Torcal de Antequera, Malaga Province.

More Winter Migrants.

One of the more spectacular rocks.

David and I lead a small group on the usual Saturday morning hike around Torcal, we went off the normal trails a bit today and were soon overlooking Antequera from a very high vantage point. 

On the slopes we walked amongst some berry laden Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), good numbers of the local Common Blackbirds (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) were feeding on them, they were joined by several of the newly arrived wintering Song Thrushes (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos) and at least 6 Ring Ouzels (Mirlo Capiblanco / Turdus torquatus). 

More Rocks.

Along the trail there were also Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), European Robin (Petirrrojo / Erithacus rubecula), European Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), European Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Eurasian Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Rock Pigeon (Paloma Bravia / Columba livia), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and loads of Common Chiffchaffs (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita). 

Late Crocus (Crocus serotinus).

From the view point we had some cracking views of the Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) as they flew along the ridge to with in about 10 meters of our point.

Wild flowers were few, Late Crocus (Crocus serotinus) was everywhere.

Laguna Herrera, Antequera, Malaga Province.

Cold mists morning.

Sun Rise.

After I had scraped the first frost of the winter off the car I set off towards the Laguna and then onwards to work at the Hotel Eslava. The dawn was just breaking on the water as I arrived but it was already light enough to see the 16 Greater Flamingo’s (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus ruber) that were still present, all the adults left as soon as the hunters arrived and just a single Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) remained. As things brightened up the waders became identifiable and they included 5x Ruff (Combatiente / Philomachus pugnax), 4x Green Sandpipers (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), 43x Avocets (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), 1x Black-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa), Kentish (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus) and Ringed Plovers (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula). 

The Green Sandpipers started to get some what distressed and took to the air when a female Merlin (Esmerejón / Falco columbarius) dropped in onto the mud bar which now divided the lagoon. It was merely interested in the water on this visit and she was soon on her way back out over the fields. 

Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).

On the muddy margins White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Meadow Pipit (Bistita Común / Anthus pratensis) and Crested Larks (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata) all fed. In the reeds and on the wire I added Cetti’s Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) and Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops). On the lagoon most of the birds were alert as 2 female Marsh Harriers (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) passed slowly over. Also on one of the pylons were the 2 resident Common Buzzards (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) still to make a move on this cold morning.

San Roque and Tarifa Area, Cadiz Province and Guadalhorce, Malaga Province.

Late season Orchid hunting.

Autumn Lady’s Tresses (Spiranthes spiralis)

I meet Ian Phillips on a busy roundabout in the centre of Malaga, we headed south-west toward San Roque down near Gibraltar were hunting for the rare (in the south) Autumn Lady’s Tresses (Spiranthes spiralis) and our first site was in pine woodlands to the north of San Roque.

Ian had seen these delicate little plants at this site some five years earlier so we already had a location in what is a huge area of woodland.

After just a few minutes searching, we started to find a few plants, one of which was a fine specimen and well worthy of a few photos. 

Autumn Lady’s Tresses (Spiranthes spiralis).

We initially found about 12 plants in the first location, but on the way back to the car, Ian spotted two of the best spikes we could ever hope to have seen, these plants were over 40 cms tall and all the flowers were perfect. 

In the area we noted Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Great (Carbonero Común / Parus major) and Coal Tits (Carbonero Garrapinos / Periparus ater) plus a couple of Common Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus).
Our second port of call was in another pine woodland, this time near Tarifa, a bit further along the coast and here we found many more plants, well over a hundred but none came close to the two seen earlier. 

Ian at San Roque.

A nice Red-veined Darter (sympetrum fonscolombii) perched for a while in the damper area of the woods, a single Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope) passed by along the beach, few birds were seen including Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) and European Robin (Petirrrojo / Erithacus rubecula).
We parked up a little further along the road and walked out onto the boardwalk which continues all the way into Tarifa, from the first hide we picked up Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Somria / Larus fuscus), Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus) and Audouin's Gulls (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii) all sat out on the sand and several Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis) sitting on log posts. 

There were a few waders feeding in the channel between the dunes and the beach including 3 Bar-tailed Godwits (Aguja Colipinta / Limosa lapponica), several Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba), Common Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), a single Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta) stalked fish out in the channels while a couple of hundred Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) followed tractors out in the nearby fields. 

Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii).

On the walk back to the car we picked up European Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Crested (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata) and Eurasian Skylarks (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), European Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) all in the dunes. 

On the fields we added House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer Domesticus), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), European Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and Meadow Pipit (Bistita Común / Anthus pratensis).

All of a sudden we noticed that the sky had filled with several hundred Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) wheeling around trying to gain height on the building thermals, mixed in were good numbers of Short-toed Snake Eagles (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus), Black Kites (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans), Booted Eagles (Aguila Calzada / Aquila pennatus), a single immature Egyptian Vulture (Alimoche Común / Neophron percnopterus) and a few White (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia) and Black Storks (Ciguena Negra / Ciconia nigra).

Razorbill (Alca Común / Alca torda).

Things were looking good for a bit of late migration so we headed down towards the Mirador, Café to see what was passing there and to get some rather pricey food.

The sight was amazing, in the air in three very large groups we estimated there to be at least 3 / 4000 Griffon Vultures all trying to gain height for the crossing of the straights and on into Africa. 

We added singles of Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus) and Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus) while we watched this spectacle.  

Ian had to be back for a meeting during the evening so we made our way steadily back towards Malaga but to save me the stress of driving into the busy city Ian suggested that I drop him at the nearest train station and he would get back from there.

Sickly looking Black Tern (Fumarel Común / Chlidonias niger).

I then had a quick look at the Guadalhorce nature reserve on my way past, from the beach I quickly picked up several Mediterranean Gulls (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus) and a single winter plumage Razorbill (Alca Común / Alca torda) which were both new for the day. 

On the river there was a sickly looking Black Tern (Fumarel Común / Chlidonias niger), perched on the sand, several Grey Herons and a Little Egret. I then walked along the beach and in via the track to the main hide, which was fairly quiet, the only new species were Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocorax carbo), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinula Chloropus), Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina) and a ♀ Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus). 

The second hide was a little livelier with a couple of White-headed Ducks (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), Little (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and Great Crested Grebes (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Anas clypeata), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Common Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scirpaceus) and Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus). 

White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala).

The third hide was deadly, but the wader hide was very good with three fine Eurasian Spoonbills (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia) showing very well along with Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), 4x Common Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia), Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), 2x Curlew Sandpipers (Correlimos Zarapitin / Calidris ferruginea) and a Common Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis). From the sea watching point, a small group of 3 male and 2 female Common Scoter (Negrón Común / Melanitta nigra) were seen before they were flushed by a passing boat.

One of the Malaga fishing fleet was returning to port and was being followed by masses of gulls and a few Balearic Shearwaters (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus), Northern Gannets (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus) and a single Great Skua (Págalo Grande / Catharacta skua) giving them all a bit of stick. 

Eurasian Spoonbills (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia).

Other species seen included Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) and Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulga / Falco tinnunculus).

Only three species of Dragonfly were seen, Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator), Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope) and Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii).