Ebro Delta, Punta de la Banya, Slender-billed Gull, 23rd - 26th April, 2014

22nd April, 2014, depart Stanstead, 16.00 hours for Reus, Catalonia, Spain.
in hired car, an hours drive south, we arrive at hotel about 22.00 hours.

We are based at Sant Carles de la Rapida, a fishing harbour on the south of the Ebro Delta for four days !

The purpose of this trip is to photograph

Slender-billed Gull and Audouin's Gull.

also to take in the mountain area of Tortosa and Mont Caro
and a visit to the steppe region near Lleida

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Day 1.

Thursday 24th April,

We are out at dawn on the Punta de la Banya, Ebro Delta

The weather is poor, grey cloud, no light !

Slender-billed Gull, 12 +
Yellow-legged Gull, very few !

Kentish Plover, 6
Sanderling

An hour here and then came a quote from Mick !     ''it's just not going to happen''

We move on to Deltebre seeing

Gull-billed Tern ***(a new life see tick)
Whiskered Tern


Whiskered Tern

09.00 hours, it starts to brighten up a bit, back to the Punta de la Banya, try for the Slender-billed again !


returning to the Punta de la Banya we find

''EVERYTHING IS NEAR PERFECT''

The sun behind us, no wind, still, quiet, the tide coming in towards us, slowly covering the sand-bars,
bringing the Slender-billed in closer !

probably 20 Slender-billed at most, 4 together in a group, then further 2's and 3's !
they are dip-feeding, calling, posing on the sand bars along the shallow waters edge of the bay, about a mile long !



Slender-billed Gull

  

12.00 hours, the sun is now to high in the sky for GULL images.


An obliging Sanderling comes close !

Sanderling

Next a Collared Pratincole gave brief photo opportunity

Collared Pratincole

We spent the remaining afternoon in the rice fields, last December 2013 visit we were seeing 100's and 100's of birds of many species !

Today we are seeing one's and two's


16.00 hours, back to  Sant Carles de la Rapida, the fishing harbour.

Lots of Audouin's, Yellow-legged Gull, but difficult / non-productive photography !

Day ended dusk !


the list for today,

Purple Heron, 1
Grey Heron, 2
Night Heron, 1
Squacco Heron, 6+
Little Egret

Flamingo, 100+

Sandwich Tern
Common Tern
Whiskered Tern
Gull-billed Tern

Sanderling
Kentish Plover
Redshank
Greenshank
Common Sandpiper
Turnstone
Black-winged Stilt
Collared Pratincole

Purple Swamp-hen, 3

Great Reed Warbler
Crested Lark
Hoopoe, 4+

Mallard, 1000+

Shag, Cormorant

Swallow and House Martin, House Sparrow and Starling.

Slender-billed Gull, Audouin's Gull, Yellow-legged Gull and Black-headed Gull.

Total 33 species SEEN, so far this trip !

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