March 2022 Update I - Costa Ballena

I've visited many of the sites in my guide to birding Cadiz numerous times, others only occasionally and a few only once but there are a fewsites I've not visited at all. These I've added due to their long standing repute (e.g. Pinar del Rey),  recommendations by others (mainly sub-sites) and, more recently, due the number of lists on eBird (e.g. Dos Rios).  One such site is (or rather was) the Costa Ballena just south of Chipiona.  I first became aware of its existence through the 'Rare Birds in Spain' website but latterly largely through the many eBird lists generated from there.  I admit that I've driven past the place quite a few times mainly when en route to look for Chameleons in Rota. I confess that visiting a large golf complex  with well-manicured lawns and gardens had no appeal appeal whatsoever even if good birds could be seen there.  I really should have known better as this site has an unrivalled track record for turning up rare American gulls.  

On my recent visit to Cadiz (my first for over two years) one species I wanted to reacquaint myself with was Red-knobbed (or Crested) Coot.  Unfortunately, the winter of 2021/22 has been exceptionally dry so all of the usual sites for this species, which can be elusive even in good years, were dry or nearly so. Fortunately,  eBird alert was reporting birds from three sites, all of them atypical habitat; Lagunas de Martin Miguel, a small pond on an Industrial Estate near Puerto de Santa Maria and at Costa Ballena. With my guest for the week, Brendan Ryan, we first tried Lagunas de Martin Miguel, a misnomer for two embanked, lined reservoirs near Sanlucar. Not helped by having only one 'scope between us or that, as we subsequently learnt, the bird had only tiny red swellings, we couldn't winkle out our target amongst the many distant Common Coot. ​

Accordingly, we decided to try our luck at Costa Ballena encouraged by recent reports of both Red-knobbed Coot and Ring-billed Gull there. The lawns at Ballena proved to be as well-manicured and the grounds well-tended as I'd assumed but the waterways there proved to be a mecca for a surprising variety of ducks, many gulls, even a few waders and, of course, coots. The park was also rather larger than I had expected. We pulled over near the park (f on my map below), checked the canal below the bridge and then made a circuit of the small lagoon with a lake picking up Common Sandpiper, Turnstone, Greenshank and White-headed Duck as we went.  We then headed along the canal toward the other laguna (g) which we also circuited but still had no luck (although Black Redstarts and a gang of Monk Parakeets were a pleasant distraction. We were heading back towards the car when I spotted a fine adult Ring-billed Gull perched on a footbridge only a few metres away.  Not have seen the species for decades I wasn't sure I could pick out but in the event it was obvious. ​

One down and one to go .....
Minutes after walking away from the Ring-billed Gull, I raised my binoculars for (yet) another scan of the numerous coots and found I'd put them more or less straight onto the Red-knobbed Coot. We'd obviously started at the wrong end of the park!   I'd never seen a Red-knobbed Coot feeding out on the grass like a Common Coot either which may also be attributed to dire necessity brought on by the drought. When I've seen them bobbing around on water I've managed to convince myself that the two species do have (slight) structural differences but walking around on the grass none of these were apparent.  You can decide for yourself by checking out my short video of the bird at youtu.be/CYo2KDB0mQM   As with the bird reported from the Lagunas de Martin Miguel, this bird's trademark red appendages hadn't fully developed and consequently weren't at all obvious. In this state, such a bird could easily be passed over amongst its commoner congeners (as we found out at the previous site).  This bird also showed distinctly brownish wing coverts which seemed to suggest that it was a first year bird. However, this is not mentioned in the "Birds of the Western Palearctic" which only comments that feathers can be brownish when worn.  That all three birds reported in Cadiz province (plus another on a golf course in Malaga) were feeding in unusual habitats probably reflects the exceptional dryness of the season.

Costa Ballena turned out to be a better site for birding than I had imagined it might and is certainly worth more than a passing look.  In less dry years there are better places to look for Marbled Teal (reported here several times during our stay), White-headed Duck and Red-knobbed Coot but if you're a "Laridophile" then this is the place for you as you have a very real chance of picking up a vagrant American gull.  

Entering the resort from the roundabout at the junction of the A 491 and A 2077, as we did, proved to be a mistake as you then have a tedious drive through the whole area before reaching the lakes. It's better to take the A 491 north for c3 km and come in on the northernmost entrance. Unfortunately, I discovered, the map in my notes wasn't entirely accurate as it omitted both this and another entrance to Costa Ballena.  The corrected version is below.  I also realise that I haven't given full access details to the site in my notes. These too are below -      
For Costa Ballena – head south from Chipiona on the A 491 & take the first exit signposted for Costa Ballena to enter the complex. Turn left at the second roundabout & park near the park. If arriving from Sanlucar on the A 2077 head north on the A 491 for c3 km and follow instructions as above.