Top bird – SPANISH IMPERIAL EAGLE
We had a great day today – it was transfer day we left Gaucin for the long journey to Matalascanas in Coto Donana.
After an early breakfast we set off at 8;30am and drove down to the coast before turning inland towards Jerez. We saw several good species along the way including White Stork, many attending their nests near Castellar, Griffon Vultures, agood flock of 30 something over the hill in the Alcornacales Cork Oak Forest.
TWEEDLE-DEE & TWEEDLE DUM - LOOKING AT THE WADERS AT SANLUCAR (NICE WEATHER)
At Laguna de Medina we spent a nice hour walking to hide and watching many grebes and ducks. In the filed behind the reserve we found the usual Black-winged Kites, Red-legged Partridges and to our great delight we had very good views of Stone Curlew.
From the hide we listed the three grebes, Shoveler, White-headed Duck and not a lot else. We heard Penduline Tit several times but didn’t get any views, Iberian Chiffchaff, Common Chiffchaff showed well and Cetti’s Warblers were very vocal. Along the track we noted up to 5 Egyptian Mongoose and below us from the hide we saw another 2 very close.
We stopped in Sanlucar to eat our lunch whilst looking over the river Guadalquiver, the tide was low, but rising. Many waders were feeding on the exposed mudflats: Dunlin, Sanderling, Common Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Redshank, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Curlew, Curlew Sandpiper were joined by Black-headed Gull, Slender-billed Gull, Sandwich Terns and Grey Heron.
On the salt pans it was business as usual with a huge number of birds present: namely Greater Flamingo, Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Knot, hundreds of Redshank but also Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Black-tailed Godwit and Grey Plover. Special sightings included: & Black Storks (7) on the thermals, two Opsreys, Two Red Kites showing superbly, and a couple of Caspian Terns.
WHAT THE HELL IS THAT - ANSWERS ON A POST-CARD PLEASE
HERE IS A CLUE?
AHA! - NOW WE KNOW - IT'S BOB AFTER A NIGHT ON THE TILES!!! LOL.
At laguna Tarelo most of our time was spent looking for Marbled Duck, which we eventually found as we were leaving (5), but whilst doing so we found Gadwall, Shoveler, Teal, Red-crested and Common Pochard, Black-necked Grebe, Night Heron, White-headed Duck and many common waterfowl. Along the fence-line we found a very obliging Chameleon and a couple of large Preying Mantis.
Lastly we drove through the Algaida Pinewoods without stopping but we did spend sometime looking over the large lagunas at the Trebujena Marshes. This where we found a BIRD OF THE DAY – SPANISH IMPERIAL EAGLE. The bird flew up over the launga and circled right above us before drifting off eastward, wow what a sight, terrific!
We drove up through Sevilla and on towards Huelva before turning south and into Coto Donana. We passed El Rocio, noting that the laguna was almost dried up, and down to Matalascanas. Along the way we saw lots of Azure-winged Magpies and several Eurasian Magpies.
We checked in at 6pm and enjoyed a lovely meal at 8, our count for the day was 77 species with 3 heard but not seen, which included Balearic Shearwater, Common Tern and many Lesser Black-backed Gulls seen from our hotel balconies as we looked out to see from the 5th
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