Wind Swept Waders

24th April - Salinas de San Pedro

Fantastic wader session down at the salinas San Pedro this morning which is mainly a result of the strong winds over the last couple of days with a fair few waders gathered in my favourite location.

Parking up I have a quick scan of whats about before I decide to set up, nothing particularly new but quite a number of waders along the waters edge, the light is good and I'm looking forward to spending a couple or three hours at this location which I prefer rather than a long walk around the salt pans.

Although it's been blue sky's and twenty fives degrees the strong northerly winds has resulted a large number of waders congregating in a small bay at one end of the salinas, with the aid of some camo to impersonate some of the shrubbery I've managed get really close to the action with some birds quite happy to approach as close as two meters, way to close for the "big white".

The images are just some of the many hundred taken over the last two mornings which include….male and female Kentish and Little Ringed Plover, Common and Curlew Sandpiper some in summer plumage, Ruff including a fantastic black male, Redshank, Oystercatcher briefly which I missed, Sanderling in various plumage states, Black Winged Stilt and Avocet. Also present was a group of photogenic Slender Bill Gulls and several paired up Shelduck and all within a twenty metre range !

A group of about twenty Sanderling always the easiest to get near, some in full summer plumage are scuttling clockwork like along the waters edge chased back and forth by the lapping waves.

Click image to view

Resting Sanderling

Sanderling - carrying out maintenance

A little further away in to deeper water are five Curlew Sandpiper feeding, one with some damaged tailed feathers and three showing the red of advanced summer plumage, the colour of the water seems to have be co-ordinated with the birds plumage.

Curlew Sandpiper - almost full Summer Plumage

Occasionally a Common Sandpiper will call an alarm and the waders disappear across the salinas only soon to return, in the interim a group of Slender Bill Gulls always make an alternative for some good images.

Slender Billed Gull

On previous occasions I've visited the San Pedro salinas I've rarely managed to get close to Common Sandpiper, normally all I've managed is a call and a backend view of the wader as it disappears across the salinas.

This wader came very close giving some good photo opertunites.

Common Sandpiper

Common Sandpiper

Alarm call, there goes all the waders disappearing into the distance....again !

Black Winged Stilts are present in numbers through out the year on the salinas, rather than the usual image pose of a standing wader I though these images in the strong wind would be more interesting.

Black Winged Stilt

There are three Ruff present but way over on the other side of the bay, brown, brown with a white neck and this all black Ruff complete with neck ruff, unfortunately this black wader was constantly chased off by the other Ruff never coming close.

This is one of several images of the wader carrying out some plumage maintenance which would have been superb if it was a little closer.

Ruff - Part Summer Plumage

Turnstones are busy further up on the high tide line doing what they do occasionally venturing into the water, these waders were easily spooked by the alarm call of the Common Sandpiper.

Turnstone

Other waders present were a resident pair of breeding Kentish Plovers, a Little Ringed Plover that's been around for some days and several Redshank, I have posted images of these waders previously so are not included in this post.

One wader that is new for me at San Pedro is the Oystercatcher, it was only after I stopped looking through the camera that I notice the wader flying away from the bay....a missed opportunity !

Salinas Good Friday

Another fantastically sunny day and yes i'm off to the salinas at San Pedro. Parking at the visitors centre at main road end of the salinas it obvious its a bank holiday, there are runners and cyclists a plenty out early enjoying the early morning sunshine.

Making my way to the hides overlooking the small lake, as on other visits I have yet to see anything of interest other that a couple of summer migrants, a Spotted Flycatcher and female Blackcap, so its back to the car to make my way down to "mosquito alley" to look for migrant wagtails. 

The carpark is filling up with walkers heading through the dunes to the beach which suites me as I head the other way along the salt pan embankment. I again locate Blue Headed and White Wagtails that have been here for a couple of days, and a very close encounter with a Turnstone showing the signs of a new summer plumage. A Green Finch lands on a scrub bush two metres away providing a good photo op but other than that, little else

Occasionally flamingos fly overhead moving from one salt pan to another which provides good photo ops, a group of five Mediterranean Gulls pass over head with there unmistakable call. Its now become quite busy so its time to called it a day at the salt pans

Driving past Camposeven growers at La Romero, I see a multi coloured bird perched on a fence, my first instinct is Roller, stopping the car I see its a Bee-eater, in fact probably up to twenty, hawking insects over a field recently harvested of crops, a nice photo op so close to the accomadation.

Click image for clarity

It's a Warm Day !

Well it’s last day of my spring migration “reci" trip which is turning out to be photo min break. Today being the warmest day very aptly I’m off to the beach, particularly the sand dunes at Playa La Torre where the previous day I had seen a pair of Stonechats between the broad walk and the beach, so camera at the ready I thought I'd try and photograph. 

On arrival I was surprised to see “squadrons” of Cormorants possibly up to 300 number in groups of twenty or so heading up the coast towards the Mar Menor, as I was concentrating on the Stonechats I kept missing the chance of a good light flight shot...so it's was back to the task in hand. 

Stonechats can be somewhat difficult to get near, so with a some patience sitting quietly eventually an opportunity will present its self, here are the images….

Male & Female Stonechat

Click image to view..

Meadow Pipit

On the way back to the car I noted two Audouin’s Gull with amazing red and orange tip bill sat a puddle in the middle of the carpark, so being a little obvious in the empty carpark stealth mode was required, on my front to get a little closer I managed to obtain these images

Note the ring on the right leg of the bird in the last image

Next location was to move up the coast to look for waders on the beach at Playa Merendero de las Salinas, you park up in the Park Natural carpark near the San Pedro salinas port and walk along a boardwalk to the beach…..what beach? it was covered from the waters edge to the high tide line in dead sea grass to a depth of at least 200-300mm washed up over the winter.

At the waters edge as expected were Turnstone, Little Ringed Plover, Sanderling, Dunlin, Redshank etc. Suffering the ever present blood sucking insects I grabbed the shots I needed and retreated to the safety of the car

Last stop for the day is the north side of San Pedro salinas at El Mojon which is mentioned in a guide i recently read, unfortunately access to the salinas is no longer possible but it was worth a visit to check the site out. 

In the overflow channel to the sea the usual species could be found including male and female Mallard and a very obliging Little Egret. 

All too quickly my time is over for this trip, its back to the accommodation for my mum’s dinner and my evening flight back to the UK. 

I will be back in April…