LA JANDA - BENALUP TRACK - RIO BARBATE - MARISMAS DE BARBATE
WEATHER: perfect all day, lovely breeze fantastic light. Top temp 32C
We had another superb birding day, visitng the rice-lands of La Janda and the marshes at Barbate, the weather was perfect all day.
An early breakfast saw us out and about at 8:15am, before we left we had already clocked a few species around the hotel grounds such as: Spotless Starling, House Sparrow, Collared Dove, Blackbird and Serin.
Our first stop was along the approch track leading down into the La Janda basin, ahead of us was a huge flat valley with acres of cultivated fields, Rice fields with drainage ditches and supple canals. The whole area was alive with bird-life, we quickly listed many Zitting Cisticolas, Corn Buntings, House and Spanish Sparrows, Goldfinches and some distant White Storks. We stopped at the first rice fields where dozens of White Storks stood along an embankment, with them was a couple Grey Herons and several Glossy Ibis.
HONEY BUZZARDS gave us a real treat, four or five flew over us very low to the ground, they perched on an embankment not too far off, they were stunning in the morning light. We also found several Marsh Harriers and one single Montagu's Harrier (a Juvenile).
A flock of about 30 Common Waxbills gave us a thrill as they perched on a fenceline just below us. Nearby we saw Green Sandpipers, Black-winged Stilts, Coots, a Squacco Heron, a couple of Purple Herons, more White Storks and some Cattle Egrets.
a poor record shot of the Common Waxbills
one of the Honey Buzzards at La Janda
At the central track alongside the canal we stopped for more birding, from our hi h vantage position we had panoramic views of the surrounding terrain which stretched out for miles. We added so many species I can't list them all.
Further along the main track we watched Short-toed Eagles on the pylons as well as a Peregrine Falcon and both species of Kestrel. We encountered several Hoopoe along the track, one or two were very confiding and Bernie filled hers boots through her camera. A single Turtle Dove flew across the track (this was to be our only sighting today) we watched lots more White Storks, Little Egrets, Grey Herons and Spanish Sparrows. A Squacco Heron sat out in the open posing for the cameras.
If we didn't see a million Common Darters I will eat my hat. This one has the sunlight bringing out the colour in its brand new wings
We worked our way over to the 'Smelly Farm' where a large bunch of Jackdaws lingered, we added Common Pheasant, Black Kite and Linnet to the list near there. On the Benalup track we stopped at another rice field which was covered in Glossy Ibis, hundreds of them! Greater Flamingos joined them too. We found Sedge Warbler, Willow Warbler, a Common Whitethroat and Spotted Flycatcher in the hedges, we flushed a Wood Sandpiper which dased off cursing us. Earlier we had seen a couple of Reed Warblers and both Sue and Bernie clocked a Cetti's Warbler that I missed.
a single Bee-eater sat on the wire near the Smelly Farm
We left the area at Benalup and drove to Barbate via Vejer del la Frontera, in Barbate we stopped to buy lunch it was just after 1pm. We sat on bench overlooking the Rio Barbate near the river mouth, the tide was just turning.
The Rio Barbate where we sat for lunch
During lunch we found two Common Sandpipers, a single Ringed Plover and several gull species: Lesser black-backed, Yellow-legged, Black-headed and Slender-billed Gulls. The tide was just turning, we stood under the bridge out of the sun with a lovely breeze in our backswe scanned the large expanse of wader as the water level dropped it was covered in gulls and the fringes where the mud was beginning to emereg bwas covered in Signal Crabs and some waders.
Common SDandpiper hitching a ride on a small boat
two Slender-billed Gulls with two Black-headed Gulls
Black-winged stilts, Turnstones, Ringed Plovers and Redshanks were clocked, an Osprey flew over, we saw Cormorants in the distance and a Whimbrel flew by. On the east side of the brisge we scanned a sandy bay where we found Little Terns, Kentish Plover, Ruddy tursntone, Redshanks, Grey Plover and two more Whimbrel.
Curlew Sandpipers with a couple Ruff and an Avocet
The barbate Marshes were covered in waders and gulls, famingos and more waders, it was bedlam out there. Hundreds of Curlew Sandpipers, Sanderling, Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwits, Avocets, Little Stints and a few Ruff, Grey Plover, Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover fed in the first lagoon we came to. Audouin's Gulls we dotted all over too.
The main lagoon held a thousand Audouin's Gulls with the star of the show an ELEGANT TERN, wowzah!! We did expect to see that species it had been around for two weeks now, we found it with a bunch of Sandwich Terns next to the mass of Audouin's Gulls.
Elegent Tern with a Sandwich Tern surrounded by Audouin's Gulls
Two Ospreys were a real treat they quartered the main lagoon and stooped down to fish but never actually dived in! The gulls didn't like that! A huge flock of Spoonbills dropped in, I counted ninety one, it was magical out there.
an Osprey - one of three seen today
a large flock of Sponnbills came into the marshes behind the bemused Osprey
We drove around the lagoons searching for Stone Curlew and more waders, we found Whimbrels, our first Greenshank and a solitary Whinchat. We spent alot of time scanning the islands for Stone Curlew without finding one. A fourth Osprey sat on a distant fence and a few Crested larks messed about along the track.
the only Whinchat of the trip so far
We left at 5:30pm and got back to the hotel some 40 minutes later, it had a been a very productive day, with 85 species in the bag. Tomorrow we taking our Whale Watching Cruise in the Strait of Gibraltar.