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Humedal Cerro de las Cigueñas - another 'armchair find'!

13/6/2022

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When updating my notes recently I browsed an online booklet that I'd found earlier this year called a "Guide to the biodiversity of the Guadalquivir Estuary" (see  here). However, when I did so I was surprised to discover that a site shown on a map in the guide wasn't, as I'd casually assumed, Laguna la Mejorada but one entirely new to me.  It was in fact, the  Humedal Cerro de las Cigueñas (Wetland of the Hill of the Storks). As far as I'm aware, unlike many collections of lagunas, the three wetlands here don't have a collective name but calling them the "Humedals de Los Palacios y Villafranca" seems apt so that's the name I've used for all three in my guide. None of these sites are as productive as Brazo del Este but if you've limited time they're all a far shorter detour off the  route between Seville and the Straits.  Depending on whether you're driving north or south*, it's either a 13 km or 17 km drive to Brazo de Este whereas to reach this site it's only a 5 km drive, El Pantano can be reached in 3 km and Laguna la Mejorada is virtually right next to Exit 565 off the NIV (c600m to be precise). Being much smaller, these sites can also be covered more quickly of time is of the essence.
*This difference is largely due to the fact that several exits off the NIV as it bypasses Los Palacios y Villafranca can only be taken when travelling from the north so if you want to take the SE 9020 to Brazo de Este when arriving from the south you either have to overshoot and reverse direction at Exit 565 or cut through the town (both take roughly the same amount of time but the latter is less of a hassle). 
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As can be seen from the above Humedal Cerro de las Cigueñas is tucked away a few km north-west of Los Palacios y Villafranca. This former landfill has been taken over (as has El Pantano) by the local authority and made into a small reserve. Peering at GoogleEarth it appears that the site consists of two small pools surrounded by reeds/sedges and rough grazing. Checking on eBird (see     https://ebird.org/hotspot/L7331439) - I note that 131 species have been reported from here which is very creditable since only 56 checklists have been submitted (including several by a local professional tour guide which indicates the site's potential). 

Not surprisingly, this site attracts many of the same species of the other two locations (albeit in smaller numbers). These species include Purple Swamphen, various herons, waders, Savi's Warbler, various exotics and the occasional small crake but for a full list again check eBird. The small size of this wetland should make it relatively easy to view aided by the fact that it's bounded by a road (a) to the west, a track to the east (b) and the levee along the Encauzamiento del Cano del la Vera to the south (c). It seems from Google Streetview that the fields just to the east of the track may sometimes be flooded to form a shallow body of water (d) which should be worth a look when present. Photos online (and a signpost to this site) show that there's even a small hide or Observatorio here (e) although it looks like it's in a poor state of repair.  Further along the road there’s a second much smaller marsh (f) and judging from various sources more flooded fields.   Some photos show this to be a pleasant bird-friendly pool but on Google StreetView it looks more like an unofficial landfill/dumping site but it may be worth a look or best ignored (although birds don't necessarily share our aesthetic prejudices).    Like the Humedal El Pantano (and perhaps more so), Humedal Cerro de las Cigueñas is liable to dry out in the summer so a visit outside that period is likely to show this site at its best.

As I've not managed to visit this site all the photos below have been culled from Google StreetView or the odd photo available online (I trust that neither Google nor any of the photographers object to my using their images!).  Hopefully, they give some idea of what the site is like. 
Note that older sources suggest Rufous Bushchat were found in the area just west of the NIV here where low-intensity smallholdings create a favourable habitat for them so it may be worth exploring the tracks off the route to Humedal Cerro de las Cigueñas (and nearby) for this elusive and declining bird. 

As I needed to redraft my maps of this area to cover this site, I have also added details, both in my notes and on the map, of an area near Los Palacios y Villafranca that eBird shows still has Rufous Bushchats (in 2022 at least). Take the A 362 towards Utrera for c5 km from the AP4/E5 until you reach a small industrial estate (Poligono Algusa) on the left.  Turn left (take care!) to take the track that runs along the eastern edge of the poligono (signposted Hac. La Indiana).  Explore the tracks 1-2 km along this track (g). Looking at GoogleEarth, it appears that this is another area with low-intensity farming on small holdings which the Rufous Bushchat favours. (NB - as this is a rare and declining species playback should not be used to attract the species).  ​
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May 2022 Update VI  - Bustards & Breakfasts

2/6/2022

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Bustards
Not having been able to explore the area for in spring for several years when I returned to Alcala de los Gazules I set myself various ornithological targets. One major objective was to check on Little Bustard population near Benalup.  This species has undergone a catastrophic decline in recent years with numbers in its 'heartlands' tumbling rapidly.  According to the most recent national atlas the number of breeding males fell by almost half between 2005 and 2011. The position seems particularly critical in Castile-Leon (esp. in Zamora) and I've found them much harder to find around Osuna (Seville) in recent years. I've heard nothing to suppose the decline has halted. Yet in Cadiz province the number of surveyed squares that had lost the species as a breeding bird (4) is counterbalanced by squares where they seem to have been gained (5 - excluding a square the straddles the border) and in over twice that number they have persisted since earlier atlases. 
​However, I suspect the densities in some of these areas must be low. I've looked for them around Jerez and Conil without success (see my map adapted from the most recent Spanish Atlas - see
 
https://atlasaves.seo.org/ave/sison-comun/).    ​

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Although I first saw Little Bustard a little closer to Benalup, for some years the area around Los Badelejos has been my go-to site for them for the past decade. More specifically, I found the slope above a junction of several tracks (a on my map) very reliable for them and often found birds calling as I got out of my car. However, in early March and mid-April this year I failed to find them here despite several visits.  This made me even more concerned about their future here but I returned later in April to explore further along the valley. Although they were still absent at (a), two farmworkers (to whom I played the call and showed illustrations of the species) were able to confirm that the sisons were still present in the valley. Ten minutes later, I was scanning the slope at (b) when a Little Bustard started to call and after carefully checking the hillside I spotted a single male. 

The arrival of my friend Chris Cox meant that on 02/05 I had another look at this site.  Once again I found no birds at (a) and disappointingly the bird at (b) was silent.  Determined to find the birds, Chris and I walked along the Corredor Verde dos Bahias for c1 km beyond the track to the finca (c) but to no avail. As we turned back towards the car I spotted two 'Mallards' out of the corner of my eye but as I raised my binoculars to check I realised that they were actually a pair of Little Bustards!  As the male chased the female over our heads and away towards Benalup, a third bird, a male, rose up from the fields and joined the chase flicking his head up as he did so.  Result!   As we turned back towards the car I spotted a further two male bustards flying over the field at (b). Five birds is the most I've ever seen at this site so perhaps a little cautious optimism about their future here is warranted.    

PictureLittle Bustard habitat at (b)
Click here to edit.

It wasn't all good news as, despite several visits to my alternative site (d) along the Caňada del Valcargo (signposted Valcargado), I failed to find Little Bustard there (although that doesn't mean that they're not present as I've found them elusive here before .  
PictureStart of the Caňada del Valcargo from the A2225
 

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Little Bustard habitat at (d)
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Breakfasts
I confess that when out in Spain I often skip breakfast in my keenness to get out birding asap. Then, if the birding's good, I tend to forget about lunch too until it's too late to bother.  However, when I'm out early in the morning and the weather takes a change for the worse or it's too misty to see the birds, I am often tempted by having the 'standard' Spanish breakfast - a tostada.  I've done so several times at Venta La Casilla as it's convenient for the track opposite which leads to an area that sometimes has Little Bustard. It's very much a working man's venta and if you order a tostada you get the usual round of toast with small foil containers of pate, olive oil or a small dish of 'tomate'  (mashed tomato with oil & garlic). 

However, in April when I found the valley at Los Badalejos swathed in mist and decided to have an atypical breakfast stop I opted to go upmarket and try the Cortijo de los Monteros. Unusually, I'd eaten there at lunchtime several times and always found the food excellent but didn't really expect anything other than the usual fare for my breakfast. I was so wrong!   


The first clue that I was in for something different was when the waiter appeared with a large tray rather than a small plate.  The waiter proudly told me that the bread had been baked that morning by his uncle and that he'd come out with a second slice of toast later so that it too was warm when I ate it.  He then loaded my table with a plate on which there were two pates and a dollop of
manteca colorá (pork dripping flavoured with paprika), two scoops of more dripping of some sort (both laden with meat), a dish of Spanish stew (chorizo, black pudding, etc) and a dish of calves' liver. It would have been more than enough for two and I struggled to eat less than half (declining the second slice of toast). I expected a hefty bill but I was charged only about a € more than the usual price of €2.50 - €3.00 and rather less than you'd pay in touristy areas (plus  €1.20 for coffee).  So if you try for Little Bustards early one morning and then feel peckish you know where to go (unless you're a vegetarian who, presumably, starve at breakfast in Spain!) 

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    About me ...

    Hi I'm John Cantelo. I've been birding seriously  since the 1960s when I met up with some like minded folks (all of us are still birding!) at Taunton's School in Southampton.  I have lived in Kent , where I taught History and Sociology, since the late 1970s. In that time I've served on the committees of both my local RSPB group and the county ornithological society (KOS).  I have also worked as a part-time field teacher for the RSPB at Dungeness.  Having retired I now spend as much time as possible in Alcala de los Gazules in SW Spain.   When I'm not birding I edit books for the Crossbill Guides series.

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