Aiming for the Sky

After talking to fellow birders about their list of species seen in Spain, I decided to count mine. I had 169 which, while modest, pleased me as it had been achieved in about 18 months. And with the 200 mark relatively close I decided to aim for the sky and set myself the challenge of reaching it by next summer (a deliberately vague deadline). However, I soon realized that this was going to be tougher than I thought with many of the species seen around Cordoba already ticked off. 

Black Stork, White Stork, Little Egret and Grey Heron hanging out together next to the rice fields

With this in mind I decided to team up with a friend and explore new territory. Brazo del Este is a labyrinth of rice fields, fed by a branch off the Guadalquivir, to the south of Seville. My guidebook spoke highly of the site, but we were worried that autumn might not be the best time to visit. Taking the SE-9020 we headed in the direct of the village of Pinzón. The translation of this village is 'finch' which seemed like the perfect place to start a day's birdwatching! 

Almost immediately our attention was drawn to huge flocks of birds flying above the fields to the right of the road. They looked to have been recently ploughed and this had drawn in hundreds of White Storks and Glossy Ibis. Looking through the crowd of birds we could also see Little Egrets, Grey Herons and at least five Black Storks. 

Views from Los Chapatales

After Pinzón the road runs alongside a canal flanked by Eucalyptus trees. Here we came across flocks of Linnets as well as Stonechats, Black Redstarts, White Wagtails and a Kestrel. After while we reached a large rice silo and turned right. Here a Squacco Heron was fishing in the small canal and the reeds and bushes were full with House Sparrows, Common Waxbills and Yellow-Crowned Bishops. The last of these is an African species which has formed a thriving population here. Unfortunately, as it was outside the breeding season the males didn't have their bright yellow and black plumage. Instead they appeared very similar to the females which have pale brown upper-parts with dark streaking and an off-white supercilium. 

Squacco Heron

We drove along the road which offered elevated views over the rice fields and the possibility to stop whenever we liked due to the lack of other vehicles. Grey herons, White Storks and Little Egrets flew up as we drove past only to land 20 metres further down the road. The whole process was repeated time and time again as we edged our way along the track using the car as our hide. 

White Stork

After about a kilometer we arrived at a body of water on the left. We stopped here to scan the fringes of the reedbed. Not long after pulling up a Purple Swamphen appeared from the reeds before making a dash across the water and disappearing again. A Whinchat, on its migration south, sat on the barbed wire long enough for us to distinguish it from the many Stonechats. Spotless Starlings and Goldfinches were busy in the trees, a Chiffchaff hopped around hunting insects and a Zitting Cisticola darted from bush to bush. Before long more Purple Swamphens gave us better views and just as we were about to leave we heard a Water Rail calling. Despite waiting for another 20 minutes it didn't reveal itself.

Chiffchaff

A little further on Spoonbills were feeding alongside more Glossy Ibis, Black-winged Stilts and the occasional Common Sandpiper. We also saw a Great Crested Grebe and Little Grebes diving in the deeper water. On the other side of the road Black-headed Weavers were busy in the reeds. This is another African species whose presence here has been put down to escaped caged birds. They have been here since the mid-nineties and there are also populations in nearby Portugal. The non-breeding males are similar to the females with a white belly and a pale yellow breast. They also have a noticeable white iris. 

Black-headed Weaver

After a while the road turned into a dirt track so we explored some of the side tracks off the main road. This gave us more views of Squacco Herons, Spanish Sparrows, Waxbills and Black Storks. Marsh Harriers were a frequent sight swooping over the reeds and we also saw a few Red Kites.

Common Waxbill

On returning to the rice silo we decided to take a look at the area to the south. The rice plantations gave way to fields full of cotton plants and other areas which didn't have any crop. Here we observed Crested Larks and Sky Larks on the ground often accompanied by White Wagtails. We also caught a brief view of a Tawny Pipit, which is usually only seen here in the migration period. I didn't have time to get a good shot of it and despite our best efforts to find it again it remained elusive.

A herd of sheep passing us by

At the end of day I had added a whopping six new species to my Spain list (all lifers). Brazo del Este certainly lived up to my expectations and is definitely an area I will return to as soon as I get the chance. It is impressive not only in the quantity but also the quality of the birds it has to offer. What is more, it gives you really good opportunities to observe at close hand species which are often secretive, such as Black Storks or Purple Swamphens. Only 25 more species to go!