Late Afternoon On The Mar Menor

Los Urrutias - 3.11.19

As a treat we spent the day over at Cabo de Palos enjoying the panoramic sea views on a very windy day around the light house in some great weather, and as we were passing Los Urrutias called in to see what waders were about on the mud flats around the yacht club. Greenshank, Turnstone, Dunlin, Ringed & Kentish Plovers were all present in good numbers, a group of Sandwich Terns from the colder northern Europe sat close by out on a sand bar, and a first for me in Murcia...a Grey Plover.

Photography at Los Urrutias is always best late afternoon so it's a quick initial visit to see what's about with the intension to spend a couple of hours on my return. I've always found this location problematic when it come to focus and image detail, maybe it's the water reflection couple with the sun angles but improves if I manage to get a little near.

With the sun low in the sky it's there's a light yellow hue over the water, it's different but I still prefer a nice cloudy day in good light but there's no chance of that today it blue sky all the way. The tide has now changed flooding the mud flats seen earlier the waders now further along the shore, nevertheless I managed some images but I'm just not sure the image quality is as good as I would like....hey ho !

Greenshank

Dunlin

Ringed Plover - juvenile

Grey Plover

A first for me in Murcia but I'm sure they are common on passage migration.

Last Day Before The Storm

Cabo de Palos / Los Urrutias - 29.1.19

I'm coming to the end of my Murcia trip and I thought I'd have one last visit over to Cabo de Palos to try and improve on the images of the rare for the area the Brown-necked Raven, but on route its always worth calling in to Los Urrutias on the Mar Menor as its a wader hot spot and anything can turn up. I'd also like to re-photograph the Little Egret if still present, as the light on my last visit was grey and overcast resulting in some poor flat images.

As I'm on route to Cabo de Palos and it's still morning this is a bit of rece visit, the Little Egret is still present so with a little luck will be here later, possibly even some waders that may drop in later in the day..fingers crossed.

Now late afternoon the low sun is right behind producing some great light on to the sea, the Egret is fishing right near the shore line, there's some good images to be had, all I need is to improve as a bird photographer !

Little Egret

Greenshank

The light is changing somewhat, sometimes good sometimes not so good but as its windless I manage to get some reflection shots, the image below being one of my favourites.

In this image as in the image of the Little Egret the Greenshank has caught a Pipefish, it struggled with it initially taking it to the waters edge to finally swallow

BirdGuides "Notable Image" 6-12th February, 2019. see link.....

https://www.birdguides.com/articles/photo-of-the-week-6-12-february/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter130219&eid=594937&_ccCt=5ULMB15BjDA0fidwZP_VA_1Q1EwkcsVmFQ1au0H56uLvTLwPRZWOLd%7egqpRqXqVn

There were two Greenshanks during my visit occasionally coming together, and very occasionally after a long wait coming together in the same shot.

Heading South

Los Urrutias, Mar Menor - 21.1.19

On my way to Cabo de Palos to see the Brown-neck Raven I'm stopping off at a new location at Urrutias Port to see if I can photograph a Great White Egret that's been present in the area for some time. located on the south end of the Mar Menor the area in front of small port has a small expanse of weed and mud that can attract birds such as waders, terns, herons and egrets, and as a bonus you can do all your viewing by remaining in your car using it as a mobile hide.

On arrival a quick scan I quickly pick out about thirty noisy Gull Bill Terns fishing in the clear blue water further out, also present are numerous Slender Billed and the ever noisy Black Headed Gulls. Further down the coast line and quite close to the shore edge a single Little Egret and a Great Egret are busy fishing for the abundant shrimps along the weed line, exactly what I've come to see.

Moving the car slowly opposite each egret in turn I spend the next hour or so getting some great images in some lovely low sunlight directly behind, happy with efforts I move on and see what else is about.

Back near the port entrance I locate a Greenshank flying low up the coast line and it very obligingly lands opposite the car....this is turning out to be a super site ! The wader takes some time out from its activities and rests standing on one leg and tucking its with bill under one wing, occasionally workmen repairing a nearby road startle the wader jumping to attention giving some alternative image poses.

Now having spent around two hours enjoying shooting some nice images its time to continue my journey to Cabo de Palos, a tip to anyone visiting this location the afternoon is by far the better time to visit when the sun angle will be directly behind the shooter facing the sea.

Club Regatas & Marina

Looking South

Great Egret

Little Egret

Greenshank

A morning with the Waders

The salinas at san Pedro being so close to the accommodation is probably the location I visit most, the species your most like to encounter being Gulls, Waders and Terns at the right time that’s not to say that you won’t see loads of other stuff through out the year. 

The more you explore a location you will undoubtedly have favourite locations, when it come to waders I have two, one is superb for light and reflective colour, the other you can just well, get mega close. All the Wader images below were shot at either of these two locations with the exception of the images of Sanderling on the beach which I refer to in a "Walk in the Sunshine"

I’m in position in probably my favourite spot for photographing waders, but there’s not much happening, sometimes you just have to wait and see what turns up. A group of Black Tailed Godwits are in the distance, I’ve never be able to get near these. Black Winged Stilts on the other hand are more obliging, I manage shots in real good light. A Greenshank drops in on the far side of the little cove, a little near would have been better but the shots are fine. Finally the ubiquitous Little Stint can drop in front of you at any time exactly what this bird did. Time to move on.

I’m now on the far side of the salinas, at times the wind can whip up the water so there are waves breaking onto the shore of a small bay, with patience and some concealment you can get real close to waders here.

A small group of Sanderling are energetically running up and down the shoreline sometimes running back and forth into the waves. Flying up the edge of the salinas I see a Common Sandpiper and it drops in the bay front of me promptly sent packing by the Sanderling, but I manage to rattle off some shots.

Next to appear is a Redshank which I sometimes find hard to get near, the bird is in good light with some nice pink and blue colour. Then I here the call…”tyew” it’s a second Greenshank of the day. Another wader I see more than any other turns up, it’s a Ruff with so many cool variations from black to vary pale, the bird fills the camera viewer as the lens has a 1.4 extender fitted.

Another grand day in the sunshine.

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Sanderling

Little Stint

Redshank

Black Winged Stilt

Greenshank

Common Sandpiper

Ruff