Exploring the Tres Amigos Route: a second visit in search of more bird species

It is always a good idea to get up early to start birding in the morning. Well, not always. Not when it is misty and a cold wind is blowing. I went to the Tres Amigos trail in San Fernando for the second time, hoping that this time there would be more water in the saltpans thus more birds. I arrived before 11AM but visibility was terrible. Luckily things got better as the hours went by.

I can't remember seeing so many different species during one single bird observation, so in the end the suffering was worth it. However, I believe the best time to visit this place must be in early spring.

One of the many Zitting Cisticolas

The weather wasn't great when I arrived

Much to my relief there was indeed more water than during my visit in April of this year. One advantage of the bad weather was that I was almost alone during my walk, which lasted more than four hours. Alone in this case means without seeing other people, not birds. Of those there were plenty! Almost anywhere you looked you could see them.

A pair of Mallards in flight

Grey Heron just before landing

The Tres Amigos saltpans are a great site if you want to see waders and you can get relatively close to photograph them. I counted hundreds of them while they were foraging.

Ruddy Turnstone looking for something edible in the mud

Sanderling

One of the two Spoonbills that I saw

It took more than an hour for the weather to allow more colour to come in

I was hoping to see an Osprey and I was lucky! Other birds of prey I spotted were the Kestrel and the Marsh Harrier.

Osprey

The Marsh Harrier was having a quarrel with some gulls but backed off in the end.

Marsh Harrier being chased by an angry gull

White Wagtail

One of the hides

Information board next to the trail

Cormorants in V-formation overflying the saltpans

Black-winged Stilt taking to the air

There were plenty of Black-winged Stilts, beautiful but shy wader birds. They have incredibly large legs but their wings are so small you wonder how they manage to stay airborne.

Crag Martin

Caspian Tern

Common Shelduck

The ruins near the road where you start the way back

It's important to keep in mind that actually this track is not circular. If you do want to make it circular, you can do so by walking all the way to the road and walk about 20 metres on the side of the road. Remember to be very careful here, as cars come from behind you and will drive past you only two metres away. Unfortunately, this road is almost always quite busy.

Also note that this site is next to a military zone. This morning there were artillery fire exercises and although the birds seem to cope quite well with the loud bangs, you might be startled at times.

I had spotted two Flamingos and was a bit surprised not to see any more, but twenty minutes later I saw a small flock of around thirty birds together.

A small flock of Greater Flamingos

One of the many playful Zitting Cisticolas

Chiffchaff

In total I observed 35 different species. Looking forward to next visit in Spring!