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| Stonechat Tarabilla Comun Saxicola torquatus |
Friday 24 January
A lovely start to the day even if somewhat breezy up here on the mountain. However, by the time I arrived at the
Rio Velez at 9.45 following necessary last-minute shopping it was gloriously warm and hardly a breeze at all. The r4cent rain had not only freshened up the river but also raised the water level a little and presented a good-sized, muddy puddle to drive through to reach my usual parking soot just beyond the last road bridge in readiness for the walk down to the beach and back via the new hide. As usual, I was greeted by the resident
Rock Doves who were out if force along with a good number of
Mallards, the first of two
Little Egrets and the same with the
Grey Heron. The single C
attle Egret seen was perched very high in the top of one of the riverside trees. Not so many
White Wagtails about but still plenty of
Chiffchaffs darting here, there and everywhere.
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| A trio of Sanderling Correlimos Tridactilo Calidris alba on the Rio Velez |
No sooner had I started walking tan I cam upon a trio of
Sanderling. On the outward journey these delightful little birds seemed to spread along the course of the river but on the return walk they were back together and I counted a maximum of thirty-two in one flock. Just beyond the
Sanderlings I first found the quartet of
Black-winged Stilts and then the pair of
Golden Plover which seem to have been in residence for the past couple of weeks or so. By this time also a number of
Moorhen had been seen and a couple of male
Blackbirds recorded.
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| One of the Golden Plover Chorlito Dorado Europeo Pluvialis apricaria pair |
A
Zitting Cisticola, the first of at least a handful, was in the nearby bush and then I picked up a couple of
Ringed Plovers. By the time I left I mist have recorded at least a dozen so certainly food here to keep the waders active, especially a I then found a single
Little Stint.
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| Record shot of Little Stint Correlimos Menudo Calidris minuta in background |
The
Coots were all gathered in and around the main laguna along with a plentiful supply of
Cormorants and a small number of
Black-headed and
Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Meanwhile, out on the sea itself, a couple of good-sized rafts of gulls made u mainly of
Lesser Black-backed and
Yellow-legged with a few
Black-headed Gulls. However, on the field on the other side of the river, the usual roosting field was full of gulls and this time the larger gulls were in the minority wit a large number of
Mediterranean Gulls, many of them rapidly moulting into their summer plumage.
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| Best effort at trying to capture a Meadow Pipit Bisbita Pratense Anthus pratensis near the hide |
The meadow in front of the hide was alive with
Chiffchaffs and a couple of
Meadow Pipits plus a pair of
Stonechats and a single
Crested Lark. Both
Serins and
Goldfinches were around the hide along with the occasional
House Sparrow and
Spotless Starling.
Cetti's Warblers were noisily calling from below. One female
Shoveler was found at the back of the laguna and the return walk also produced a single male
Teal. So, a couple of hours on the local patch before disappearing for a few weeks and a total of
30 species recorded.
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| A very wide-awake Grey Heron Garza Real Ardea cinerea |
Birds seen:
Mallard, Shoveler, Teal, Cormorant, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Heron, Moorhen, Coot, Black-winged Stilt, Ringed Plover, Golden Plover, Sanderling, Little Stint, Black-headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Rock Dove, Meadow Pipit, White Wagtail, Stonechat, Blackbird, Cetti's Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Chiffchaff, Spotless Starling, House Sparrow, Serin, Goldfinch.
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