EDAR Cabeza Beaza, Cartagena – Thursday 16th August 2012

Weather: Sky clear, no wind, 30ºC.  With Diego Zamora Urán, Antonio Fernandez-Caro.

Today we did the monthly count at the Cartagena sewage farm at Cabeza Beaza, just outside Cartagena.

We had all the normal birds seen on the two lagoons – around 1,500 Black Necked Grebes, Little Grebes, Mallard, Cattle Egrets, Coot, Moorhen, Shelduck, Mallard, 50+ Pochard, the first couple of Shoveler of the post-breeding period, around 150 White Headed Ducks.  Of note were 11 Red-crested Pochards, and in amongst the Pochards a single adult male Tufted Duck in eclipse plumage.  Also 4 adult Greater Flamingos.  Of waders there was a sizeable group of Black Winged Stilts (around 200), 2 Common Sandpipers and a single Ruff.

No photos of the ducks I'm afraid - as always they were a long way off, but a few photos of the other birds seen. 

 Hoopoe seen out of the car window

 Part of the group of Black Winged Stilts

 ...that soon took to the air

Part of a family group of 4 Red-rumped Swallows

 

Flying continually over the lagoons were both Common and Pallid Swifts, Swallows, Red-rumped Swallows and House Martins, while around the edge of the lagoons were both Iberian and White Wagtails.  On overhead H.T. cables were a large group (50+) of Woodpigeons and another of 30+ Turtle Doves.

Species seen

Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)

Black-necked Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis)

Cattle Egret (Bubulbus ibis)

Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)

Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)

Pochard (Aythra ferina)

Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina)

Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

Shoveler (anas clypeata)

White-headed Duck (Oxyura leucocephala)

Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis)

Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus)

Coot (Fulica atra)

Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)

Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)

Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)

Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)

Ruff (Philomachus pugnax)

Red Legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa)

Swift (Apus apus)

Pallid Swift (Apus pallidus)

Woodpigeon (Columba palumbus)

Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)

Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur)

Hoopoe (Upupa epops)

Iberian Wagtail (Motacilla flava iberiae)

White Wagtail (Motacilla alba alba)

Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

Red-rumped Swallow (Hirundo daurica)

House Martin (Delichon urbicum)