Calidris maritima in the quay.

Hello!

The past sunday (171217) I could observe a solitary Purple sandpiper in Bermeo on the quarry stones of the village's quay accompanied with about 22 turnstones.

There were supose to be more than 15 individuals but we only saw one.

This is probably the best place of the vask coast to detect this rocky wader.

Calidris maritima.

Calidris maritima.

A few waders in Txingudi.

Saludos!

The past 05/12/17, I made a short visit to Txingudi bay, one of my favourite places to observe waders in northern Iberia , quite close to my hometown Pamplona/Iruña.

It offers me the possibility of watching birds in winter because in my local patch during this season there aren't usually any...(true that technically in march thing begein to change).

In this ocassion the idea was also to observe a Spotted redshank that had beeb lingering around for about two weeks but I had no luck and didn't localize it.

Anyway, I was lucky because the tide was low  and I could manage to see a few waders with my bins (I let the telescope on the car, I has no time and almost running the weight is to much to carry).

Geenshank and redshank in the mudy flats of the estuary.

Whimbrel on the move.

 A solitary redshank picking food items close the stones.

Grey plover feeding in those valuable and rich mudflats of the Bidasoa rivermouth.

As usual in december, I could find a few Dunlins around.

Redshank flying towards the ocean.

Ringed plover is its stalking position with the moving legs tappering on the wet floor.

A few stone curlews patrolling the muds always moving around the stones with their chisel shape beaks.

Have a nice day!!

Dotterels

A few days ago I went to the southern region of my province, more precisely to the Bardenas Reales Natural Park, a huge and rich arid region with many ornithological threats as stone curlews and dotterels (in migration,they don't breed here). I didn't see any of the long legged ones but I was very lucky to encounter a big group of about 75 dotterels in a plugged dry field.

It took me a while to detect them because those birds camouflage very well in this kind of soil with their dull/sandy colors (and more  this month that they are changing to winter plumage).

It seems that this group has been lingering around for days because there has been a couple of similar observations during last month.

Those birds were very confiding and allowed me to take good pictures when they approched to my vehicle.
I have to mention that all the time I respect the security distance between them and me in orther not to make them fly and avoiding any kind of disturbance.

I have to mention that during the postnuptial period we can see those birds either in the high altitudes of the northern mountain plateaus at around 1000 m or in those flat flields of the southern region.

Of course it catches the eye to observe them in such different landscapes.

(Charadrius morinelus).

 (Charadrius morinellus).

 (Charadrius morinellus).

 (Charadrius morinellus).

Chorlito carambolo (Charadrius morinellus).

 (Charadrius morinellus).

 (Charadrius morinellus).

 (Charadrius morinellus).

 (Charadrius morinellus).

 (Charadrius morinellus).

 (Charadrius morinellus).

(Charadrius morinellus).

 (Charadrius morinellus).

 (Charadrius morinellus).

 (Charadrius morinellus).

Summer waders in my local patch.

Saludos camperos!

This last summer that has just finished, I have been visiting "my lp" more often due to the holidays that I have in this period. My lp is about 5 kilometers from my house and that's always an advantage if one wants to keep the trace of the postnuptial migration in those interesting months of august and september in Northern Spain. I am going to resume in this blog-entry the most interesting wader sightings in the reservoir.

The pics are made with the smarthpone handhelded and the telescope (Kowa 88) with out any kind of adapter (excuse me for the poor quality of the images but those ones are record shots and are the ones that are valid to show the wealth of this reservoir in the migration of our lovely birds).

Also I have to mention the long distances of observation ( the birds are very wary and shy in this place) and the usual heat of the summer days that make the images so fuzzy.

Also it doen't help that there isn't any kind of hut or observatory to get hidden from the birds sight.

Telescope (Kowa 88) +  smartphone handheld

Wader "hat trick" ./ 30 july

Dunlin  (no common) + Little stint (escarce) + Kentish plover (local rarity).

Curlew sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea) / 31 july.

This is the only bird that I have seen this summer.

Two Black winged stilts sharing the shore with an Egyptian vulture-

Greenshanks resting but always alert  (4ex) / 20 august

Osprey / 22 august + 1 black tailed godwit behind!!

Snipe. Not very numerous due to the lack of reeds and protection in the shores / 08 september.

Black tailed godwit. This bird stayed three days / 08 september (estuvo tres dias en la balsa)

Ringed plovers.By far the most common species (with the common sandpiper) here this summer. In some days, there were about ten or more individuals lingering on the shores with their funny quick sprints.

Little ringed plover, always appears in the lp but never in great numbers

A juvenile Dunlin with the always wary Green sandpipers.

Some waders always tend to get together in their migration journeys.

Turnstones (2ex) / 09 september.

Always a rare bird in this inland reservoir with escarce observations. This one is the unique this year.

Whimbrel (2ex) / 10 september.

Always a nice surprise to find those elegant waders, even from a very distant point of view.

Spotted Redshank / 11 september

Always a treat here, four years ago that I had't see this northern bird in Zolina.

Sanderling / 20 september

Discovered by my LP mate Mikelgar, the only one this year!

Dunlin and a wood sanspiper feeding in the mudy shores of the East side. 22 september.

A really good one a Temminck's stint discoverd by Mikelgar (pic of Mikelgar).

The first one since 2011!!.

So I say good bye to the summer and make a warm welcome to the autumn, willing to see as many birds as I can, even if I know that the wader best period has come to an end in my Lp.

Wood sandpiper and Dunlin.

Marsh sandpiper in the ricefields!!

The other day a had the oportunity to go to Arguedas village or properly said to its ricefields that selter and important ornitofauna and in august is a very good place to observe waders (not always!).

The discovery by JC Lorenzo of a Marsh sandpiper, a very rare wader in my province Navarra, was the extra motivation to make the journey.

Of course, once there I enjoyed  with the rest of the birds and waders of the surroundings....

Marsh sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis).

Third historic record in my province.

Marsh sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis)

Marsh sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis)

It remainds me like mix of Black winged stilt and wood sandpiper.

Wood sandpiper having a quick bath in presence of the Marsh sandpiper.

The whole body must stay clean and properly mantained for the hard migration.

Marsh sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis)

After the bath there is a time for the feather arrangement.

Common sandpiper(Actitis hypoleuca)

Perfect camuflage for those rice fields, the common sandpiper.

I counted more than a dozen Little ringed plovers.

I discovered this Snipe (common) when it rose up after its nap.

Comparison between Wood and Marsh sandpiper.

Marsh sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis)

Its the third historic record for my province (Navarra) and the discoverer was JC Lorenzo.

Marsh sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis).

I think that this bird is advancing to its first winter plumage.

Cattle egrets with Black winged stilts.

I only saw one little stint, this one.

Bat boxes in old telephone posts.( There are more than twenty).

Always nice to help them and a good  ally against the mosquitoes.

And now pics made with the phone handhold and my telescope:

Hard to see but there are eight Ruffs here....

Three Black tailed godwits having a refreshing bath in the cloudy and warm afternoon.

I didn't expect to observe so many Lapwings (I counted around eighty).

One of the many BWstilts that were present there. Many of them were juveniles born here.

The definitive "tool" for proper waderwatching.

One juvenile Dunlin resting in the middle of the ricefield ( I saw only a pair).

Marsh sandpiper in quick feeding action.

Saludos a tod@s!

Pictures taken:15/08/17