Fuente de Piedra & Navahermosa

Sunday 20 October

Off early and arrived at Fuente de Piedra before 10 passing a number of Collared Doves and Spotless Starlings as we drove into the reserve.  First a stop to check the ploughed field on the right and wooded corner where we found Stonechat, Crested Lark and a Sardinian Warbler. Moving on pleased to see that the meadow on the left was flooded but nothing present other than a couple of Jackdaw.

Iberian Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis

Parking the car we took a walk towards the footbridge so that we could access the main mirador via the lower path.  Lots of activity as we made our way round starting with a posed Iberian Grey Shrike atop a small bush and with good views of both Common Redstart and White Wagtails.  A Song Thrush put in an appearance quickly followed by a quartet of Greenfinch.  No shortage of Chiffchaffs nor a small number of Linnets.  A Cetti’s Warbler was calling strongly from the ditch and then a male Blackbird crossed the track.

Common Redstart Phoenicuros phoenicuros

Finally, up the mirador below the large tree giving a view over the almost dry laguna; lots of sand stretching away into the distance with just a very small area of shallow water to our left.  On the san to the right of the water a large resting flock of gulls, mainly Lesser Black-backs but also a few Herring and Black-headed Gulls.  On the water perhaps as many as an hundred Greater Flamingo and with the use of Derek’s scope also able to pick out a handful of Lapwing plus a few Teal, Shelduck and Avocet. Then the very small group of Ringed Plovers as both House Sparrows and Barn Swallows passed overhead.

Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus

Moving on the hide overlooking the Laguneta we finally saw a Robin instead of just hearing its call.  Once inside time to check the full water and find a few Flamingos along with mainly Mallards.  However, there were a couple of Black-necked as well as Little Grebe and then the small flock of Common Pochard.  At the back of the water a pair of Marbled Duck and resting away to our right a couple of White-headed Duck. A lone Gadwall put in a brief appearance.  Just the one Moorhen but a few more Coot. The neighbouring hide offered up a small mixed party of both House and Spanish Sparrows.

Distant Marbled Ducks Marmaronetta angustirostris

As we made our departure from the car park we stopped to take a final look at the flooded field, now on our right, and found that four Black-winged Stilts had arrived along with an adult and juvenile Iberian Yellow Wagtail. In the olive grove just beyond the flooded a field a Hoopoe and then, resting atop a pylon on the other side of the nearby main road, a Buzzard.

Iberian (Blue-headed) Yellow Wagtails Motacilla flava iberiae

Time now to drive a few miles away to the growing fields near Navahermosa which proved very productive indeed.  Entering a farm track be became immediately aware of the large number of Cattle Egrets away to our left.  In front of us a few Goldfinches and Blackcaps before spotting the Common Redstart feeding on the road in front of us. A Red-legged Partridge went dashing away on our right and then a Pied Flycatcher on the wire above us.

Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis

Taking a turn to our right with more open fields on both sides of the track we stopped to check Greenfinches and Chiffchaffs and long with a number of Stonechat before finding our first Whinchat of the morning. A trio of Woodpigeon flew across and then time to stop for our picnic lunch.  Across the field in front of us a resting Kestrel on a short stump with a handful of Serin in the hedge behind us. At that moment we looked up to watch the passing Sparrowhawk.

Stonechat Saxicola torquatus

Moving on a large flock of Sky Larks over the field and then a stop to admire the Northern Wheatear resting on an irrigation pipe between the vines.  A couple of Collared Doves and then a fairly close view of a passing Marsh Harrier.   However, no sooner seen than we stopped to admire the pair of Black-winged Kites resting atop a small well-leafed tree.  Wonderful!

Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus

Just when we thought we had seen our bird of the day we were suddenly confronted by finding a pair of Dartford Warblers in the scrub at the side of the track. Much as we tracked the birds, typically they refused to pose long enough in the open to get a decent photograph.

Dartford Warbler Sylvia undata

Finally, making our way to the exit road a couple of Zitting Cisticolas and more Crested Larks before a quartet of Hoopoes on the track and a Moorhen seen in the final ditch.  All in all, an excellent day's birding that produced a magnificent 60 species.

Hoopoe Upupa epops

Birds seen:

Shelduck, Gadwall, Mallard, Teal, Pochard, Marbled Duck, White-headed Duck, Red-legged Partridge, Little Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Cattle Egret, Flamingo, Black-winged Kite, Marsh Harrier, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Kestrel, Moorhen, Coot, Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Ringed Plover, Lapwing, Black-headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Rock Dove, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Hoopoe, Crested Lark, Sky Lark, Barn Swallow, Meadow Pipit, Iberian Yellow Wagtail, White Wagtail, Robin, Common Redstart, Whinchat, Stonechat, Northern Wheatear, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Cetti's Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Sardinian Warbler, Dartford Warbler, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Pied Flycatcher, Iberian Grey Shrike, Jackdaw, Spotless Starling, House Sparrow, Spanish Sparrow, Serin, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Linnet.

Spanish Sparrows Passer hispaniolensis

Whinchat Saxicola rubetra

Iberian Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis

Distant Kestrel Falco tinnunculus

Song Thrush Turdus philomelos

Stonechat Saxicola torquatus

White-headed Ducks Oxyura leucocephala

Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis

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