SANTOÑA, CANTABRIA (SPAIN)

MARISMAS DE SANTOÑA

This Christmas holidays I’ve been staying in Asturias. Twice we also popped along the coast to the marshes and mudflats of Santoña. In all we saw the following birds:

Peregrine Falcon: 2
Ring-Tailed Harrier: 1
Marsh Harrier: 1
Osprey: 1
Merlin: 1
Curlew: 200
Whimbrel: 150
Redshank: 100
Greenshank: 20
Spotted Redshank: 1
Dunlin: 1000
Sanderling: 2
Ringed Plover: 500
Snipe: 5
Golden Plover: 5
Grey Plover: 300
Spoonbill: 30
Turnstone: 100
Purple Sandpiper: 5 ( photo, Gijón)
Black-Tailed Godwit: 200
Bar-Tailed Godwit: 200
Little Grebe: 2
Black-Necked Grebe: about 50 between both visits (photo )
Slavonian Grebe: 3
Great Northern Diver: 7 in all  (phot)
Many ducks, Wigeon, Pintail, Shoveler, etc.
Bullfinches as common as in summer. Many Redwings and a sprinkling of Fieldfares.

But the best bird of all we saw in a place called Escalante near Santoña, a good spot for geese. After twenty minutes of scoping through a 200-odd flock of Greylags we at last spotted the Pint Footed Goose we’d been told was there. A beautiful bird and thrilling life tick (testimonial photo attached)

 Turnestone, Whimbrel, Dunlin and redshank.

 Flock of Dunlins

 Black tailed godwits

 Black necked grebe

 Black necked grebes

 Black necked grebes

 Pink footed goose

 Black necked grebe