Monday, May 16, 2022

πŸ“– Fuente de Piedra ~ Birding Spain πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡Έ May 2022

☀️26C Monday 16th May 2022 ~ Today an early morning visit to Fuente de Piedra, details of which can be found HERE or by clicking the Spain link at the top of my blog. In fact, my day started a little earlier when I was up briefly to take a few snaps of the lunar eclipse. It was only half complete at about 4.30am local time but I did manage some images.



I was looking forward to my visit to Fuente in the knowledge that the early spring rains had replenished both the main laguna and the smaller ones too. On my last few visits, most recently in November 2021, they had all been devoid of water. In fact, the pool on the left as you drive in (Cerro del Palo), was almost full and host to a dozen or so Greater Flamingo, Black-winged Stilts, Avocet, Marbled Duck and a few Gull-billed Terns. I could also make out a couple of Little-ringed Plover on the perimeter. The main laguna was about 2/5th full and where the bulk of the Greater Flamingos was feeding. 

Marbled Duck/Teal taken from the car as I drove in.

After parking, I made my way over to Sedero las Albinas for a slow walk across the boardwalk, this can be an excellent place for waders, particularly if there is scrape showing. 

The boardwalk at Sedero las albinas

Unfortunately, and dare I say it but it was too full, with no exposed scrape for waders, with the exception of a single Common Sandpiper. More Black-winged Stilts, Marbled Duck, Coots and Moorhens, my cup is always half full, but I have to say that I was left a little deflated on this occasion!

Black-winged Stilt on the Sedero ~ Always photogenic & despite my disappointment with the lack of waders I've no right to complain.

Actually, my disappointment had all but disappeared when shortly after a pair of Lesser Kestrels was on the prowl for breakfast. It's a bird I've struggled to get any decent images of over the years but today I managed a few better ones.

Lesser Kestrel ~ A pair hunting over Fuente today.

My next stop was Observatorio El Laguneto which always has water no matter when you visit and here White-headed Duck, Marbled Duck, good numbers of Pochard and at least a half dozen Red-crested Pochard. The Gull-billed Terns were busy fishing and on the opposite side of the water, a Little Grebe had a single youngster on board in typical grebe fashion and good to see a White Stork is still nesting on a distant chimney stack.

Gull-billed Tern ~ Fishing over the Laguneto

A walk around the grounds and a short distance along the perimeter of the main laguna was a little quiet, with most birds paired off by now and down to business. There were a few songsters though and I managed to find Melodious Warbler and Western Bonelli's Warbler, a strange quirk of late is when I find one of these species I almost immediately find the other, it's happened on three consecutive occasions!

Melodious Warbler at Fuente de Piedra

Western Bonelli's Warbler at Fuente de Piedra

Finally, a drive to a few other areas of the reserve produced a Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard and my bird of the day. I've always maintained that no matter how rubbish an image is it can always be used for ID purposes, in this case, a male Montagu's Harrier. The black band across the secondaries is clearly visible on the upper wing.

Male Montagu's Harrier


More Images of the Day...

Barn Swallow having a wash & brush up

One of many Greater Flamingo

My 1st Black-tailed Skimmer of the year

Crested Lark