Laguna Herrera, Mollina, Fuente de Piedra, Laguna Dulce and Arroya Marin, Malaga Province.

A day around the fields and wetlands with another new spacies
(Ian and Deb Day Four).

Possible hybrid between Spanish (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis) and House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus).

The three of us headed off down the A92 again and out on to the fields just to the North of Antequera where we checked out Laguna Herrera, straight away we could hear and see several noisy Gull-billed Terns (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica) which were feeding low over the main pool along with three summer plumaged Black Terns (Fumarel Común / Chlidonias niger) which also spent all their time travelling up and down the water dipping for food. On the water there were good numbers of Eurasian Coots (Focha Común / Fulica atra) and three or four pairs of Great Crested Grebes (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus) with one pair seen a little later feeding three young striped chicks. We then had a look on the field opposite which had all but dried out, on the far side there was just a small slither of water which had a pair of Avocets (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Little Ringed (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Ringed (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula) and a dozen or so Kentish Plovers (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus).

Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin (Alzacola / Cercotrichas galactotes) taken by Deb.

On the dried out area several Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae) were feeding amongst the new shoots of the weeds which were starting to come through and on the field side a Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis) and several Corn Buntings (Triguero / Emberiza calandra) were calling. We then turned our attention back to the main lagoon and on the nearside margins we located a group of three Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), one adult and two immature birds along with several Common Moorhens (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), another Kentish Plover and several more Spanish (Yellow) Wagtails. We moved along the track until we reached the barn and parked again, here we had views of what looked like a hybrid between Spanish (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis) and House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), House Sparrow, Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), a singing Great Reed Warbler (Carricero Tordal / Acrocephalus arundinaceus) and on the opposite side of the track in the reed filled ditch the commoner Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus).

Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

Out on the water we had nice views of a pair of White-headed Ducks (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala) which drifted out of the reeds, immatures of both Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) and Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), plus a few summer plumaged Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) and Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis). We moved just a little further on and were soon added Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Melodious Warbler (Zarcero Común / Hippolais polyglotta), a flock Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) which kept flying and eventually dropped in on the hidden lagoon and Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta).

Bellardia trixago.

In the air over the water there were good numbers of birds feeding including Common (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Pallid (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus) and Alpine Swifts (Vencejo Real / Apus melba), plus House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) and both Barn (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and Red-rumped Swallows (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica).
All the way along the margins of the pool we were flushing up hundreds of newly emerged and older Red-veined Darters (Sympetrum fonscolombii) and out on the water several of both Blue / Common (Anax imperator) and Lesser Emperors (Anax parthenope).
We moved on around the site to the drier fields on the southern side nearer to Antequera, along the side we soon had nice views of Short-toed (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla), Crested (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and Calandra Larks (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) and Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula).

Clouded Yellow (Colias Común / Colias corcea) taken by Deb.

From here we got back on to the motorway and went to a site near Mollina where we parked on a track side amongst the fields and waited for the locally uncommon Rufous-tailed Scrub Robins (Alzacola / Cercotrichas galactotes) that breeds here to appear, Ian and Deb had seen them earlier in there trip but the views we got here were quite special. After about ten minutes of waiting the bird appeared on a vine covered fence just a few meters away and then came nearer and nearer and eventually finished off hovering above the bonnet of the car looking in at us watch it before landing about 3 meters away and singing from the top of the fence for the next five minutes. In the area we also saw Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) and Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis).

White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala).

Our next stop was at a bar in Fuente de Piedra where we had some lunch before heading down to the Laguna. All the pools near the entrance track and by the boardwalk were surprisingly dry considering how much water was in the main laguna and the pools at the back of the centre. We first of all went out on the board walk and as far as the first bend just before the track goes up on to the ridged walk, here we had nice views of lots more Greater Flamingo's, several Northern Shovelers (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), good numbers of summer plumaged Black-necked Grebes (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), Black-winged Stilts and Avocets. From here we went to the pool below the view point but did not add anything new but we did see several Stripe-necked Terrapins (Mauremys leprosa) Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus) and a singing Great Reed Warbler. We then spent some time scanning the main lake looking for some of the four reported Lesser Flamingo's (Phoenicopterus minor) bu we we not in luck but we did see Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) and Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans). From here we went around to the two hide which over look the freash water pools at the rear of the centre, on the way we had views of a singing male Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Crested Lark and we heard calling Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti).

Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli) taken by Deb.

We scanned both of the pools but saw just a couple of Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera) on the water and in the air Collared Doves (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) and Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) all new for the day list. After checking the second hide we retraced our way back around the tracks to the visitors centre and using the loo's and getting some icecreams. During the walk around we saw several butterfly species which included Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera), Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina), Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus), Small White (Artogeia rapae), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Bath White (Blanqiverdosa / Pontia daplidice), Clouded Yellow (Colias Común / Colias corcea), Common / Southern Blue (Polyommatus icarus / celina) and Mallow / False Mallow Skipper (Carcharodus alceae / tripolinus). Plants included Bellardia trixago, Common Poppy (Papaver rhoeas), Common Stork's-bill (Erodium cicutarium), Mallow-leaved Bindweed (Convolvulus althaeoides), Pitch Trefoil (Psoralea bituminosa), Small Melilot (Melilotus indica) and Wild Clary (Salvia verbenaca).

Iberian Orchid (Ophrys vernixia)

Our next stop was at Laguna Dulce which proved to be quiet and produce just White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia) for the day list but did give Deb the chance of some nice shots of both White-headed Ducks and Black-necked Grebes.
We started to head back towards te house but detoured via Archidona to the wooded Arroya Marin valley looking for woodland species, straight awat we could hear singing Nightingales (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), calling Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes) and we also had a brief view of a fleeing Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei). We then heard a singing Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli) which was the main species we had come for, so the search began, after a few minutes we had the bird in our bins and had some cracking views.

Deb photograhing Bee Orchids.

In the area we also added an immature Hawfinch (Picogordo / Coccotraustes coccotrauetes), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Long-tailed (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus) and Blue Tits (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula) and  Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur). We also saw lots of wild Flowers and Orchids including the rare Iberian Orchid (Ophrys vernixia), Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera), Rosy Garlic (Allium roseum), Common Snapdragon (Antirrhinum major), Southern Daisy (Bellis cordifolia), Southern Knapweed (Centaurea pullata ssp pullata), Crown Daisy (Chrysanthemum carinatum var discolor), Grey-leaved Cistus (Cistus albidus), Narrow-leaved Cistis (Cistis monspliensis), Blue Hounds-tongue (Cynoglossum creticum), Wild Carrot (Daucus carota), Squirting Cucumber (Ecballium elaterium), White Mignonette (Reseda Alba) and Bladder Campion (Silene Vulgaris).