Arroyo Marin, Salina's pools, and Laguna Chica, Malaga Province.

A day of woodlands and wetlands with Helen and Paul.

Day two.

Helen and Paul at Laguna Chica.

We started the day by driving over to the wooded valley of the Arroyo Marin, we made several stops along the way but started off in the Oaks near the start about 500 meters from the road. Here we were greeted by the wonderful song from several Nightingales (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Blackcaps (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli), Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala).

Lulworth Skipper (Thymelicus acteon).

We soon started to find insects as well as this was the main aim of the day which included several Bee, Beetle, Shield Bug and Hooverfly species. Some that I could put a name to included Copper Demoiselle (Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis), several female Common Blue Damselflies (Enallagma cyathinerum) of varying ages, Lulworth Skipper (Thymelicus acteon), Small White (Artogeia rapae), Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) and Seven-spot ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata).
We spent quite a long time working our way around a nice flowery meadow before moving all the way down to the far end of the valley and parking by the last bridge and walking out to the picnic areas that were badly damaged in the floods of a couple of winters ago.

Ventocoris rusticus.

Here we saw Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla).

Bryony Bee (Andrena florea).

On the insect front we had good views of Bryony Bee (Andrena florea), Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina), Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina), Southern Gatekeeper (Pyronia cecilia) and Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe). Helen also found a very interesting pair of Shield Bugs Ventocoris rusticus, which I have just managed to get a name for with help from experts at the Sociedad Andaluza de Entomologia as well as Eurydema ventralis and Carpocoris mediterraneus.

Long-horned Bee Species.

We moved back up the river next and parked by the concrete bridge where we walked along the road checking the many bushes and plants for more insects, we found Spanish Gatekeeper (Pyronia bathseba), Black-eyed Blue (Glaucopsyche melanops), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) and Swallowtail (Papilio machaon). 
Also seen in the same are were Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Blue Tits (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major) and heard Wryneck (Torcecuello / Jynx torquilla) and Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes).

Carpocoris mediterraneus.

Our next stop was for lunch and then onwards to a small pool near Salinas where we had several more Dragonfly species including Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator), Broad Scarlet (Crocothemis erythraea), Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum), Southern Skimmer (Orthetrum brunneum), Iberian Blue-tail (Ischnura graellsii), Dainty Damselfly (Coenagrion scitulum) and more Common Blue's.
Other species seen here and in the nearby ditches included Viperine Snake (Culebra Viperina / Natrix maura), Iberian Water Frog (Rana Común / Rana Perezi), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Lesser Kestrel (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni), Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia) and several individuals of a Long-horned Bee Species.

Dainty Damselfly (Coenagrion scitulum).

We moved on again, this time to Laguna Chica where again we were mainly looking for Dragon and Damselflies but we saw much the same species as at Salinas and only added Blue-eye / Goblet-marked Damselfly (Erythromma lindenii).
There were a few species of bird out on the lake and around the margins including Little  (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and Great Crested Grebes (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen, Golden Oriole, European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata) and Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica). We spent a good couple of house at the site before heading back to the house.

Thanks to Helen and Paul for the two very interesting day, I learnt a lot and look forwad to your weeks visit in July 2015.