Salinas de San Pedro - 23.1.19
A first visit of the trip to the local salinas which usually produces a few waders, but today nothing obvious and I have to work to locate anything of note, its all very quiet. At the top carpark I don't bother getting the gear out instead opting for a quick look with the bins, straight away two Marsh Harrier's float overhead which would have been a good shot eventually drifting off into the distance. Other birds of note include a few Avocets, a group of Black-tailed Godwits frantically feeding in a muddy corner and the ubiquitous Black-winged Stilts, time to move on.
Now at the midway pull in a group of about six Black Necked Grebe are close to the edge of a lagoon, the light is in the wrong direction but as there isn't much else about to photograph so I thought a few images wouldn't go amiss. The grebes dive and thats my chance to get within a few meters only to be scattered when a cyclist passes so I resigned myself to sitting and just enjoying the Spanish sunshine.
Chatting to another birder its obvious its lean pickings bird wise, then I spot a wader alongside two Black Winged Stilts, looking down the long lens its a Spotted Red Shank showing the characteristic kink at the end of its bill. Positioning myself with the best sun angle available its going to be a bit of a waiting game, the two stilts move alone the mud bank and the redshank follows but it still a little unsure about doing what it's known for....wading, preferring to swim instead.
Occasionally the waders get spooked by a passing cyclists but they soon return to the small mud bay but the Spotted Redshank all the while prefers to swim occasionally giving the alternative standing on the mud shot. Another cyclist this time the waders have had enough and disappear to the other side of the salinas.
After a slow start its been a good close encounter with a wader I haven't seen a lot of recently and a new tick for the trip. Looking forward to later in spring when this location always produces, right off to look for flights
Now at the midway pull in a group of about six Black Necked Grebe are close to the edge of a lagoon, the light is in the wrong direction but as there isn't much else about to photograph so I thought a few images wouldn't go amiss. The grebes dive and thats my chance to get within a few meters only to be scattered when a cyclist passes so I resigned myself to sitting and just enjoying the Spanish sunshine.
Chatting to another birder its obvious its lean pickings bird wise, then I spot a wader alongside two Black Winged Stilts, looking down the long lens its a Spotted Red Shank showing the characteristic kink at the end of its bill. Positioning myself with the best sun angle available its going to be a bit of a waiting game, the two stilts move alone the mud bank and the redshank follows but it still a little unsure about doing what it's known for....wading, preferring to swim instead.
Occasionally the waders get spooked by a passing cyclists but they soon return to the small mud bay but the Spotted Redshank all the while prefers to swim occasionally giving the alternative standing on the mud shot. Another cyclist this time the waders have had enough and disappear to the other side of the salinas.
After a slow start its been a good close encounter with a wader I haven't seen a lot of recently and a new tick for the trip. Looking forward to later in spring when this location always produces, right off to look for flights
Spotted Redshank
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