Welsh cakes and chunks of Orange Cake washed down with either hot tea or coffee helped all four of us on our birding morning. It was a day in full sun with little breeze after a very wet period it was good to be out there. It seems that winter is behind us, temperatures are upwards to 20 degrees and the migration is on. What more would anyone want?
We carried on through our usual route of the Salinas, El Pinet and then inland. Six species of Gull/Gaviota were easily seen at our first stop. These included one Lesser Black Backed - Gaviota Sombría and others in breeding plumage. The Salt Tower yielded little, but The Stones gave us some very distant Spoonbills - Espátula Común, a distant Osprey - Águila Pescadora, two Great White Egrets - Garceta Grande and upwards of twenty Black-tailed Godwits - Aguja Colipinta on the lagoon opposite. Of course there were others to see as usual.
El Pinet was not great and we quickly moved inland. We wanted to see what was passing through and we knew that Great Spotted Cuckoos - Criala Europea had been seen and we wanted to locate them. Not for us today though but they will come. We enjoyed seeing passing House Martins - Avión Común and Barn Swallows - Golondrina Común as we drank our tea on Palm Farm Road. It’s good here with wide vistas but there was nothing out of the ordinary for us today.
Santa Aguada was awash with water but that was as good as it got! But on way there and afterwards there was our bird of the day. Bryan’s keen eyes picked out a bird on the edge of the reeds with a flooded area. It was on the range of our vision and partially obscured by dead vegetation. Showing white and “gull-like” it became a Ruff - Combatiente but not a plain bloody Ruff but one in breeding plumage. When we first glimpsed it the white neck area was fluffed up and then it disappeared. Bryan did get a photo, but it was not clear enough. On the way back - because we needed another go at this bird - we had more sightings.
Bryan got some more photos and even Michelle managed a record shot, with the Nikon P900, even though it was a long way off. For Bryan, he has seen a similar plumages bird before, but for the rest, a first time. There were three others in attendance in winter plumage that showed well.
We always try and be accurate in describing what we see and for the most part we do get it right. Even when birds are distant we will try and obtain a photo of it. This time we are able to prove the point.
Okay, we didn’t nail any amazing migratory species and so the Ruffs will have to suffice. Being out there was uplifting and there are always other times.
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