most of the latter in their summer plumage. However, whilst there were also a couple of
Little Ringed Plovers and the odd
Dunlin to accompany the many
Black-winged Stilts and
Avocets the main attraction for me was the number of
Little Stint still present.
 |
| Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginata |
Lots of
Jackdaws about as I walked round the back to the laguneta and yet more
Goldfinches and a
Crested Lark. A handful of
Red-rumped Swallows were seen and a couple of
Lapwing flew across the site. In the near distance a number of
Turtle Doves were calling and a
Moorhen was found on the small pool.
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| Waders: Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus; Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula; Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginata; Little Stint Calidris minuta |
Returning to the car I stopped once more at the flooded field and also added both
Common Sandpiper and
Redshank. A
Blackbird passed by and the
Reed Warblers were in good voice before I found my first new bird for the year, a singing
Great Reed Warbler. To complete the morning, I had a
Raven fly across the motorway as I made my way back to
Casa Collado.
Birds seen:
Shelduck, Gadwall. Mallard, Red-crested Pochard, Pochard, Little Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Flamingo, Buzzard, Kestrel, Moorhen, Coot, Black-winged Stilt, Avocet, Little Ringed Plover, Ringed Plover, Lapwing, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Redshank, Black-headed Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Gull-billed Tern, Turtle Dove, Collared Dove, Swift, Hoopoe, Crested Lark, Thekla Lark, Barn Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, House Martin, Blackbird, Cetti's Warbler, reed Warbler, Great Reed Warbler, Jackdaw, Raven, Spotless Starling, House Sparrow, Serin, Goldfinch, Corn Bunting.
Check out the accompanying website at http://www.birdingaxarquia.weebly.com for the latest sightings, photographs and additional information.
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