I mentioned earlier that the little preserve that we visit is the largest wetlands on the Granada coast and is tucked into an 18 hectare plot in Motril. The birds love it, as do we. Yesterday, we saw a number of Red-knobbed Coots, a rare bird that is still in danger but is restored to Spain as well as other water-loving birds.
We are leaving in a few days but still doing some rooftop birding from the terrace. Adios desde Espana
Kingfishers are perhaps our favorite bird – we see them all summer on the river in Vermont, have been delighted by them in Texas and Ecuador, and as I noted a couple of post ago, caught a glimpse of one in Spain. This morning, we went back early to the Charca de Suarez to try to see him again. Sure enough, he showed up in the same small lagoon.
The bird is small (sparrow-sized) and flies fast so it is a challenge to photograph with the Canon SX-60 but he gave us some nice far-away looks.
There’s a great write-up on the bird here if you want more information. Gracias, mi amigos.
Several birds here in Spain – Rock Doves, Mallards and Northern Shovelers come to mind – seem to be about the same as in the U.S. The Little Egret is just like its close relative, the Snowy Egret, that we see in Texas and other southern states. Great to watch this patient hunter.
This morning, we went over to a small park in the neighboring town – Charca de Suarez – which is the largest wetland along the Granada coast. It is a challenge to identify birds we’ve never seen but we had a great session. The highlight was probably this White Stork.
Grey Herons are stately and photogenic.
Can you find this next bird — look for green and red.
A nice outing at a lovely site right in the midst of condos and industry.
Southern Spain is a desert and reminds me of parts of California the Southwest US where birds congregate around nearly any body of fresh or brackish water. The salt lagoons were packed with bids, some resident, and some starting their migration to Africa.
At the ocean, we came upon a familiar scene, where earlier a boat had unloaded immigrants from Africa. The police were there, there was clothing strewn around, but otherwise business as usual. There were dozens of very large swarms of insects – which left us alone – providing food for hundreds of Martins swooping every which way. This Guardia officer had a swarm right above his head, which you can barely see in the photo as a darker strip arising from his head as he talks on the phone. 
And finally, a couple of photos from our terrace as I try to identify some morning bird songs.
We are in southern Spain for several weeks and learning a little more Spanish and some new birds. We hired a guide yesterday and he brought us to one of the great spots in the area: Cabo de Gata Natural Park – Las Salinas.
We visited some salt mining lagoons and watched dozens of flamingos. Here are some shots in poor light:
It was a spectacular start on a hot day and in the next post, I’ll share some of the other birds we saw. Adios, amigos
Fed up with the depressing Border Wall plans and the ongoing paramilitary presence along the border, we decided to cancel our trip to Texas and instead, give northern Florida a try. Most southern Florida campgrounds were already full so as you’ll see, the gameplan is to hit Louisiana, the Florida panhandle, Georgia, and perhaps South Carolina. 
I’m posting this only to see if any of our birding friends might be in the area when we are. Of course, everything is subject to change — birds have wings, we have wheels.
Earlier in the week, Sally came upon an American Bittern right at the end of our path to the river. All I had was my iPhone and the photos, in poor light, were not good. Yesterday, we saw it again, without phone or camera. Today, at the end of a long bird walk, I snuck down the path and Voila!
Our friend will be on his way southward soon but what a great backyard treat.
During a quick trip to Virginia, we drove up to Chincoteague Island for a little birding. A friend of Sally’s, Chip, met up with us for a visit to National Wildlife Refuge and was a wonderful host/guide. Not only does he know his birds and is a skilled photographer, he has a sand permit allowing him to get out closer to some of the good birding areas with his SUV. It was hot and muggy but a great chance to get reacquainted with shorebirds.
Leaving the refuge, Sally spotted about a dozen Chincoteague ponies in the hazy distance, part of the wild herd that just show up here and there on the island. They were a nice end to the outing.
Like most of the East, and it seems, most of the world, we have been enduring a long stretch of hot and humid conditions with sparse precipitation. While the river is low, paddling seemed like a nice option to get a little workout and perhaps see some birds.
As I was getting kayak ready, I noticed this Monarch working one of our flower bushes.
Several young song sparrows chipped away at me as I got the gear together.
Our local Great Blue Heron was downstream fishing.
While upstream, this moma Mallard shepherded her three youngsters,
I saw a larger bird fly into some undergrowth and after some maneuvering and stealth, I spotted this neat Green Heron. It gave me an interesting challenge of balancing the boat, the paddle, and the camera as it played hard to get.
But the master of “catch me if you can” seems to be the Belted Kingfisher who is noisy, flashy, and usually just out of camera range. I followed this one for a quarter mile, shooting and missing, but finally …
Birding by boat is not just about trying for photos. I got really close to several Grey Catbirds, deep in the honeysuckle, and watched an Eastern Phoebe singing away high on a dead branch. It iwas a peaceful way to enjoy a humid Vermont mid-day.