Today I've booked to visit the main El Hondo Reserve at the North Gate entrance. Access to the reserve is only available on Saturday mornings so it's a 6. 30 am start and I head up the AP7 to San Felipe but first I call in at the reserve centre as both venues are new to me.
Arriving at 7.30 am I have 45 minuets spare so I take the opportunity to have a quick look at the centre lake...its bussing with activity, Marbled Teal zoom off at the first sight of me, herons, egrets are around the fringes, Whiskered Terns flit around picking food from the surface of the water, but times up, its time to leave. I note a Little Ringed Plover in the roped off area with young, in the carpark a Woodchat Shrike is sat on a fence post, but thats for another day
At the North Gate there are four cars waiting to gain access, surprising really given the reserves reputation I was expecting more. I chat with another "Brit" about a plan to view the reserve and park up ready to explore. A Great Reed Warbler is chattering in front of me, and I rattle of a couple of frames. Reaching the tower which I understand is one of the main venues as it offers views over a large are of the reserve. Birds of note include...Greater Flamingo, Greater & Lesser Egret, Little Bittern, Glossy Ibis, Grey & Purple Herons, Great Reed Warblers, ducks and much more. For the photography perspective the distance to the birds is too far to offer real success.
I follow the channel-tree line to the next hide, herons and terns fly overhead but the hide is a little disappointing as birds are way in the distance. Moving further into the reserve to boardwalk and tower that fringes the last accessible lake, Slender Bill Gulls bob about on the water, Little Bittern fly between reed beds, Glossy Ibis fly over, other than that, little else new.
I am now at the far end of the accessible reserve and its 10. 45 am so I start my return my long walk back to the carpark. Its hot and I can quite believe how far I have walked, here's a tip, park mid way a save yourself a long walk !
Back at the carpark its been a long walk with little photo ops, a little disappointed I take a rest and down a litre of water, a Nightingales is singing somewhere in the undergrowth and leave for the reserve centre
Click image to view...
Making my way to the reserve centre around 12.0 midday the lake is now completely quite, the sun is now directly in front no good photography so I move on to the boardwalk through the marsh, flamingos are close by, two Collard Pratincoles site at the waters edge and a Squacco Heron is out in the open all good photo ops. My times up, its been a tiring day
As I leave the centre the two Little Ringed Plover are in the open, calling in the roped area, they have several recently hatch young so I site down and see what photo ops presents, the plovers constantly vigilant as people leave the centre come quite close, camera at the ready I get the shots
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