top of page

Early arrival of our beloved Dutch Bluethroat at Torrox Lagoon?

On a sunny day half November which still seemed like late spring, I decided to go our well-known Torrox Lagoon in the South of Jerez de la Frontera. Despite still having relatively hot days, I was hoping to spot the wonderful Bluethroat that I had seen in winter in the same location. I was eager to see this brave little bird, not less than a wonder of nature: how such a small creature had managed to fly back to the very same spot all the way from the north, and probably from the Netherlands, where it had been ringed.



Laguna de Torrox
Laguna de Torrox

The first birds I saw were some White Wagtails, playing in the grass. In total there were tens of them all along the track I was about to follow. While I was checking the canal at the beginning of my planned route, a blue flash flew by: a Kingfisher! This was a good start, it seemed. Barely fifty metres further I spotted several Mallards and Spoonbills before I checked the reedbeds below for anything special. And yes, two amazing yellow eyes with dark pupils were motionlessly staring at me. Little Bittern!



Little Bittern looking straight into the lens of the camera
Little Bittern looking straight into the lens

Little Bittern hiding in the reed beds
Same bird, different angle

I lacked an extra pair of eyes to keep track of all the birds that were surrounding me. Two foraging Meadow Pipits allowed me to get pretty close and take some intimate shots.



Meadow Pipit in the grass
Meadow Pipit looking for something edible

Meadow Pipit running in the grass

A dozen of Chiffchaffs led me to the bridge that separates the two sectors of the lagoon, where I heard an unknown call that turned out to belong to a juvenile Great Crested Grebe. The adult bird was teaching it to dive, but still had to feed it the fish it had just caught. A truly tender sight!



Juvenile Great Crested Grebe begging for food
Juvenile Great Crested Grebe begging for food

Great Crested Grebe juvenile being fed by an adult bird
'This little fish is all you get for now'

Adult and juvenile swimming together
Adult and juvenile swimming together

Walking around the second sector of the lagoon, I spotted more juvenile Great Crested Grebes. In late spring I had seen courtship behaviour and little later an adult sitting on its nest, but after today's visit it can be officially confirmed: Torrox Lagoon is a suitable breeding area for this gorgeous species!


I had a good look around to see if there was any sign of the Red-knobbed Coot I had spotted a few months earlier, but I only saw the Eurasian Coot swimming around, joined by Greylag Geese.



Looking forward to seeing these recently planted trees full-grown

Before climbing up a hill from which I had a great sight over the lagoon, I spotted several Stonechats, one of my favourite species.



Male Stonechat on a branch
Male Stonechat taking a break on a branch

Female Stonechat
Female Stonechat

Male Stonechat surrounded by autumn colours
Another male Stonechat, surrounded by autumn colours

There were also a great number of Zitting Cisticola, readily posing in front of the lens.



Zitting Cisticola
Zitting Cisticola

Zitting Cisticola
Zitting Cisticola

Laguna de Torrox in Jerez de la Frontera
View from the top of the hill

Laguna de Torrox in Jerez de la Frontera
One of the islands, home to Cormorants and Yellow-legged Gulls

Common Sandpiper standing on concrete
Common Sandpiper

Muscovy Duck
Muscovy Duck

Much to my delight I then saw a few more Great Crested Grebes, including juveniles!



Adult Great Crested Grebe swimming in the water
Adult Great Crested Grebe

Adult and juvenile Great Crested Grebe
Adult and juvenile

The birds of prey of the day were Kestrel, Buzzard and Booted Eagle.



Kestrel
Kestrel


Booted Eagle
Booted Eagle


Little Grebe
Little Grebe

Little Bittern landing
Another Little Bittern arriving!

Little Bittern between the reed beds
Little Bittern

Purple Swamphen
Purple Swamphen

My hopes were high when I finally arrived at the part of the area where I had seen the Bluethroat in several occasions. I sat down for a while and watched Cormorants and Redstarts fly by, but spotted no sign of my little blue friend. I guess I will have to wait another couple of weeks.



Only this cat was walking around where I had hoped to spot the Bluethroat

Recently the Council of Jerez had offered for sale some ground right next to the track surrounding the lagoon, with a licence to open a bar and sports facilities, but no-one has been interested so far.


This area is a real jewel and should be kept as natural as possible.



Robin sitting on a branch
Robin

Sardinian Warbler in the bushes
Sardinian Warbler

In spite of not seeing my beloved Bluethroat, today's visit fully lived up to the expectations. No fewer than 39 different bird species were on display!

0 comments

Related Posts

See All

Comments


bottom of page