VisMig in Murcia

Camera...check, lens...check, bins...check. I'm off to Murcia for an eight day trip to photograph the autumn bird migration, the weather forecast is sun, sun, and more sun with temperatures between 26-28 degrees !

On arrival my first stop will be to get myself down to the Salinas at San Pedro as its only around six mile away and check out the reported 600 Black Necked Grebes that have congregated on the lagoons

Day 1, Salinas de San Pedro del Pinatar

I've just got off the plane and keen to see whats about, the San Pedro Salinas is only one stop further along the AP7 so what the heck !...arriving at the salinas I get a text from my mum "your tea's ready"...doh, only a very quick look then

I grab a couple of shots of Ruff and Turnstone, a quick scan I count 30 Slender Billed Gulls and 43 Black Necked Grebes, the Grebes as usual keeping their distance.

Early start tomorrow, hopefully something new to photograph

Click image to view

Ruff

Day 2, Salinas de San Pedro

Arriving at the Salinas wondering what photo opportunities lay ahead. Its light but the sun has yet to fully rise so not at its optimum for photography so I surveying to see what birds about, I locate Curlew Sandpiper, Black Tailed Godwit, Little Stint, Ring & Kentish Plover amongst others.

On the boardwalk I can see a Curlew Sandpiper on the mud bay below, a good place to start. Setting up the gear at the water edge overlooking the mad bay I play the waiting game, the sun is now giving some nice light and theres lots of bird activity

Black Winged Stilt and a very brief appearance of single Curlew Sandpiper give some superb photo ops. Ruff and Little Stint more plentiful and approaching to a close distance play their part as I'm waiting for that mega that may be round the corner

Its been a successful session and I'm looking forward to what tomorrow photo opportunities are to be had

Redshank

Curlew Sandpiper

Ruff

Black-Winged Stilt

Immature Greater Flamingo

Day 3, Salinas de San Pedro / Lagunas de lo Monte

I'm back at the Salinas de San Pedro nice an early hoping to continue from the good session I had yesterday. little Stint as usual fill in as I'm waiting for something unusual to turn up, a Black Necked Grebe cruises past still sporting remnants of its summer plumage but today its a little quite so I opt for plan B and move on to another location

Black Necked Grebe....Still in part summer plumage

Little Stint

The Langunas de lo Monte a nature reserve consisting of two lagoons (Lagunas) fringed by reed beds can turn up something of interest from time to time and usually I have all to myself as I very rarely see anyone else during a visit. My usual approach is to start at the bottom lagoon in the first of the five hides and work my way up the reserve, the first hide is quite, not mega close views of Swallows punching on the reeds like my last visit in May, the second hide is quite the same so I make my way to the fourth hide over looking the top lagoon which is always the most productive for me and wait.

To my left I notice a warbler moving in the reeds, Reed Warbler and Chetti's Warble are common if not a little hard to see, but this is a Acro warbler, I'm hoping for a migrant and not the Spanish resident Moustached variety....mottled head, no head stripe rules out Aquatic which I've seen on occasion back in the UK, its a Sedge Warbler common in the UK but a migrant in Spain.

Looking a little rough around the edges the warbler is confiding spending the next forty minuets off and on scrabbling and feeding in the reeds just in front of the hide.

Happy with the couple of hundred images taken and needing some much needed refreshment I call it a day, but first one last look at the other hides on my way back to the car......you never no that mega might just turn up unexpectedly !

Sedge Warbler

Lesse Emperor Dragonfly

Day 5, Salinas de San Pedro / El Mojon

It's now becoming the norm for me on this trip to visit the Salinas San Pedro just as the sun is rising, a quick scan doesn't reveal anything new, never the less I wait in the unusual location near the main road optimistic something may possibly turn up.

Its quite so I move on up the salinas to the second pull in, a few Ruff are feeding amongst the reed beds, the odd Little Stint clockwork scuttles about feed in the shallow mud bay, moving on to the third pull in...nothing apart from a cruising Black Necked Grebe in the now low light as its become overcast...time for a new location

Black Necked Grebe

I'm now at El Mojon which is on the other side of the salinas close to the urbanisation where the water channel flows in to the sea, this location can be good for waders but is frequented by bathers and beach walkers so the best time is early morning.

As I approach I see a Redshank feeding in the water channel where it flows on to the beach, I make my way round, and it fly's off further up the beach...doh ! luckily (for me) a walker disturbs the bird and it fly's back to the water channel

I've now managed to get myself within the range of the camera lens to the bird, and its just a matter of sitting tight gaining the confidence of the bird I'm not a thret, and it wasn't too long before the Redshank came within fifteen metres distance giving some great photo ops

Bathers that had been enjoying a brilliantly sunny day in 28 degrees of temperature are now calling it a day and making there way home, some stopping to look at this chap (me) sat on the beach with a long lens camera wondering whats going on...that was enough for the Redshank and it disappears back to the safety of the salinas, but I'm happy as Ive managed to take over 400 images.

Job done, I call it a day

Redshank

Day 6, Los Urrutias

Today a complet change in location as I head south to the areas around El Cormoli and Los Urrutias to check out wader locations along the land side of the Mar Minor (Little Sea). This is very much a crop growing area of the region and I've have information that during the right time of year is good for breeding Collard Pratincol

I'm driving along the F54 and I've stopped at the traffic lights at Los Urrutias, all of a sudden I can hear the unmistakable screeching of Monk Parakeets, the last time I tried to photograph these birds was in Villamartine on that occasion it meant standing in a busy road trying to avoid getting run over. Monk Parakeets originate from Argentina with escapees having bred are now pretty much a common sight particularly where there are palm trees which is one of their favoured breeding sites. The sight of these lime green small parrots flying around screeching looks a little exotic, even for Spain

Trying to photograph these birds particularly in palm trees can be a little difficult as they tend to occupy the central part of the tree, the branches always get in the way of a clear shot. With some careful surveying I manage to find a breeding pair giving some relatively clear shots, although there is considerable nest material behind the birds I'm happy with the clear shots at least of the birds

As I'm going back to the car I come across a Monk Parakeet caged belonging to the owner of a ground floor flat, the sight and sound of this bird, that may never be freed calling to other free flying parakeets is so sad to see and hear

Monk Parakeet

Day 7 Salinas, El Pinet

Two new locations today, the first to look for the Azure Wing Magpies at south side of the Laguna Salada de Torrevieja and then up to the Salinas at El Pinet. Up the AP7 again and another 4 Euro toll fee, its costing me ! I've set the location in the sat nav previously and it takes me right to where I should be....where would I be without my sat nav !

The area generally comprises scrub and wild gardens of small holding properties with some citrus growing near the lagoon, not very picturesque but pretty easy terrain to cover, you just need to be lucky to catch up with these elusive magpies.

After some searching I have no luck locating the Magpies, but birds of note include a small group of Monk Parakeets flying about screeching, a Iberian Grey Shrike refusing to let me get near perched on a telegraph wire. Visiting this location was primary to tick off the AWM with no sign I decide I move on to El Pinet.

The Salinas at El Pinet are quite extensive salt pans south of Santa Pola, but the area I'm visiting today is a nature reserve created on the southern edge of the salt pans. Earlier in September there were reports of some interesting species so I'm hopeful to get some images of birds I've yet to encounter

Scanning the first lagoon it all looks very quite, I see a boardwalk which threads its way between the lagoon and sand dunes so I see where it takes me eventually leading to the first hide, its hot so I welcome the rest. I count eighteen Grey Herons, two Slender Billed Gulls dancing like as they feed water surface, a few Sanderlin, Ringed and Kentish Plovers and that's it. After an hour or so its still quite so I decide to call it a day and make my way back to the car.

I'm back at the car park near the first lagoon and locate a Greenshank busy feeding at the lagoon edge giving a good photo op, but the camera's all packed up and I'm sure birds going to fly, camera out the 2x is still on the lens which isn't my preferred option...it will have to do. I take maybe thirty images before the Greenshank disapeears on the other side of the lagoon...at least I get some shots

Greenshank

Lesser Grey Shrike

Day 8, Salinas de San Pedro

My last day of the trip and with a late afternoon flight I have the morning free, my preferred location on my last day is always the Salinas at San Pedro. At the first pull in I scan the lagoon to see if theres been an influx overnight of any new migrants, it looks pretty quite and I'm a little disappointing as this should be in the middle of the autumn migration period.

One bird that's been around in small numbers this week that I haven't managed to nail down, and that's a Common Sandpiper. This morning I'm sat quite on the edge of the muddy bay and on the far side a Sandpiper drops in, slowly but surely it makes it way round to the idea position to photograph and I rattle off maybe four hundred images with a superb golden colour to the water. Eventually another Sandpiper calls an alarm and it fly's to the other side of the lagoon.

Its still quite early and I would like to finish on something mega but that dosen't look like happening, a juvenile Black Winged Stilt has joined in the photo session posing nicely sometimes motionless again with that fantastic water colour background.

I finish off the morning session with one last look along the boardwalk which meanders through the sand dunes to the sea and always good for Stonechat, maybe I'll get lucky and get close, then gliding majestically in off the sea I see a large bird, no is a plane (superman joke) dangling like its on a bit of string its amazing how still manages to remain in the air as it very slowly as it comes into land, the Spanish Airforce training jets are based at San Javier. With the wrong settings in the camera I grab a couple of images, and that it, times up for this trip, I have just enough time to review and edit a few images back at the property for I head back to the UK

Common Sandpiper

Black Winged Stilt