Noja, Cantabria (31 August-07 September 2024)

Saturday 31 August. Megan and I flew with Vueling from Gatwick to Bilbao. We hired a car and drove west along the coast for an hour or so to the town of Noja, seeing a Griffon Vulture over the road on our way. At Noja we stayed in a mobile home at Playa Joyel, a large site adjacent to a small estuary, some dunes and a long sandy beach. The site was enclosed by conifers and had a large parkland/play area which was particularly attractive to migrant Pied Flycatchers. Birds seen: Yellow-legged Gull, 10 Little, a Great and 50 Cattle Egrets, 15 Swallows, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, 2 Spotted and 10 Pied Flycatchers, White Wagtail and 5 Chaffinches.

We saw Pied Flycatchers every day at Playa Joyel

Sunday 01 September. We drove to Somo and caught a ferry across to Santander where we spent several hours before returning. Birds seen: Red-legged Partridge, 25 Oystercatchers, Whimbrel, 120 Curlew, 7 Common Sandpipers, 3 Mediterranean and 12 Yellow-legged Gulls, 10 Little, a Great and 20 Cattle Egrets, 4 Buzzards, Scops Owl (heard before dawn), 30 Swallows, 4 House Martins, 2 Willow Warblers, Chiffchaff, 6 Pied Flycatchers, 3 Wheatears, 8 White Wagtails and 12 Chaffinches.

Yellow-legged Gulls at Noja

Red-legged Partridge at Noja

Pied Flycatcher at Noja

Megan at Playa Joyel at low tide

Santander from the Somo ferry

Brittany Ferries, a slower way of reaching Cantabria

'Mountain' Goat at Noja

Monday 02 September. We walked into Noja to visit a pharmacy and the tourist office. At the latter we persevered at a vending machine and bought return tickets to Bilbao for Wednesday. Stopping only in Santona, it seeming a much less stressful way of visiting the city than driving and finding somewhere to park. We walked back around the coast to Playa Joyel. Birds seen: 30 Yellow-legged Gulls, 2 Shags, 2 Little Egrets, Peregrine, 5 Chiffchaffs, Firecrest, 2 Pied Flycatchers, 2 Black Redstarts, 8 White Wagtails and 12 Chaffinches.

Playa de Trengandin, Noja 

Tuesday 03 September. We walked to Soana, crossed the Molino de Santa Alaja and around the far side of the estuary to Isla before taking advantage of an early afternoon low tide to walk directly back to Playa Joyel. Birds seen: 2 Gadwall, Water Rail (heard), 2 Black-winged Stilts, Whimbrel, Common Sandpiper, 5 Greenshank, 10 Yellow-legged and 40 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 8 Little and a Cattle Egret, Buzzard, 10 Swallows, Willow Warbler,  3 Chiffchaffs, 5 Pied Flycatchers, 4 White Wagtails and 10 Chaffinches.

Wednesday 04 September. We walked into Noja and caught the bus to Santona and Bilbao where we wandered around the city for four hours. Birds seen: 10 Yellow-legged Gulls, 2 Little and 10 Cattle Egrets, 2 Willow Warblers, a Pied Flycatcher and 2 Chaffinches.

Guggenheim Museum Puppy, or is it now a dog 

the rear of the Guggenheim

Thursday 05 September. We walked to the church in Isla via Soana and back across the river at low tide. Birds seen: 2 Gadwall, Water Rail (heard), 10 Coot, 4 Little, a 

Grebes, Greenshank, 40 Yellow-legged and 100+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 10 Little, a Great and 3 Cattle Egrets, Buzzard, Iberian Green Woodpecker, 5 Sand Martins, 50 Swallows, 2 House Martins, a Cetti's and 4 Willow Warblers, Firecrest, a Spotted and 14 Pied Flycatchers, 10 Black Redstarts, 2 Wheatears, 14 Chaffinches and 6 Goldfinches.

rather obscured views of Iberian Green Woodpecker

sometimes you have to make do with what you get although as it wasn't something I was really expecting even these views felt like a bonus

Noja from outside Isla Old Town

17th century Church of San Julián and Santa Basilisa in Isla

Friday 06 September. In the morning we drove to Ajo and walked to the lighthouse and a short distance along the coast. In the afternoon we drove to Laredo and walked through the old town to a headland. Birds seen: 3 Common Swifts, Ringed Plover, Sanderling, 3 Dunlin, Greenshank, 15 Yellow-legged Gulls, 10 Little and a Great Egret, Buzzard, 2 Chough, 50 Swallows, 5 House Martins, a Willow Warbler, 2 Chiffchaffs, a Spotted and 6 Pied Flycatchers, 5 Black Redstarts, 2 Whinchats and a Stonechat, 4 Wheatears, 8 White Wagtails, 8 Chaffinches and 20 Linnets.

Megan at Ajo Lighthouse

Chough on the coast near Ajo

above Laredo

Saturday 07 September. After an hour of so around the campsite at Noja we drove to Bilbao to return the car, caught out flight to Gatwick ad a train to Shoreham-by-Sea. Otis was pleased to see us although he'd been well looked after by Josh, Nessa and Roni. Birds seen: 14 Greenshank, 4 Yellow-legged Gulls, 6 Little and 35 Cattle Egrets, 2 Buzzards, a Sand Martin, 40 Swallows, 2 House Martins, 7 Zitting Cisticolas, 2 Pied Flycatchers, single Whinchat and Stonechat, 10 White Wagtails and 12 Chaffinches.

Zitting Cisticola at Noja

We'd enjoyed our break and made the most of some unsettled weather. Birds were a little lacking in variety as I only recorded 65 species although they did include Iberian Green Woodpecker which was new, Chough and 20 or more Pied Flycatchers. I went with a chesty cold and didn't shake it off (still haven't a week later despite being more than halfway through a course of antibiotics).