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Tuesday, 11 December 2012

Guadalhorce, Malaga Province.

A very quick look on the beach.

Jayne and I spent the morning around the City of Malaga but could not find the material shops she was looking for. We then went up to the Larios centre and had some lunch before I then disappeared for a couple of hours birding at Guadalhorce but did not bother going onto the main reserve but sat at the end of the raised walkway near the sea. From here I soon had all the Gulls I had expected to see on the list including Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus), Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) and just a single Audouin's Gull (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii) which landed briefly on the rocks in the river mouth. Also out to sea there were good numbers of Northern Gannets (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus), a few Balearic Shearwaters (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus) along with a single group of three Cory's (Pardela Cenicienta / Calonectris diomedea) all of which passed away to the West.
On the river behind me at least 3 Little Egrets (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) were fishing  and half a dozen or so Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) were roosting in the reeds. Also on the river there we Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo). Other birds around the beach were Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus) and on the reserve an Osprey (Águila Pescardora / Pandion haliaetus) which was sitting up in one of the usual trees.
I then drove down to the entrance bridge, as soon as I got out of the car I picked up a group of 3 soaring Booted Eagles (Aguila Calzada / Aquila pennatus) one of which flew towards me and landed in a nearby Eucalyptus tree which gave me a chance of some great views. On the river a single Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis) put in a brief apperance and whilst I was stood on the bridge I also added Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and several Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) which were feeding up over the far side of the reserve. I then went back into the City to pick Jayne up before we headed on to our next stop.

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