I set off early in the morning to arrive around sunrise at Cetina Salt Marshes. Summer has arrived in the south of Spain, so because of the high temperatures I didn't expect to see many birds really. My only goal was to spot Black-tailed Godwit, a species I had not seen before.
This is really an amazing site. If you arrive early enough to avoid the afternoon heat, you get to see so many interesting species. The starts of the morning were a whole colony of Kentish Plovers, I think I saw more than twenty of them. Just lie flat on your belly and let them come to you to get some amazing shots.
As they are a protected species, quite a lot of them were ringed. I did not see any breeding activity today.
Between January and June the difference between male and female Kentish Plover is well visible: the male has a black frontal band.
Another remarkable species present here was the Pied Avocet. There may easily have been a few hundred of them. It's always fun to see how they chase much larger birds away from their territory. This time some gulls were mobbed until they left.
As for my targeted species: I did see them and managed to photograph them in the water as well as in flight. One of them seemed to have an antenna attached.
Another amazing sight was a flock of Yellow Wagtails in a bush: around twenty of these birds together.
There were so many more species to spot. Below are the most interesting photos of the morning.
Another worthwhile visit to this place during which I spotted thirty different species. Next time I go to the Cetina Marshes I really should bring a hide or come late in the evening to photograph the flamingos against the orange glow of the summer sunset.
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