Guadalhorce and Rio Grande, Malaga Province.

A change of venue.

Superb Starling (Estornino Soberbio / Lamprotornis superbus) taken by Jacinto.

This months RAM was done at the sea watch point at Guadalhorce as Juan Perez was visiting family in the city for the weekend. So at 08:00 Juan, Jacinto Villalvilla and I met on the top of the bank near the sea watch point where we spent some time scanning the main reserve for early moving birds in very windy conditions. As the light grew we were picking up loads of Gulls which were coming in off the sea including Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) along with these there were masses of Great Cormorants (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo) which were going both ways.
During time we were watching there we also saw a single Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus) and Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra).
We then moved up to the end of the bank where we set up the scopes and started the survey, almost straight away we were seeing Northern Gannets (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus), Balearic (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus) and Cory's Shearwaters (Pardela Cenicienta / Calonectris diomedea), Great Skua (Págalo Grande / Stercorarius skua), 6x Razorbills (Alca Común / Alca torda), 36x Common Scoters (Negrón Común / Melanitta nigra), plus Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina), Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba) and Ruddy Turnstones (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres) all of which either flew passed or landed on the rocks.
Other species seen from here included White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis). After the survey we walked along the bank down to the bridge, on the way we saw more Great Cormorants, Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) and Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis).

Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta).

Once we were on the reserve we soon had Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila pennatus), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) and Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) before we reached the first hide. On the pools just before the hide we picked up a couple of Common Pochards (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), a winter plumaged Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis) and Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Anas clypeata). We then spent some time in the hide where we added White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Ruff (Combatiente / Philomachus pugnax), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera) and deep in the tamarisk trees of to the left there was a Great White Egret (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba) and at least one Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia). We then moved around to the next hide were the wind was in just the wrong direction and was blowing straight through the viewing slots so we did not stay there very long before we moved on to the raised mound looking over the next pool where we found an immature Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).
We moved on down the bank on the opposite side of the pool, the first hid just had more of the same species as we had already seen but we had some nice views of a couple of Greenshanks (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia), a Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), several Black-winged Stilts (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallingao gallinago) and both Ringed (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula) and Little Ringed Plovers (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius). We continued along the bank to the sea watch point, out to sea there were more Common Scoters, Mediterranean Gull (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis) and Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita).
On the beach Juan picked up 3 Kentish Plovers (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus) and then I found a single Whimbrel (Zarapito Trinador / Numenius phaeopus) on the opposite side of the sea watch point. We then retraced our steps back along the bank seeing Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla) and Water Pipit (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta). As we reached the cross tracks at the end of the bank we decided to go and have a look for the Superb Starling (Estornino Soberbio / Lamprotornis superbus) which had been seen on a nearby Golf course for some time.

Black-tailed Godwits (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa).

As we arrived we were greeted by loads of Monk Parakeets and a single Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops). We wandered around the club house for a few minutes before the Starling flew passed calling and disappeared over the building, we walked around the back of the club house and found the bird on a fence top where Jacinto got a nice shot. We watched the bird for a while before we went back to the cars and Juan and Jacinto headed back to Malaga. I decided to have a quick look at Rio Grande just to the north after talking to a wildlife guide on Guadalhorce who said that Great White Egrets and Black Storks (Ciguena Negra / Ciconia nigra) were common during the winter. Well after driving up and down for quite some time I found just a single Little Egret along with more Green Sandpipers, Little Ringed Plovers along with 3 Black-tailed Godwits (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa) a year tick. I then headed off towards home.