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Birdwatching at the Torrox Lagoon: A surprise encounter with a Little Bittern

Sep 29, 20222 min read

Today's birding trip to the Torrox Lagoon in Jerez de la Frontera was intended to be a quick routine visit but turned out to be an almost three hour walk around one of my favourite spots. As soon as I arrived I spotted a species I had never seen before, at barely ten metres away, hiding in the reed beds: a spectacular Little Bittern. I had to switch quickly to manual focus to get a somehow decent shot of this extremely secretive bird.



A small bird camouflaged within dense, brown reed stalks.
Little Bittern in hiding in the reed beds

A bird with a yellow beak peers through dense vegetation.
Little Bittern keeping an eye on me


A few hundred metres further I stepped off the main track again to get closer to the reed beds. I heard and saw a pair of Kingfishers and several Reed Warblers. Without specific preparation it is nearly impossible to take great photographs of these species with so many branches in the way and the birds constantly moving.



A vibrant kingfisher perched on a branch, partially obscured by blurred branches, in a soft, sunlit setting.
Male Kingfisher


A small brown bird perches on a branch against a bright blue sky, partially obscured by twigs.
Reed Warbler


Fortunately there were also some birds that were easier to photograph, like Cormorant, Little Grebe, Grey Heron and Eurasian Coot, to name but a few.




A cormorant flying against a clear blue sky.
Cormorant


A small brown and white bird swims in calm, blue water.
Little Grebe


Heron flying with wings outstretched against a clear blue sky.
Grey Heron in flight


Black coot with white beak swims in blue water.
Coot


A few birds of prey were visiting the lagoon as well today. I spotted three Kestrels, one Osprey and a Booted Eagle.




A Kestrel with outstretched wings soars in a clear blue sky.
Hovering male Kestrel


A bird with dark markings glides against a clear blue sky.
Osprey


A bird with outstretched brown and white wings soars in a clear blue sky.




An eagle with brown and white feathers soars in a clear blue sky.
Booted Eagle



The last species I noted down during this visit included Common Redstart, Pied and Spotted Flycatcher. Over thirty different species in what was supposed to be a routine walk on a late summer morning.




A white heron stands near a turtle on a rock by a pond with branches overhead.
Little Egret urging a turtle to go of its rock



A bird with a brown and beige pattern stands in grassy terrain holding an insect.
Whinchat


A small bird perches on a branch against a clear blue sky.
Pied Flycatcher


Brown bird perched on a thin branch against a blurred green background.
Common Redstart


A group of ducks with reddish-brown heads swims on a lake.
Around thirty Common Pochards floating on the water


A grebe with brown and white plumage swims on calm water under a bright sky.
Great Crested Grebe



 
 

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