A very nice morning out birding with Paqui, Barbara and Derek.
Ebird List for El Torcal.
Ebird List for Laguna Herrera.
 |
| Looking out to the East. |
Paqui and I were off out east early as we were meeting Barbara and Derek Etherton at 07:30 at the lower car park at El Torcal, we arrived at the meeting time precisely finding Barbara and Derek already doing some birding.
 |
| Some of the crags. |
After the introductions we all jumped into their car and headed up to one of the roadside pull-ins where we had nice views of several
Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica),
Barn (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and
Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Cecropis daurica),
Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada),
Sardinian (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala),
Western Orphean (Curruca Mirlona Occidental / Curruca hortensis) and
Melodious Warbler (Zarcero políglota / Hippolais polyglotta), Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula),
Thekla's Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae),
Eurasian Wren (Chochin paleártico / Troglodytes troglodytes),
European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus),
Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra),
 |
| Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica). |
 |
| Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica). |
 |
| Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica). |
 |
| Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica). |
 |
| Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica). |
Further along the road we stopped again and found several more
Spanish Ibex as well as
Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus),
European Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur),
Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa),
Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola),
Western Black-eared Wheatear (Collalba Rubia Occidental / Oenanthe hispanica), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and
Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia).
We reached the car park and then walked out on one of the tracks where we picked up
Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris),
Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros),
Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Western Subalpine Warbler (Curruca Carrasqueña Occidental / Curruca iberiae),
Eurasian Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs),
European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris) and
European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis).
 |
| Thanks for the photo Derek. |
Out at the Mirador we had nice views of
Griffon Vultured (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus) and
Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina). |
| Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) ♂. |
 |
| Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) ♀. |
We returned to the car and dropped to the road which went up to the radio mast, along here we had nice views of a ♂
Common Rock Thrush (Roquero Roja / Monticola saxatilis),
Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura) and Western Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli).
 |
| Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia). |
 |
| Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia). |
Other species seen in the area included Bath White (Pontia daplidice) x2,
Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) x5,
Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) x2,
Iberian Marbled White (Melanargia lachesis) x4,
Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe) x3, Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus) x2, Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) x23,
Spanish Gatekeeper (Pyronia bathseba) x35+,
Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) x4, Hummingbird Hawkmoth (Macroglossum stellatarum),
Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalia) x1, Bladder Campion (
Silene vulgaris), Black Horehound (Ballota nigra), Corn Poppy (Papaver rhoeas), Field Eryngo (Eryngium campestris),
Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum),
Purple Bugloss (Echium plantagineum), White Stonecrop (Sedum album), Wild Carrot (Daucus carota) and the uncommon Saxifraga biternata.  |
| Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalia). |
 |
| Saxifraga biternata. |
Our next stop was in Antequera where we had some breakfast in Bar El Ladrón Antequera before going to Laguna de Herrera which was a new site for Barbara and Derek, on the way we added an
Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki).
After parking we walked a short way along the track finding Common Woodpigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Mareca strepera), Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Gull-billed Tern (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica), Lesser Kestrel (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni) x3, a couple of very nice Alpine Swift (Vencejo Real / Apus melba), Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Common Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis) and Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata).
 |
| Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus). |
It was starting to get warm, so Derek went back to his car and picked the rest of us up, we went a short way further on so that we could see the far end of the Laguna where we had better views of the
Greater Flamingo's, we also went up on to the back on the opposite side of the track which gave us views over another Laguna where there were many more
Greater Flamingo's as well as
Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos),
White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia),
Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus),
Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae) and
Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator).
We returned to my car where Paqui and I said goodbye to Barbara and Derek and they headed off whilst we spent a few more minutes taking a few photos, I then got a call from Derek to tell us that he had found a point where it was possible to view the other pool better so we headed down there and added
Common Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna),
Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus),
Pied Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta),
Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba),
Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Thinornis dubius)
before we all headed off.
 |
| Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris). |
 |
| Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus). |
Other species seen during the visit here included
Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathinerum) x45+, Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum) x2, Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) x500+, Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris) x18+,
Swallowtail (Papilio machaon) x1,
Clouded Yellow x3,
Painted Lady x15+,
Spiny-footed Lizard (Acanthodactylus erythrurus), Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus), Common Mallow (Malva sylvestris), Southern Knapweed (Centaurea pullata) and
Squirting Cucumber (Ecballium elaterium).
 |
| Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii). |
 |
| Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii). |
 |
| Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii). |
Later in the day I met Paqui down on the Fields, as we walked out to the gate and back we saw Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus) and Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi).
