El Hondo / San Felipe - 27.4.19
Having arrived late on Friday night its the usual meet up at the North Gate at El Hondo Saturday morning, I'm not expecting much with the camera as per usual the birds tend to be all at long range. One thing of note, the reserve has now decided that vehicles are not allowed beyond the entrance gate carpark so anyone contemplating visiting the bottom viewing platform can expect a couple mile walk...hey ho !!
After a lot of walking I'm a little knackered never the less next its San Felipe next to try my luck. No sign of the Little Ringed Plover that's bred in the area of the carpark for the last couple of years that gave me some great images, so onwards. The reserve water levels are high, and I mean really high after last weeks torrential rain so much so that any waders are now all on the surrounding flooded filed miles away, without that aid of a scope I can make out up to fifty Curlew Sandpiper in summer plumage, Dunlin, Ringed/Little Ringed Plover.....time to move on.
Now on the main pools there's not a lot of "action"...ha...I'm beginning to sound like resident GC. A few Whiskered Terns flit about about pick food of the water with acrobatics skills a jet pilot would die for, the usual Red Knobbed Coot lacking those horrendous neck id bands, chattering Great Reed Warblers that always tell me spring has well and truly arrived and some very vocal honking and squeaking Purple Gallinule.
The last couple of days have finally caught up with me, time to call it a day and head back.
Work in progress.....
After a lot of walking I'm a little knackered never the less next its San Felipe next to try my luck. No sign of the Little Ringed Plover that's bred in the area of the carpark for the last couple of years that gave me some great images, so onwards. The reserve water levels are high, and I mean really high after last weeks torrential rain so much so that any waders are now all on the surrounding flooded filed miles away, without that aid of a scope I can make out up to fifty Curlew Sandpiper in summer plumage, Dunlin, Ringed/Little Ringed Plover.....time to move on.
Now on the main pools there's not a lot of "action"...ha...I'm beginning to sound like resident GC. A few Whiskered Terns flit about about pick food of the water with acrobatics skills a jet pilot would die for, the usual Red Knobbed Coot lacking those horrendous neck id bands, chattering Great Reed Warblers that always tell me spring has well and truly arrived and some very vocal honking and squeaking Purple Gallinule.
The last couple of days have finally caught up with me, time to call it a day and head back.
Salinas de San Pedro - 28.4.19
After the last four days of five am starts I've opted to have the morning off instead I'm spending the evening down at the salinas as it doesn't get dark until 9.0 pm and the light two hour before dusk is always pretty good for photography. The plan for this evening is too photograph Little Terns that breed on the mud walls between the salinas with some patience hopefully get some shots as they fish near the cycle path.
A quick scan I can see the Little Terns have arrive from their wintering areas off the west coast of Africa and are busily dive bombing for fish which is offered as part of the pair bonding. I'm sat on the cycle track one eye on the terns and the other making sure I don't get clattered by a bike. My first attempt are hopeless the terns being quicker that I can react, a change of plan is required.......
A quick scan I can see the Little Terns have arrive from their wintering areas off the west coast of Africa and are busily dive bombing for fish which is offered as part of the pair bonding. I'm sat on the cycle track one eye on the terns and the other making sure I don't get clattered by a bike. My first attempt are hopeless the terns being quicker that I can react, a change of plan is required.......
Work in progress.....
Little Tern
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