Jun 73 min read

Looking for juvenile birds at the lagoons of Sanlucar

Back to a favourite spot

The memory of a visit to the lagoons of Sanlucar at the end of last summer brought me back to this beautiful location today. Then I had seen mainly herons and juvenile birds. This time I hoped to spot the birds at an even younger age, on or near the nest. The weather conditions were almost perfect; it seemed as if the late spring warmth had taken a break.

Black-crowned Night Heron in flight — The funny Black-crowned Night Heron was again one of protagonists today

The first stop: Martin Miguel Lagoon

My first stop was the Martin Miguel Lagoon, a place I didn't explore last year. Although I had seen a Purple Heron nearby and a large group of Cranes during the winter, seeing the water surface of this lagoon was new to me.

Martin Miguel Lagoon near Sanlucar — Martin Miguel Lagoon

At first I thought that this lagoon would be the least interesting, but nothing could be further from the truth. The lagoon consists of two connected water basins, not too big and certainly not very beautiful, but the variety of bird species makes a visit definitely worthwhile.

Grebe, coot and Night Heron on the water of a lagoon — Great Crested Grebe and Coot with a Night Heron watching in the background

What was particularly striking was the large number of Black-crowned Night Herons and other heron species: Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Little Egret and even a fairly rare Squacco Heron. The presence of fish in the water explained a lot. Six Gull-billed Terns regularly dived into the water to fish.

Gull-billed tern flies over the water with a fish in its beak

Gull-billed Tern with a fish in its beak

Silhouette of a Gull-billed Tern with a fish in its beak

Black-crowned Night Heron flies over the bushes — Black-crowned Night Heron

Juvenile Night Heron with a building in the background — Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron

Squacco Heron flying over the water — The rather rare Squacco Heron

Grey Heron flying over the reeds — Grey Heron

A number of birds of prey also circled attentively in the sky: a Kestrel, a Booted Eagle and a pair of Black Kites.

Booted Eagle flying through the sky — A curious Booted Eagle also came to take a look

Camino Colorado: Second and third lagoon

At the second and third lagoon of today's tour, located along Camino Colorado, it was noticeable that there was a relatively large amount of water present. The area near the lagoons also looked much tidier than last year, when everything looked more like a waste dump.

Small lagoon among green vegetation — Lagoon near Camino Colorado

Pochard chicks with parent bird on the water — Family of Pochards

Chicks of Red-crested Pochard with parent bird on the water — Family of Red-crested Pochards

We saw quite a few juvenile birds of Coots, and a few families of Common and Red-crested Pochards. There were also eight White-headed ducks to be seen, an endangered species that stays here all year round.

Small lagoon — The other part of the Camino Colorado lagoon

Alfredo Barragán: A bit of a bummer

The fourth lagoon of the day, Alfredo Barragán, was home to a huge number of Black-crowned Night Herons and Little Egrets last year, but this time there was very little life to be seen, which was a bit of a disappointment.

Lagoon in the middle of green vegetation — The well-sheltered Alfredo Barragán lagoon

The hope of seeing a lot of bird activity here was unfortunately not fulfilled.

Glossy Ibis in a tree — Glossy Ibis in one of the trees around the lagoon

Tarelo Lagoon: A positive surprise

The last stop of the day brought a very positive surprise. The islet in the Tarelo lagoon had been transformed into one big breeding ground for Little Egrets, Glossy Ibises, Black-crowned Night Herons and especially Spoonbills. The bushes were full of nests and young birds, a real spectacle! An estimated forty Spoonbills were present. A number of Yellow-legged Gulls were also hanging around at the islet.

Island in the middle of a lagoon — Tarelo Lagoon

Black-crowned Night Herons and Little Egrets in the trees — Black-crowned Night Herons and Little Egrets together in the trees

Spoonbills in a tree — ...and a little further on a family of Spoonbills

Spoonbill flies over the bushes — One of the many Spoonbills flies in

Everywhere there were scenes of young birds begging for food and parent birds feeding, both on and off the nest.

Spoonbill with four young on the nest — Spoonbill with four young

Spoonbill with young on the nest — Another nest a little further away

Spoonbill feeding young — This is no longer begging, but almost stealing food

Meanwhile, a Glossy Ibis flies in with nesting material

Young Spoonbills resting on the ground — The young Spoonbills have a very special way of resting on the ground

Unfortunately, there was also something sad to see: a Little Heron, probably sick or weakened, was attacked by a Yellow-legged Gull and then also torn to pieces and eaten.

Yellow-legged Gull attacks Little Egret on the ground — Yellow-legged Gull attacks Little Egret

Yellow-legged Gull eats Little Heron — The Little Egret is quickly cleared away

It seemed as if the breeding colony of Black-crowned Night Herons that I saw last summer at the now very quiet Alfredo Barragán lagoon had now settled in this place. I was glad to find them here now.

Three young Black-crowned Night Herons at the edge of the water — Young Black-crowned Night Herons gather at the edge of the water

Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron next to a Little Egret — Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron peacefully next to a Little Egret

And there was more good news: at the far end of the lagoon a number of chicks of the White-headed Duck could be seen swimming, together with the parent birds. All this clearly shows the ecological value of this lagoon.

Young White-headed Ducks on the water — Young White-headed Ducks

Conclusion

The visit to the lagoons of Sanlucar was very educational and showed that bird colonies sometimes move when required. The surprises of the day made it an unforgettable experience. It is clear that these lagoons play an important role in the breeding and habitat of many bird species, and it remains a place where birdwatchers like me return time and time again for new discoveries.