Yet again I had to scrape the ice off the car before Gilly and I met up with Colin Menéndez who used to work at Slimbridge and is staying in the area over Christmas and New Year. As we didn't leave Arboleas till 0800 we missed the Eurasian Curlew exodus from the water's edge to dry land by the time we got to the first hide. There were 3 Black-tailed Godwits, a small number of Little Egrets, a single Black-winged Stilt, but over to the right I spotted 18 Grey Plovers. Gilly pointed out 4 Lapwing sitting on the grassland.
We moved on to the pool on the opposite side of the road. Here were another couple of Godwits, 9 Black-winged Stilts and 5 Teal. A few Crag Martins whizzed over. On the way up the beach road we saw some large waders land close to the road on the left hand savannah. Stopping the truck we spotted 3 Black-tailed Godwits feeding there. Out to sea there was nothing apart from a Cormorant so we walked to the second hide.
The highlight was a large raft of Slender-billed Gulls feverishly feeding.
The highlight was a large raft of Slender-billed Gulls feverishly feeding.
At the public hide close scrutiny of a wader confirmed it as a Spotted Redshank with another 5 in a group further away. A large flock of Lesser Black-backed Gulls was resting on a sand spit and 9 Black-necked Grebes were seen on the far side. As we got back into the vehicle 2 small birds landed by a puddle in front of us. Good to see Trumpeter Finches. First time this year here.
After a reviving cup of coffee we ventured round the rear of the reserve through the muddy ruts and puddles. Water Pipits having a bath was the highlight and we did end up with 46 species for the day. The sunny weather and light winds helped a lot.
Wishing everyone good birding in 2011
Dave
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario