Cabo de Gata & Rambla Morales

 Thursday 17 April

So, not only the UK that gets a regular bowing to try and upset the birding!  Looks like Kevin was the only member of the Arboleas Birding Group at Cabo de Gata for the pre-Easter meet and he certainly, despite the windy conditions, had some good sightings. I certainly liked the sightings of Slender-billed Gull, Ruff and Kentish Plover, two of which I have never seen back here and the Ruff only on very rare occasions, mainly we lived in Stamford and I was able to make regular winter visits to Frampton Marsh near Boston in Lincolnshire. On the other hand, strange that I now see regular sightings in the south on the Keyhaven marshes and even at my local patch in nearby Titchfield.  Then, of course, there were the Gull-billed Terns, Bee-eaters and Subalpine Warbler; how I miss them.  Must try and get back to Spain either in the Autumn or early next year.

Cabo de Gata & Rambla Morales: Tuesday & Wednesday 15th & 16th April

Please find below Kevin's report and photograph.

He had some nice birds in there.  I think Gull Billed Terns are my favourite in the tern family!

Dave

Cabo de Gata Salinas and Rambla Morales 15/16 April

This report covers Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning.  As is my frequent habit, I drove

down to Cabo de Gata on Tuesday evening, aware that there was a yellow alert for wind in the

area.  I knew it was accurate as the van was rocking and rolling on the way there.  At the Lay-by

Hide, about 7pm, in what was almost a howling gale, I managed to find Avocet, Black-tailed

Godwit, Black-winged Stilt, Ruff, Yellow-legged Gull, Spoonbill, Greater Flamingo, Shelduck, Dunlin,

Little Stint and Barn Swallow.  I drove through the village to check out the beach access to Rambla

Morales and it all seemed clear at last. I didn’t try it though.

I then headed on to the Original Hide.  The lagoons looked browner and more churned up

than I’ve ever seen them.  I added Sandwich Tern, Kentish Plover and excellent views of a dozen

Slender-billed Gulls feeding very actively on the mud at the near edge of the right-hand lagoon.

Fourteen species so far.  Time to find a spot at La Fabriquilla facing the wild sea and settle down for

the night.

Slender-billed Gulls (PHOTO: Kevin Borman)

Wednesday dawned still windy but definitely less so than Tuesday evening.  First bird of the

day, seen from inside the van, coincided with first cup of tea of the day: House Sparrow.  Next,

back to the Original Hide where, among several species seen the previous evening, Little Egret was

a new tick.  I put the Merlin app on and it informed me that it could hear Short-toed Lark.  I couldn’t

but then a) my ears barely work these days and b) even if they did I wouldn’t know what a Short-

toed Lark sounds like.

On to the Guardia Civil Tower, where Swift, Jackdaw and Spotless Starling swelled the list.

Back to the Lay-by Hide at the appointed time just in case anyone else turned up.  No-one did.  I will

obviously have to change my deodorant.  Some of the same birds were there as on the previous

evening but I did add Mallard, Yellow Wagtail, Bee-eater, House Martin and Magpie.  A car-load of

Spanish birders with serious lenses arrived and one of them asked me what was about.  Just the

usual, I replied.  He then said: “Has visto combatiente?” I looked blank, thinking: ‘Have I seen a

fighter?  What’s he on about?’ so he found it on his phone.  Ah, Ruff!  So I said, “There was one here

last night but I haven’t seen it this morning.”  Another new Spanish bird name learnt: Ruff =

Combatiente.  What a great name!

A few minutes at the Second Hide revealed only Crested Lark and on yet another visit (my

third of this outing) to the Original Hide I found a very confiding Yellow Wagtail but nothing new.

I then opted to go to Rambla Morales but approached from just beyond the campsite to

get the full RM experience.  It being Easter week there were more people than usual, especially at

the seaward end, hence no waders there.  New birds were Carrion Crow, White-headed Duck,

Pochard, Blackbird, Thekla Lark, Subalpine Warbler and best of all, at least three Gull-billed Terns

which I saw several times, sometimes very close.  Regarding access, from the seaward end of the

pool, looking back along the beach-side track, it did seem as if there was work going on so maybe

the obras have simply moved further along and access will still be cut.  That remains to be seen.  I

made the total 33 species, not bad in the very windy circumstances.  No Collared Dove, no

Moorhen, no Coot: what is the world coming to?

KB 16.04.2025

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