Laguna Dulce, and Grazalema Area, Malaga and Cadiz Provinces.

A couple of days with friends in Grazalema area. 

Sue and Sam.

After sorting out a few things at home I travelled over to Grazalema to meet up with Steve Jones and his family. Who were staying with Sue, Clive and Sam at there house in the countryside near the town.
On the way I stopped at Laguna Dulce where I sat in the hide with Ana and Jairo, two birders from Granada and had a pleasant hours birding. Out on the lake there were good numbers of adult and young Little (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Great Crested (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus) and Black-necked Grebes (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis) along with Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra) and Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinula Chloropus). I did not manage to see the White-headed Ducks (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala) that Ana and Jairo had seen earlier but out on the margins I added a couple of Black-winged Stilts (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), a single Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) and a number of Greater Flamingo’s (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus ruber). 

Copper Demoiselle (Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis) Male.

On the surrounding fields good numbers of Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) were feeding and over the lake swarms of Barn Swallows (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), House Martins (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Common (Vencejo Común / Apus apus) and Pallid Swifts (Vencejo Pálido / Apus pallidus) picked off the insects.

Also seen during the journey were Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Woodchat (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator) and Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Short-toed Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus), Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans), Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulga / Falco tinnunculus), Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus), Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirundo daurica), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) and Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris).

Copper Demoiselle (Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis) female.

As I arrived at Sue and Clives I immediately picked up a Western Spectre (Boyeria Irene) in the willows and several Copper Demoiselle’s (Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis) along the track.
It was good to see Sue and youngster Sam again and to meet Steve, Lyn and Adam. We all sat down and had a chat waiting for Clive to get home from running the visitors Centre in Grazalema, when he arrived we sat down to a very nice meal.

Other species seen whilst at the house in the evening included Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Green (Pito Real / Picus viridis) and Great Spotted Woodpeckers (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major) and European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster).