... along with these was a single Short-toed Eagle ...
... looking very long-winged in comparison ...
These winds brought a single Slender-billed Gull to the saltpans where they are not regular ... this first summer bird was lingering with a pair of Common Terns ...
... and the following day a flock of ten was present and fed in characteristically delicate fashion in a sheltered corner of the saltpans ... some adults with a lovely pink flush ...
... and some first summer birds ...
... their call does not befit their elegant look and is a harsh gruff sound ...
... the tall trace on the sonogram indicating a wide band of frequencies demonstrates the unmusical quality of the sound ...
... but in flight they look even more elegant ...
With Yellow-legged Gull being the only resident species of gull on this part of the coast a passing flock of Mediterranean Gulls invited speculation on where these birds had come from and what their destination was ... we know that some German-breeding birds that visit Cumbria in autumn are heading for their winter quarters in the Iberian peninsula ... so it is quite possible that these birds were returning to Germany ...
... the very vocal flock numbered only around ten birds but had adults ...
... second summer birds ...
... and a first winter bird ...
And ever present on the lagoons of the saltpans are Flamingoes ...
... always on the move ...
Yellow Wagtails of the presumed form M.f.cinereocapilla x iberiae are a frequent presence along the digues that separate the individual saltpans ...
...as are the Kentish Plovers ...
Then just behind the coastal strip in the vineyards a Woodchat Shrike foraged ...
... and a Melodious Warbler sang without diving for cover as most others had ...
... Tawny Pipits frequented the sandy areas ...
... and Black Kites patrolled causing panic among small passerines and large gulls alike ...
Orphean Warblers sang among the the low limestone hills but remained hidden in the foliage of the evergreen oaks ... this Dartford Warbler posed briefly as it brought food to its young ...
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