Laguna Herrera, Antequera, Malaga Province.

Plenty of birds but the Laguna was just a puddle!

European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster).

On the drive along the track to the main Laguna there were as usual plenty of House Sparrows (Gorrión Común / Passer Domesticus), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), a few Linnets (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina) and a good number of singing Corn Buntings (Triguero / Emberiza calandra). Out on one of the cereal fields there were at least 5 displaying Montagu's Harriers (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus) and a single male Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) which was getting so stick from two of the male Monte’s. A little further down the track I pulled in and parked on a small bridge which went over the now dry ditch which runs along side the track and quickly added a singing Melodious Warbler (Zarcero Común / Hippolais polyglotta) to the list, along with Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata) and a small group of Lesser Kestrels (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni) which were following a tractor in a nearby field. 

Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax).

The lagoon was virtually dry except for a small puddle which was being used as a wash point by around 200 Gull-billed Terns (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica) and a single Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus). I then decided to drive around the tracks but the rain had become heavier and this made finding birds a lot harder. I soon found more Melodious Warblers in the reed filled ditches and plenty of singing Corn Buntings, new species included a male Whinchat (Tarabilla Nortena / Saxicola rubetra) which was a year tick, Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Calandra (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra) and Short-toed Larks (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae) and a nice male Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) which tried to hide behind some small weeds. 

Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax).

Other birds seen included both Pallid (Vencejo Pálido / Apus pallidus) and Common Swifts (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator) and Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).