No it does not sound great and it wasn't but I had an hour or so to have a quick look around the concrete sided channel out side the Miramar shopping centre. The commonest species seen there by far were the hundred or so Crag Martins (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) which were feeding on the clouds of insects attracted in by the raw sewage that is allowed to flow into the concrete sided pool. It then goes through the outlets and on out to sea down the river, which explains the amount of filth in the water and why no one would swim in the sea when we were down there in the summer. They were joined by half a dozen Barn Swallows (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and a couple of House Martins (Avión Común / Delichon urbica).
In the reeds in the centre of the pool there were several Common Moorhens (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), a Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Meadow Pipits (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), both White (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Grey Wagtails (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) and a small party of about 10 Common Waxbills (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild).
On the river above the pool there were several roosting Great Cormorants (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Green (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) and Common Sandpipers (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) and a flock of noisy Monk Parakeets (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus).
I walked back down towards the centre scanning the river and sky as I went and picked up Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula) and Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) before meeting Jayne.
In the reeds in the centre of the pool there were several Common Moorhens (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), a Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Meadow Pipits (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), both White (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Grey Wagtails (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) and a small party of about 10 Common Waxbills (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild).
On the river above the pool there were several roosting Great Cormorants (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Green (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) and Common Sandpipers (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) and a flock of noisy Monk Parakeets (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus).
I walked back down towards the centre scanning the river and sky as I went and picked up Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula) and Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) before meeting Jayne.
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I stayed at the Fuengirola Beach Apartments at the end of January/beginning of February this year. My journey to the hotel from Fuengirola Cercanas station took me over the footbridge to the Miramar Centre and I was shocked by how badly the Fuengirola River smelled. It's an open sewer and much as the local ayuntamiento should be applauded for doing what it can to landscape the area near the beach, they really shouldn't be encouraging children to take to the water in pedalos.
That said, the bird life in the area was amazing. I've never seen so many birds in one area and watching the finches flit through the orange trees was really lovely. Seeing so many birds in an urban area when they don't exist in urban Britain any longer really made my holiday.
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