We landed Reus Airport, Spain, hired a car, then one hours drive and we are into the most northern coastal part of the Ebro Delta by mid afternoon !
We have come to the Delta hoping to see and photograph Slender-billed Gull !
In winter plumage !
also a chance of an Audouin's !
Mick has done his homework, there is a chance that maybe a Slender-billed may have over wintered and remained in the Delta breeding grounds !
First we check out the Badia del Fanger area, from two vantage points, slow drive down tracks between miles of flooded, narrow rice fields separated by bunds,
Little Egret, 1,000's, just everywhere
Grey Heron, could have been a 1,000, just everywhere
Cattle Egret, 50 +
Great White Egret, 50 +
NOT ONE PURPLE HERON !
Glossy Ibis, 500 + in one flock
Greater Flamingo, rafts of 300 + out in the bay.
Purple Swamphen, 5 +
Black-headed Gull, just 1,000's
Yellow-legged Gull, 100's
Lesser Black-backed Gull, 100's
Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Lapwing, Redshank, Greenshank
Crested Lark, Kingfisher, Pied Wagtail, Common Redstart, 1
Black Redstart, lots
Common Buzzard, 8+
Kestrel, 10 +
Peregrine Falcon
The quantity of birds is phenomenal, just everywhere, constantly active feeding, all very sensitive to the car passing, thousands of white birds, bright sun light.
No photographs !
No Slender-billed Gull !
It's dark, we find Aldi's, stock up on crap, find hotel and preparations made for Day 2.
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Day 2, Friday 13th December
We start the day, lost in the dark, looking for a place that we never did find, the Punta del Fanger,
ending the morning at Riumar, where the Ebro flows into the Med.
No Slender-billed Gull !
Midday, decisions made, we cross the Ebro to the southern side !
We head out for the Biarra del Trabucador, this is a approx. 2 mile spit of sand, about 200 meters wide that you can drive down a central track !
To your left is the open sea, the Med, into the sun !
but to your right you look into the shallow bay of the Badia dels Alfacs,
there are Waders on every sandbar !
Kentish Plover, plenty
Ringed Plover, 500+
Dunlin, 1000 +
Sanderling, 500 +
Mallard, 500+
a raft of Flamingo in the distance
Mediterranean Gull, 6 total
Yellow-legged Gull, a few
Then Mick spots the SLENDER-BILLED GULL ! ! !
It's an adult winter, and an absolute cracker !
It remains a bit distant, we watch its habits, it is passing backwards and forwards between two favoured sand bars, stopping of at intervals between !
Mick spots a second Slender-billed on the scene, a superb 1st winter !
Mick then stated there was in fact 3 Slender-billed Gulls !
We watched the Slender-billed for the remainder of the afternoon, as long as the light allowed us to attempt photography
This adult winter gave a couple of photo opportunities.
As the light came round, we gave up, and headed of to the local Fishing Harbour at Sant Carles de la Rapita.
A look round the harbour,
Yellow-legged Gull,
Black-headed Gull,
Mediterranean Gull, 1st winter, 1
*****AUDOUIN'S GULL ****** 1
Black-necked Grebe, in the harbour
Light all wrong for photographs, we had already got the Slender-billed !
Day 2, Finished,
We have found the target bird, we KNOW where the Slender-billed are, 3 birds !
Tomorrow we are going to photograph them !
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Day 3, Saturday 14th December
We are out before dawn, again at the fishing port of Sant Carles de la Rapida
Temperature 3* C, a clear sky, stars shining, not a breath of wind, the sun is coming up, it's going to be a perfect day !
The harbour is dead quiet except for the Black-necked Grebe and a few Cormorants,
Gulls only there when fishing boats come in and unloading catch to fish market ! All closed on Saturdays !
We have a breakfast, sausage in a baguette, an very strong coffee
10.00 hours. The sun is right ! It's now 10* C and getting warmer !
We are out again on the Biarra del Trabucador, conditions are superb, we drive past all the 100's of Waders.
We immediately see an adult Slender-billed, same as yesterday, passing up and down the same length of the bay, between the same two sandbars !
We are here for the duration !
a 1st winter turns up,
then a 2nd winter appears,
there is a further Adult on the scene !
Only once did two birds come close to each other, there preferred to keep there distance of each other !
This is how my day went ! In this photographic order !
Slender-billed Gull, 1st winter
Slender-billed Gull, adult winter
Slender-billed Gull, adult winter
Slender-billed Gull, adult winter
Slender-billed Gull, 1st winter
Slender-billed Gull, 1st winter
Slender-billed Gull, 2nd winter
Slender-billed Gull, 2nd winter
Slender-billed Gull, 2nd winter
Slender-billed Gull, 2nd winter
Slender-billed Gull, 2nd winter
Slender-billed Gull, 2nd winter
Slender-billed Gull, 2nd winter
Slender-billed Gull, 2nd winter
Slender-billed Gull, 2nd winter
Slender-billed Gull, 2nd winter
Slender-billed Gull, 2nd winter
Slender-billed Gull, 2nd winter
Slender-billed Gull, 2nd winter
Slender-billed Gull, adult winter
Slender-billed Gull, adult winter
Slender-billed Gull, 2nd winter
Slender-billed Gull, 2nd winter
Slender-billed Gull, 2nd winter
Slender-billed Gull, 2nd winter
Slender-billed Gull, 2nd winter
Slender-billed Gull, 1st winter
Slender-billed Gull, 1st winter
Slender-billed Gull, 1st winter
Slender-billed Gull, 1st winter
Mick (small crop)
Mick (large crop)
Slender-billed Gull, 1st winter
Slender-billed Gull, 1st winter
Slender-billed Gull, 1st winter
the temperature topped 20* C around 15.00 hours, the sun is now round SW, harsh, side light images, photo opportunity over !
A Sanderling has been passing by so close ''all DAY'' ! ! !
(he's in the photo shot of Mick)
A very, very, obliging bird ! !
Nobody has bothered to photograph him !
Sanderling, (I liked the long shadow)
16.00 hours, we are back at the fishing port of Sant Carles de la Rapida, the fishing fleet are all in harbour, no fishing on Saturdays, no Gulls !
the Black-necked Grebe was still busy feeding in the harbour
We called it a day, with plans to have another morning tomorrow with the Slender-billed Gulls !
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Day 4, Sunday 15th December
We have only a morning session left, 12.00 noon is deadline, stop and go for the 15.00 hours flight home !
we are back at the fishing port of Sant Carles de la Rapida, the fishing fleet are all in harbour still, no fishing on Sundays, no Gulls !
and even the cafe does not open this morning !
09.30 hours, we are out again on the Biarra del Trabucador to look for Slender-billed !
Today, conditions are not good, there is a cool wind, the bay is choppy, lots of waves.
Sure we see a Slender-billed ! About 200 meters out, a dot in the choppy sea !
There is no point in staying !
10.00 hours, we move to the northern end of the Delta to a small harbour port l'Ampolla, we are just checking it out for Gulls, it the last call before Midday leave.
Audouin's Gull, 1, and a couple of Meds complete the day
15.00 hours Flight. London 18.00 hours.
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