Spain 2016 - flamingos and beach restaurant

Each morning I take my coffee out to the terrace, just see what is happening. This morning we could see flamingos in the marshes to our left.

Flock of flamingos in the marshes using the digital zoom from the terrace.

One of the things I like about being in a place for a few months is that I begin to get the rhythm of  it. Walking out on the terrace here, I can see which fishing boats are in, the status of the tide, birds in the marshes, restaurants along the wharf, workmen in the commercial area below us. Although not belonging to the community, I get a feel for it.
Looking across to Punta del Moral I could see that, although it was Sunday, the grocery store was open, so, as we needed green pepper for the recipe we wanted to make for supper, I walked over. After successfully getting a pepper (and saran wrap and a baguette, I always end up with more than I went for) I took a track, beside the marsh to see if I could get closer to the flamingos.

This track comes off the roundabout on the edge of Punta del Moral.

The shrubs were full of birds. This one, on consulting the bird book, we have decided is a Linnet.

Think it is a Woodchat Shrike. The book says "Strikingly patterned .... perches prominently on a tree top ..."

I am not usually this into bird watching but here it is pretty flat, no vineyards, no mountains, so I am looking for something to make taking walks more interesting. I take pictures and then, in the evening when I look at them on the computer, we go through the bird book and try and identify them.

Round a bend in the track and here was a "guard horse", tethered. We exchanged looks and I gave him a wide berth. He followed me at a distance as far as his tether allowed.

The horse belonged to a farm and there was a fence that prevented me from getting close to the flamingos but I took some pictures with the zoom.

Although not a birder, flamingos can't help but draw attention, they are just so unusual looking in stature and colouring.

I had made the comment to Mum that this looked a little like an English plant called Broom. Yesterday I read that it is called "Bridal Broom".

Prickly Pear Cactus is everywhere and we learned today that it is an invasive species. After looking it up I found out that it is only native to the Americas and Australia has imported a moth to eat it and reduced the spread.

After lunch at the apartment we decided to have coffee at a restaurant on the beach that Dad had noticed is open on the weekend.

Coffee, turned into wine (I'm told I am a bad influence). It was warm enough to sit out in a T-shirt.

The beach on Isla Canela is a Blue Flag Beach. This is a respected, world wide system of accrediting beaches based on extensive standards of education, cleanliness, safety and ecological concerns by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FFE). According to the internet, Port Stanley Main Beach is the only Blue Flag Beach on the Canadian side of Lake Erie.

After "coffee", Mum and I went across to Punta del Moral to do some sketching.

Monument to "The Women of the Mariners"

Even more fishing boats rafted at the wharf on a Sunday.

Punta del Moral's "clowder" of cats. Around the church are a gang of 6 to 8 cats. Feral?

The anchor stained glass window in the church.

This last picture is not posted due to the bird, as I have already posted one of this species, but because I like the effect of the ripples in the water.

Another Kentish Plover.