After my long trek from Pilar up to the Clot in Grand Alicant, today I'm back local at the Salinas del San Pedro. I still have a couple of target species seen recently that are playing hard to get, namely...Avocet, Lesser Flamingo, Blue Headed and White Wagtails, but of course anything can turn up.
As I set off at sunrise the cuckoo is calling for the third successive day a rare sound these days, on the way I have a quick look at the local reservoir which is flat calm and being early morning the light ideal for photography. A quick scan I can see two cormorant fishing a small bay, Little Egret and a Red Legged Partridge at the waters edge, in the distant orange groves a Green Woodpecker is calling, I look for possible access to the reservoir but theres nothing obvious access so I move on
At the salinas its now getting harder to photograph something new, the Avocets now staying close to what appears to be their breeding area amungst the vegetation on one of the pond walls, too far away to get a good shot, I move on to "mosquito alley" where I had seen Blue Headed Wagtails a few days earlier. As I approach I see a group of White & Blue Headed Wagtails but they are a little flighty, with some patience I get some shots near where I had photographed the two Black Winged Stilts earlier who are still on their patch, the water is flat calm and the light is good, not the harsh light it will be in a few hours, I am please to get some good reflective shots that I had visualised, then, overhead the unmistakable sound of gargling flamingoes, three different groups fly overhead giving good flight photo ops, another tick off my list. Time to move on to the beach at the top end of the salinas.
The beach now quite different to what is was in January, the baulk of the sea weed has now been removed, perhaps thats why theres no sign of any waders, just a few walkers strolling along the waters edge. I make my way back to the carpark along the boardwalk photographing a female Stonechat with its washed out colours, not the striking colours seen in the male.
Time to return to the property, as I pass the visitors centre I see the centre gate is open, a quick tour of the gardens to see if theres anything interesting, I had read in a guide various Bitterns can be present at certain times of the year, no luck this time.
Click image for clarity....
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