Around Trabuco, Malaga Province.

More wintering birds.

Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra).

Jayne's craft group had moved to one of the ladies house today due to the Holiday so I dropped Jayne off there and headed out into the hills above the town. My first stop was in the valley between two parts of Sierra del Jobo where there was a very nice looking temporary pool which looked perfect for Amphibians but was behind a barbed wire fence with lots of keep out signs. After spending some time listening to try and confirm whether there were any Frogs or Toad present I started to walk up and over into the valley on the opposite side to Trabuco and quickly picked up a small flock of 4 circling Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) away in the clouds.

Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla).

This group grew steadily until there were 17 birds in total soaring in and out of view amongst the low clouds that were scurrying along the vally in a stiff breeze. In the Oaks closer to me there was a flock of Long-tailed Tits (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus) numbering around 30 birds, a couple of Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia) were calling from trees above me on the ridge and several Common Crossbills (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra) were perched high on wires which crossed the area, some singing and displaying.

Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla).

I then dropped down the hill to the denser Oak woods adding Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) and Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs).

Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus).

I then headed along the lower track towards the Fuente de los Caños but before this site I stopped and sat on the road side and spent sometime watching a small group of bushes where a pine tree had fallen, in this area I saw several Cirl Buntings (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), a couple of Nuthatchs (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos) and lots of Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla) some of which I got some shots of but they were not great as the light was poor. In one of the nearby Pine trees a cracking Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus) spent quite a long while in view whilst it was flycatching from its lower branches.

Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus).

I then moved out on to the fields around the motorway which were still very wet from the earlier rain which caused a lot of damage in the general area, birds included Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and a small number of Brambling (Pizón Real / Fringilla montifringilla). 

Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula).

I did a drive around towards the new prison (nice to build but not got the money to open it !!! and back to Trabuco to pick up Jayne.