I am so sorry for not posting lately what with the UK and Tenerife visits I had to get some of the domestic chores finshed in case my Spanish neighbours think I am not looking after myself.They are so helpful I cannot even sneeze unless they send for an ambulance.Anyway back to the birds the lesser spotted eagle was seen twice last week once on the Cañada and once at the cattle egrets nest site,neither by me I must add.An eagle owl is often present at nightfall on one of the small pylons as one leaves for the eastern exit and I have seen a short eared owl on one of the fence posts in the same area.In fact I have just received a whatsapp to say they are there at this very minute 19.30 CET.
Yesterday I had a day out and started at the osprey nest at the Barbate reservoir near to the Los Barrios /Jerez motorway and an adult bird was near to the nest on the pylon eating a very large carp and another was perched nearby.Also at the waters edge were male and female pintail,male and female common teal,Shoveler ducks and a pair of shelduck together with mallard little egret and white storks.
I then moved to the Laguna Medina near Jerez a site I have not visited for a while because of reports of very few birds so I was not surprised to see only 2 coot,3 mallard,6 cormorants a raft of black headed gulls and the distant views of a female marsh harrier.I am told the birds have left this site for the lack of food as a great number of carp have been eating the weed and algae that the birds feed on.I am sure the authorities are aware and as carp are quite valuable for restocking something could be done to ease the problem.
I then moved to the Salinas at Bonanza not quite in the Straits area but always interesting.Seen were slender billed black headed and yellow legged gulls,sanderling,dunlin,redshank.avocets,black winged stilts, pochard,black tailed godwits common snipe and flamencos.The only bird of prey seen was a very skitish osprey that would not let me get near it.I then went on to the freshwater lagoon called Tarelo in the pine forest and saw white headed duck,pochard red crested pochard mallard a pair of black crowned night herons.
I then returned to Vejer De La Frontera to the Barca to be precise and was pleased to find that 7 pairs of Northern Bald ibis were in residence and were begining nest reconstruction.This is the first reported sighting this year of these birds at the nest site.Then on to La Janda via the Vejer entrance and to be honest not much to report.One male and two female Marsh harriers,one black winged kite,common buzzards and kestrels,several spoonbills, a hoopoe and my first booted eagle of the year.I left before dark so did not see the owls.Kind regards to all ....Eddy