Charca de Suarez Visit on 1 October

Thursday 2 October

Just received a report form John and Jenny Wainwright re the Axarquia Bird Group's visit to the Charca de Suarez yesterday along with some photographs taken by both.  Interestingly, upon leaving the Charca John and Jenny travelled back to Salar via Padul so were also able to bring me up to speed on what was seen there.  In addition, Gerry Collins also forwarded a couple of shots take at the Charca so all have been combined below to let the rest of the Group and others know what they may have missed.

It looks as if John Wainwright was the only one to get a decent shot of the male Red Avadavat Benali Rojo Amandava amandava

It looks as if a number of us took the opportunity to photograph the very distant Purple Heron in the leafy Willow tree and, in addition, could not retrain ourselves from photographing the "neck-ringed" Red-knobbed Coot.  If you look carefully, in addition to the obvious Red-knobbed Coot taken by John thee is a second individual on the extreme left of the photograph along with the four Common Coots Fulca atra.  Also, check out the leg colours.

A swimming Purple Swamphen Calamon Comun Porphyrio porphyrio on Laguna del Trebol (PHOTO: Gerry Collins)

Red-knobbed Coot Focha Moruna Fulca cristata (PHOTO: Gerry Collins)

John's continuing report:

Red-knobbed Coot Fulca cristata (centre) (PHOTO: John Wainwright)

Back to the scrape before leaving the reserve, here we had wonderful views of both male and female Red Avadavats, also a few Sand Martins were about as well (no Red-rumped about as far as I know of).  Up at the entrance and awaiting our departure, I noted a female Stonechat, Greenfinch, two Common Kestrels and a lot more Goldfinches, a Wood Pigeon and some Yellow-legged Gulls.

Juvenile Purple Heron Garza Imperial Ardea purpurea on Laguna de las Aneas (PHOTO: Jenny Wainwright)

A not-so-shy Kingfisher Martin Pescador Alcedo atthis (PHOTO: Jenny Wainwright)

So on to Padul:

As we pulled up at the hide a female Marsh Harrier was seen quartering the reed bed, then perching in one of the many bare trees here.  Only two female Shovelers and three Cormorants were seen here along with a Speckled Wood and "Cabbage White" butterflies.

Whinchat Tarabilla Nortena  Saxicol arubetra (PHOTO: John Wainwright)

Also on the reserve we saw Mallard, Cetti´s and Sardinian Warblers, Goldfinches, Chaffinch, quite a few Whinchats,
Greenfinches, Serins, House and Spanish Sparrows, five Northern Wheatears, Common Kestrel, four Yellow Wagtails
and in one of the many small streams here a female Teal and a Moorhen.

A nice end to a good days birding.


If we add John's late sighting it would appear tat the total species for the Charca de Suarez increased to 43  plus a further 7 species at Padul.

Check out the accompanying website at http://www.birdingaxarquia.weebly.com for the latest sightings, photographs and additional information.