Near Archidona, Malaga Province.

A better day's weather with the walking group. 

The view from the Monastery.

I again made my way to the hotel Enslava in Antequera and joined the walking group for todays flog around a loop near Archidona. We set off at a fair pace but a few hills soon slowed some of the group down and when we turned off the main track on to a side spur which took us UP on to the cliff edges above Arroya Marin it slowed even more. On the first part of the hike I picked up Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Crag (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and House Martins (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Bonelli’s Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli), Coal Tit (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulga / Falco tinnunculus), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Dartford (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata), Orphean (Curruca Mirlona / Sylvia hortensis) and Sardinian Warblers (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster) and Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus).

The second half of the walk was a bit flatter and was mainly through agricultural land with lots of Olives. Along this section I added Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirundo daurica), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer Domesticus), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Great Tit (Carbonero Común / Parus major), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) and Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata).

Once we were back at the cars we move a little way up the road to the parking area at the bottom of the step climb up to the monastery at Archidona and started the climb to the top. Along here I added several Alpine (Vencejo Real / Apus melba) and Pallid Swifts (Vencejo Pálido / Apus pallidus), Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata) and Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus) to the list.