Day 1:
It is not obvious to find a good place for birdwatching in every season. I had read that October was a good month to check out the beaches in Chipiona because of the interesting wader birds, so I set off early in the morning. The light was beautiful when I arrived at Montijo Beach. I took a few shots of the Chipiona lighthouse in the distance before continuing to the right where the rising sun produced an even better light. I didn't see a lot of birds at first. My attention was drawn to a creature sitting on a low rock in the sea. When I zoomed in I realised that it was a small dog.
I didn't hesitate a moment, took off my shoes and socks, put my cameras down and tried to reach the poor dog. It was afraid and shivering. I tried to make it feel at ease by talking to it. It was clear that the dog was not going to be able to get to land on its own. As I realised the water was rising, I knew there was not much time to lose. When I tried to caress it, I got bitten. The dog was clearly in shock.
After talking to it for a little while, I gave it another try and this time I managed to pick up the poor thing. It felt cold and wet. Cautiously wading through the rocky sand, I reached the shore, carrying the dog in my arms.
I drove the dog to a vet in Sanlucar. It carried a microchip and the vet managed to get in touch with the owners, who soon came to pick up their lost companion. The dog turned out to be a six-year-old dachshund.
I obviously did not get the chance to take a lot of photos of birds, but with such beautiful early morning light and feeding Turnstones and Egrets around, I wanted to get back as soon as possible.
Day 2:
The next morning, I went back to the same place. Unfortunately, the light was not as beautiful as the day before, but I saw some interesting species and took some nice photos. When I arrived the tide was low and I had to walk a bit further away from the shore to get closer to the birds. It is surprising how fast the water rises, especially while you are focussing on the birds all the time. If you are not careful, you might find yourself trapped and surrounded by water before you now it.
In 1994 a Cypriot ship proceeding from Bangkok called Weisshorn was waiting off the Guadalquivir estuary to sail to the port of Seville when it met with severe weather conditions. The anchor gave way and the ship was thrown onto rocks, heavily damaging the hull. The ship eventually sank with its cargo, 6,200 tonnes of rice. The ship wreck is still visible from the Chipiona coast. It is locally known as the 'barco del arroz'.
It was a pleasure to photograph the wader birds on this beach. The trick is to lie on your belly and let the birds get closer to you. After a while they will easily come closer than 10 metres.
After the second visit to this beach in two days, I decided to have a look at the port of Chipiona too, as I had read that you can spot some interesting seabirds there. Unfortunately, I didn't see anything very unusual, apart from some Little Swift, which I had not photographed before.
And Gulls! Many Gulls. Not many people's favourites, but they can be interesting if you take your time to observe them attentively.
The beaches of Chipiona are not the most spectacular ones, but thanks to both visits I saved a dog's life and spotted three new species (Little Swift, Common Greenshank and Sanderling).
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