PINAR DEL REY PINE WOODS - RIO PALMONES EMBANKMENT - ALGORROBO OBSERVATORIO - OJEN VALLEY
WEATHER: overcast and very misty to start, clear later. Lighter winds but still strong. top temp 28C
We decided to have a much more sedentary day today, we stayed local to Tarifa/Algeciras, low mileage on the clock and more time in the field.
The usual pack of Bee-eaters left their roost behind the hotel, as did dozens of Cattle Egrets (their roost is in central Tarifa!), Spotless Starlings done exactly the same. We set out at 8am and our plan was to visit the Observatorio at Algarrobo first, however when we got near the site we couldn't see 20 meters above ground, it was fog bound.
So we decided to head off to the Pinewoods near San Roque and it was a good decision! The central picnic area lies beneath a canopy of 'umbrella pines' and was full of birds. A short cicular walk over an hour produced many sightings.
it was quite dull in them there woods
We started with Crested Tit and Short-toed Treecreeper, followed by a Jay sighting. We went onto to find more species with Cirl Bunting, Coal Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Robin, Honey Buzzard, Black Kite and Booted Eagle.
Tony Moore's shot of the distant Cirl Bunting
I drove the bus back to the entrance whilst the group walked the tracks. Unfortunately for the group I saw two Hawfinches, two Great Spotted Woodpecker and 4 European bee-eaters before they reached me. We then walked to a stream and logged Grey Wagtail and Willow Warbler.
Hawfinch - unfortunately I was on my own when it appeared!
On the way to Palmones we stopped to photograph White Storks on their nests, there we dozens of them. At Palmones we walked the paved boulevard and watch quite a few species despite there being a tide. Ringed Plovers, Dunlin, Kentish Plover, Redshanks, Common Sandpiper and a few Whimbrel. Out on the marsh we saw Grey Herons, Eurasian Spoonbills and a Marsh Harrier.
Ringed and Kentish Plovers
We had lunch at a riverside Venta before walking further along the path towards the river mouth. There we found Oystercatchers, some Yellow-legged and Black-headed Gulls.
A very tame Whimbrel at the Rio Palmones
For the afternoon we spent a couple of hour at the Observatorio de Algarrobo, it was busy with Spanish Birdwatchers and overhead was a motorway of raptors. We saw all the usual suspects and the most common was Honey Buzzard, an Osprey was a nice find and several Egyptian Vultures joined the throngs.
my 'hard core' group at lunch in Palmones
Lastly we made a trip into the Ojen Valley where we stopped in several places. A dusty track was the first stop, we found our first Tawny Pipit there which was a nice find. We also saw lots of Stonechats, Northern Wheatear, an adult Woodchat Shrike, several raptors and lot of Buzzards. One noteable find was that of 3 Black Storks, our first and only view of this species.
As we left the area we noted a couple of hundred White Storks in a cropped field, as many Cattle Egrets with the cattle, and on a fence, two Corn Buntings waved to us. How nice, what a lovely way to finish the day.