Wednesday 2nd May 2012 – Marchamalo Salinas & Cabo de Palos lighthouse garden

Weather: Sky no cloud, wind S F1; 21º.  18:00 – 20:10

                                                                                          

I could only get out in the afternoon today, and started at the Playa Paraiso side of the Salinas.  There were quite a few waders in the first pool with 50+ Little Stint, 28 Curlew Sandpiper, 25 Black Winged Stilt, 38 Avocet, 4 Sanderling, 2 Dunlin in breeding plumage, plus a dozen Kentish and 6 Ringed Plovers, and a couple each of Redshank and Greenshank.

I also saw a couple of Little Terns on one of the walls dividing the different pools, the first that I have seen of this species here this year. In nearby pools I counted 53 Shelduck and the same number of Slender-billed Gulls, two of which were mating.  I wonder if they’ll finally stay to breed, which would be a first for the Salinas.

Also there, a group of 6 Greater Flamingos, different from the one seen 2 days ago as todays were 3 adults and 3 immatures.

There were also a cloud of Swifts (both Common and Pallid) and hirundines (House Martins and Swallows) feeding over the first pool, and 3 Spotted Flycatchers making the most of whatever was hatching from the lagoon, sitting on the fence and making forays out.

Round at the other side of the Salinas, below the Go-Kart track on the lagoons were a further 30 Avocets, but more interesting were the passerines, with 8 Spotted Flycatchers, 4 Pieds (1 male and 3 females), 2 male Redstarts, 2 Common Whitethroat, 3 Willow Warblers, 4 very late Bonelli’s Warblers, 2 Woodchats and a Turtle Dove plus the normal resident birds.  The Bonelli’s were very hard to pin down (and even count) as they were hyperactive in the taray trees.

 One of 'only' 4 Pied Flycatchers seen today

Record shot of a hyperactive Bonelli's Warbler

I arrived at the lighthouse garden at 7:30, and thankfully there were nowhere near as many cars in the carpark or people as yesterday.   Wandering around the base of the lighthouse and the gardens at the side of the carpark (which is all I had time for), I managed to see 5 Spotted Flycatchers, 6 Woodchats, 13 Northern Wheatears, 4 Common Whitethroats, 1 male Subalpine Warbler, 1 male Common Redstart, 4 Melodious Warblers and an Iberian Wagtail.  Not bad for 40 minutes birding!

This Melodious Warbler was pretty active too

Species seen/heard

Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber)

Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)

Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)

Black Winged Stilt (Himantopus Himantopus)

Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)

Redshank (Tringa tetanus)

Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)

Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea)

Little Stint (Calidris minuta)

Sanderling (Calidris alba)

Dunlin (Calidris alpine)

Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus)

Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula)

Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis)

Slender-billed Gull (Larus genei)

Little Tern (Sternula albifrons)

Rock Dove/Domestic Pigeon (Columba livia)

Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)

Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur)

Woodpigeon (Columba palumbus)

Pallid Swift (Apus pallidus)

Swift (Apus apus)

Crested Lark (Galerida cristata)

House Martin (Delichon urbicum)

Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

White Wagtail (Motacilla alba alba)

Iberian Wagtail (Motacilla flava iberiae)

Blackbird (Turdus merula)

Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe)

Common Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus)

Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata)

Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca)

Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala)

Common Whitethroat (Sylvia communis)

Subalpine Warbler (Sylvia cantillans)

Melodious Warbler (Hippolais polyglotta)

Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus)

Bonelli’s Warbler (Phylloscopus bonelli)

Woodchat Shrike (Lanius senator)

Spotless Starling (Sturnus unicolor)

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)

Corn Bunting (Miliaria calandra)

Serin (Serinus serinus)