Roquetas de Mar

Monday 22 May

Whimbrel

 What a fishy wet and miserable day!  No point hanging around at Las Norias despite the many low-flying Pallid Swifts and with the roads under water with much flooding I carried on to Roquetas de Mar to take a menu del did and hope that the weather might improve in the afternoon.  It did not.

After an afternoon in my hotel room I decided I needed some fresh air despite the continuing heavy rain so drove down to nearby salinas and took a return drive to the far end near the old pumping station.  Lots of Flamingos about and the Slender-billed Gull seemed to be by far the dominant gull species albeit I did also record some Yellow-legged Gulls.

Mainly Black-winged Stilts on view with most of the small waders hunkered down for shelter but occasional glimpses of birds on both the track and nearby scrapes revealed a number off both Ringed and Kentish Plovers.  Initially also a number of Pallid Swifts, Barn Swallows and House Martins above but not as I moved away from the reserve entrance.  A pool to my right produced a small number of Red-crested Pochards and even a couple Mallard and a Shelduck.

Moving on down the flooded track I eventually found the main Flamingo flock but also a handful of Avocet. A lone Knot was a bit of a surprise but then I also found a few Dunlin. It was at the end of my drive near the old pumping station that I cam across the Yellow-legged Gulls and on the water a few Coot plus a feeding Great Crested Grebe and a resting Little Tern.

Little Tern

Making my way back I did take a chance to try and take a few photos through the opened rather than closed window.  Lovely to see a Grey Plover and then a first Little Ringed Plover.  On the opposite side of the track I stopped to admire a few small waders and and identified a Sanderling. But the best surprise was the resting Whimbrel. And on the next scrape a newly-arrived Little Tern.  Right at the end of the track my first Crested Lark and in the area immediately outside the gate both House Sparrow and Blackbird, so giving a final total of 26 species on the 5km drive in just over an hour. Still raining outside but hoping for better weather in the morning when I drive up to Cabo de Gata.

Sanderling

Birds seen:

Shelduck, Mallard, Red-crested Pochard, Great Crested Grebe, Little Egret, Flamingo, Coot, Black-winged Stilt, Avocet, Little Ringed Plover, Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Grey Plover, Sanderling, Knot, Dunlin, Whimbrel, Slender-billed Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Little Tern, Pallid Swift, Crested Lark, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Blackbird, House Sparrow

Kentish Plover

Flamingos

Little Tern

Avocet

Slender-billed Gulls

Whimbrel

More Slender-billed Gulls

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