A windy day on the Coast and rain later in the Mountains.
I met up

with Juan and his wife Beatriz at the usual place and we headed down to Charca de Suarez near Motril where we met Jacinto for a mornings birding. Before meeting Jacinto we had a quick look on the waste ground behind the reserve where we heard a couple of
Common Quail (Codorniz Común / Coturnix coturnix) calling from the sugar cane fields and started the list with
Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulga / Falco tinnunculus),
C
ommon Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica),
Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor),
Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur),
White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba),
Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus),
House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica),
House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer Domesticus),
Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata),
Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto),
Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos),
Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis),
Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticol

a juncidis),
Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) and
Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus).
We met Jacinto and went into the reserve with three chaps from Malaga and made our way around to the main hide which over looks Laguna de las Aneas where the commonest species by far was
Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra) with around 75 birds out on the water along with several
Common Pochards (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), a couple of
Gadw
all (Anade Friso / Anas strepera) and
Little Grebes (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis). In the reeds around the margins there were several
Common Moorhens (Gallineta Común / Gallinula Chloropus),
Purple Swamp-hens (Calamón Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), a roosting
Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and out on the far side a single
Squacco Heron (Garcilla Cangrejera / Ardeola ralloides) which flew u

p and did a couple of circuits of the lake before landing briefly right in front of the hide on one of the dead stumps and then off to one of the other pools. In the air there were a few
Barn Swallows (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), one or two
Sand Martins (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia) and both
Common and
Pallid Swifts (Vencejo Pálido / Apus pallidus). In the bushes between the hides there were lots of singing
Nightingales (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), a couple of
Reed Warblers (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scirpaceus),
Melodious Warbler (Zarcero Común / Hippolais polyglotta) an

d some more
Serins which looked like they had just had a bath and were sat up in the quite strong breeze drying out. On Laguna del Taraje we had several more
Purple Swamp Hens, a couple of families of Mallards and some very young stripped
Little Grebes. We did not add very much from Laguna de Lirio so we continued on around to the first hide which over looks Laguna de Trebol

where we had good but distant views of the summering
Baillon’s Crake (Pollueta chica / Porzana pusilla) which was trying hard to fly but the damage to its wing is still keeping it grounded. From here we also saw a couple of the four reported
Purple Herons (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea), a
Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos),
Great Tit (Carbonero Común / P

arus major),
Water Rail (heard only), a few immature
White Wagtails which were feeding out on the blanket weed and
Cetti’s Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti). I then had a walk out along the track to look for dragonflies and found that there were good numbers of
Small Red-eyed Damselflies (Erythromma viridulum) in amongst the dense vegetation which made them easier to get shots of as they were out of the wind. I

also saw a couple of
Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator) and loads of
Iberian Bluetails (Ischnura graellsii). Other insects seen included
Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa violacea),
Eurydema dominulus,
Striped Shield-Bug (Graphosoma italicum),
Egyptian grasshopper (Ana

cridium aegyptium) and
Rhagonycha fulva along with several
Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) butterflies. I then rejoined the others and we walked around to the other hide over looking the same laguna, on the walk around a single
Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata) and
Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) were added to the list. I spent a short while at this hide then returned to the main hide, here I picked up several
Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus) which were stood on the island getting battered by the wind, a roosting
Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta) and 15 or so
Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) which flew in and then moved on within a few minutes. I then meet up with the others and we headed towards the exit but not before I managed to get a single shot of an immature
Black Percher (Diplacodes lefebvrii) dragonfly by the gate. Juan Beatriz, Jacinto and I then went to a beach side restaurant in

Salabrena and had a very nice lunch (thanks Jacinto), later Jacinto headed back to Malaga and the rest of us made our way back north to Granada. On the way Juan suggested that maybe he and I might go and visit a site in the mountains and look at some Orchids he had seen the week before and as I had very much wanted to see them I agreed to go. Beatriz dropped us off by my car and continued home and we headed out into the hills, we were soon on site and with in minutes we had found several past their best
Lady Orchids (Orchis purpurea). We continued our search and before long Juan was calling me over to look at a couple of spikes which still had some good fl

owers which I took some shots of. In the same area we also had some nicely flowering
Lizard (Himantoglossum hircinum),
Man (Aceras anthropophorum) and
Yellow Bee Orchids (Ophrys lutea) along with a single
Small Woodcock (Ophrys picta). There were also dry spikes of
Southern Early Purple (Orchis Olbiensis) and
Fan-lipped Orchids (Orchis collina). A nice male
Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus) was heard and seen on top of a small bush and a female was also seen briefly along with
Bonelli’s Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli),
Coal Tit (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater),
Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra),
Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina) and
Common Magpie. Due to the increasing cloud the only butterflies seen were a couple of
Spanish Gatekeeper (Pyronia bathsheba) and a
Clouded Yellow (Colias crocea). We also saw
Oil Beetle (Meloe majalis) and a
Beefly (Bombylius major ?) species which was on a flower

probably due to the cold weather. It then started to rain quite heavily so we headed back and I dropped Juan off at home and head back to Huétor.
Photgraphs from the top: 2x
Squacco Heron (Garcilla Cangrejera / Ardeola ralloides),
Purple Heron (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea), 3x
Small Red-eyed Damselflies (Erythromma viridulum),
Striped Shield-Bug (Graphosoma italicum),
Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus),
Black Percher (Diplacodes lefebvrii),
Lady Orchids (Orchis purpurea),
Lizard (Himantoglossum hircinum),
Man (Aceras anthropophorum),
Oil Beetle (Meloe majalis) and a
Beefly
(Bombylius major ?).
1 comment:
Very nice day and even better company
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