I'm Trying The Salinas

Salinas de San Pedro - 3.3.20

I've mentioned previously that the salinas at San Pedro is only a short drive for me hence a location I would be call a regular patch when out in Murcia, unfortunately several of my last visits have been pretty disappointing, perhaps it's down to the time of year or maybe even luck.

The best time to visit the salinas I find is always mornings due to the sun angle for the location I use and there's the added benefit less people looking over your shoulder wondering what the heck your doing. I have a couple of favoured locations and I'm at probably my number one, scanning the small sandy bay where Kentish Plover regularly breed...nothing, for some that would be it moving on, but not me I'm setting up in my usual spot and doing a spot of waiting, and waiting a little more. In the distance I can seen numbers of Black tailed Godwit, Redshank, Avocet and Black winged Stilt and noisy Shelduck pairing up for the season ahead but they're not for coming near.

Common Sandpiper

I'm always confident that patience pays off, hopefully something new but usually the regulars, and not to let me down a Common Sandpiper drops in back right in front of me but just a little too far away so I wait to see if it comes a little closer. I'm in the portable hide the waders approaches to within six meters feeding along the muddy waters edge but the best shots are when its in the water. Over the next ten minuets or so I get the shots I'm after....there you go...patience !

Shelduck

Shelduck are resident on the salinas but can be a bit skittish and getting near if seen ain't going to happen, but I'm inside the hide unseen and two Shelduck drop in the male preoccupied chasing the female around, it comes close in some nice light and take some images before moving off.

It's Local Again Today

18th April - Salinas de San Pedro

I've decided not to venture to far today with just a morning visit to the salinas on another sunny morning. It's 8.0 am and I set up in my favourite wader spot but it's quiet, in fact it's been quiet since my arrival with only a few wader photo opportunities but you never know what may turn up.

After an hour with litter activity I decide to move on and try my other favoured location but not quite having the same ideal light angle early morning. A quick scan I pick up a Greenshank a new bird for this visit and a couple of Redshank, with little other activity I decide to move on.

I'm now at the mid point in the salinas and for a change just do some birding, Gull Billed Turns "quack" over head and a single Common Tern sits resting on a stump in the water, out in the middle of the salinas Black Necked Grebes are now sporting their finest summer plumage never close enough for an image, on my way back I decide to give one final look my number one wader location before moving on to another location.

A Ruff and a Redshank are feeding at the waters edge in good light so I decide to see if I can get some images. No sooner than I'm in position the Little Ringed Plover drops in which is unexpected bonus and grab some shots. The Ruff and Redshanks are still present along with the ever present Black Winged Stilt, it's just a case of waiting for opportunity when the birds come closer.

This is also the location is also where a pair of Kentish Plover have set up territory, periodically the sitting male or the female will take a rest from incubation duties and feed along the waters edge giving some good photo opps

It's been slow photo ops wise over the last couple of days which is a little disappointing, so tomorrow I'm going to try something completely different.

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Black Winged Stilt

Ruff

Kentish Plover

Little Ringed Plover

Shelduck

Time For A Change

17th April - Los Belcones / Salinas De San Pedro / La Finca Golf

I've tried several times to catch up with the small group of Azure Winged Magpies that are in residence around a garden of a large house on the edge of the Lagunas de la Torrevieja without success. Armed with some new location information I'm off to try again for some images.

Azure Winged Magpies are generally found through out Sourthern Spain but in the area around Alicante they are not that common, why they are in this location is a mystery. But before I head for Los Belcones I'm going to have a quick look down at the Salinas at San Pedro.

Scanning the salinas it looks very much as per the last couple of days with little about apart from the odd screeching Tern overhead and several pairs of Shelduck, as it's good light I get some images of the Shelduck and call it quits. Time to head up the AP7 motorway towards Torrevieja

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Shelduck - male

The directions given take me are essentially the same location as I already know about albeit on a parallel road. Parking up I walk passed a large walled property surrounded by tall conifers, then a call I'm not familiar with attracts my attention, I look up, bingo....it's a Azure Winged Magpie.

Now with the 100-400 installed I'm concentrating on flight shots as the birds are too well hidden in the conifers for static shots. The birds are visiting an area about a hundred meters away bringing back material for nesting, so I'm standing against a wall camera ready. But the AWM are getting a little wise to my actions and start deviating around me making the shot more difficult.

Mediterranean Gulls, probably up to thirty in number are circuling overhead screeching their characteristic "kyau" call, Turtle Doves are flashing around and whole variety of finches and Linnets are feeding in the nearby scrub.

With more time spent at this location than I intended I'm now off to La Finca Golf Resort where I've read reports listing bird species thats makes it worth a visit.

Azure Winged Magpie

La Finca Golf Resort is not the place you'd think would be good for birding, has a small lake used for irrigation parts of which have been left to nature, this small lake has resident breeding species such as Black Necked Grebe, White Headed Duck, Cattle Egret and Glossy Ibis amongst others.

I start with the big white but I can't get close to anything and the Egret colony is well hidden in the reed bed so I change strategies and use the 100-400 for some flight shots.

Cattle Egret

Glossy Ibis

With little else on offer I call time and head back home.

San Pedro Shelducks & Stilts

Early start I head off to the Salinas San Pedro arriving before 9.0 am giving some good light for photography, by midmorning the sunlight is always to little to harsh. First stop is the visitors centre, still closed so I move on to my usual stop finding male and female Shelduck close by giving some good photo ops, moving on to stop two...nothing, next stop is the mosquito infested hide in the dunes at the sea end of the salinas to photograph Black Winged Stilts, good light producing some excellent results

San Pedro Salinas in April is quite different to that in January, no Black Necked Grebes, fewer waders, no ducks, in some ways slightly disappointing !

Birds of note other than the usual, Great Crested Grebe, Common Tern, Grey Heron, Blue Headed Wagtail  

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