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Red-throated Bee-eater

Red-throated Bee-eater
join us for a fantastic tour of The Gambia this November

Monday, April 23, 2012

ANDALUCIA - 7 DAY TOUR – DAY 5 - APRIL 19TH


EL ROCIO (LAGUNA DE MARISMA DE LA MADRE) – LA ROCINA – ACEBUCHE – EL ROCIO

We had spells of clear skies and overcast conditions but it didn’t rain until 5pm! We started at 9am after our scramble for breakfast with many other birders staying at the Hotel. A quick look at the laguna right outside the hotel revealed many species but they were all on the far side of the water, so we jumped into the bus and drove round to them as they certainly weren’t coming to us!

 EURASIAN SPOONBILLS

Hundreds of waders were feeding in the shallow water, they included Curlew Sandpiper (100+  with many in summer plumage), Dunlin, Ruff (at least one showing a great deal of  a coloured ‘Ruff’), Little Stint, Ringed Plover, Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, many Spoonbills, Greater flamingos, Mallard, Shoveler, Gadw2all and Common Coot. There were also several White Storks, Grey Herons and lots of Black Kites overhead, a few hundred Sand Martins joined the Barn Swallows and House Martins feeding over the water.

UBIQUITOUS - WOODCHAT SHRIKE

Several new hides are now in place just south of El Rocio but5 are best visited in the afternoon with sun behind you, we found it diffult to view the birds in the morning,. We walked south along a sandy track and came across a small pool which held Common Sandpiper and a SApotted Redshank which was in the process of changing from winter to summer plumage.

A little further along the track we located a Red-knobbed Coot, it took a long time for everyone in the group to see it properly and as we were scanning another bird was located. What luck! This rare Coot is difficult to see in good light never trying to see it with the sun behind it!

RED-CRESTED POCHARD

Next we walked across the main El Rocio to Matalascanas road to La Rocina Nature Reserve where we visited several hides and walked through some pine woodland with thick scrub over a stream. From the hides we found pour first Purple Heron and in the woods we heard Bonelli’s Warbler, Iberian Chiffchaff and Tree Sparrow but only got glimpses of them. A Party of Long-tailed Tits showed better as did a Common Nightingale, Chaffinch, Greenfinch and Goldfinch.

We had a similar experience when scanning the marsh from a board-walk, we could hear Savi’s Warbler and Reed Warbler but only got glimpses of them. A group of Night Herons showed much better. Further along the walk we had good views of Wren, Bee-eater, Marsh Harrier (a couple of superb males), a Hoopoe was elusive and we heard a Common Cuckoo, the first of the year for most of the group.

We drove down to the visitor’s centre at Acebuche where we ate lunch in their superb restaurant. By the time we finished lunch the wind had picked up and made birding difficult but we did see Common and Azure-winged Magpies very well, two more Hoopoes, Stonechats, Great Tit, Red-rumped Swallows and lots of Pallid Swifts. From the hides we watched many Red-crested Pochard, Common Pochard, Little Grebe, Eurasian Spoonbill, Purple Heron (4), Glossy Ibis and lots of Black Kites.

SPOTTED REDSHANK - showing shades of summer plummage

It was now 4pm and many of the group opted to go back to the hotel, it had clouded over and rained threatened. Three of us went back out to view the Laguna de Madre from the west side but the light got a little dull. We did add Black-tailed Godwit and Whimbrel to our day list but it started to rain so we called it day at 5pm.

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