Sanderlings in Pitillas.

Last thuesday I went to Pitillas reservoir, a famous a valuable site in the middle zone of Navarra.

The climate conditions weren't the best ones but due to the lack of time that I have lately for birding I had no chance of changing the schedule.

Mild showers and increasing winds received me in the reservoir's parking, so I took a sweater and my Kowa 88 scope and headed to my observation points.

It had rained previously and I saw a few water poddles on the path but  it wasn't on my planes to visit de wadder traditional sites because they were  dried out for sure.

I started looking the shoreline when a group of wadders  feeding on the floatting weeds call my atention. They were quite a few , something not usual here.

I headed to that point to observe closer the birds and they were sanderlings and a nice band of twenty two!! a very good record here (there is only one more observation with more individuals, it was back in 2007 with 50 birds- R.Rodriguez ).

A nice group of sanderlings feeding in the weeds. The light conditions were very poor.

In the first view the solitary dunlin that was among them helped my as a yardstick to evaluate the size of the other waders around ( I doubted two secs with little stints with nuptiale feathers).

Sanderlings -18/05/17-Pitillas from ornitocampero on Vimeo.

Redshanks (20 birds) flying around my position with their fluttering voices.

I saw a fast crossing group of birds in the distance. Rapidly  I took a record shot and realized that they were ringed plovers...........it seemed that it was a good day for migration (the last impulses I suposse because we are already in advanced month of May).

Sanderlings  ready to "land" on  floating vegetation.

That's all for today -;)

Poor numbers in the reservoir.

Good afternoon:

Today,14/05/17, I made my second visit to zolina and I soon detected a few waders in th tiny West island (with no water becomes a Peninsula...).

I headed to the shore to observe the group from  a better distance and I counted seven Ringed plovers and a solitary Dunlin.

The prenuptial season is fading and poor numbers till the moment at the area, as an example :

• Zero Avocets
• Zero Knots
• Zero Turnstones
• Zero Spotted redshank
• Zero Kentish plover
• Zero Curlews
• Zero Bar tailed godwit
• Zero Curlew sandpiper
• One litte stint!!

I hope things change a little in the forthcoming days .......will see!

Small group cleanning their feathers.

I saw also a Little ringed plover and a Redshank .

A few waders in San Sebastian.

Good morning!!

The past 30 of april I made a visit to my family in San Sebastian /Donostia (Basque country) a wonderfull city in the Northern coast of Iberian peninsula , famous for his culinary aspects and precious buildings.

Anyway I had another intention fot that day, and my aim was to check the riverside of Urumea river that ends up into the Cantabric ocean, if I had enough time between my familiar responsabilities.

I had luck because the tide was low at my arrival and the good feeding areas with some sand a many rock blocks appeared to the delight of the few waders (and gulls) that were present at that moment.

Those are my best shots:

Whimbrel.

Very confident bird. I only saw one individual. Took a record shot and let him alone....

Redshank.

Another confident bird. There are many pedestrians at both sides of the river and birds get used to it.

A Common sandpiper. I didn`t expect this bird here in the intertidal area, so close to the ocean....

Turnstone.

I was happy to see a group of eight birds close to the wall. In a second all of them flew away to the sea.

View of the Urumea's rivermouth in San sebastian/Donostia.

Cheers!!