Rio Velez, Malaga Province.

A walk along the river dodging the weird and watching the wonderful.

Audouin's Gull (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii).

Jayne and I travelled down to Torre del Mar for a few bits and bobs that we wanted and for a run out, on the way down we saw Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Turtle (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur) and Collared Doves (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Pallid (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus) and Common Swifts (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Lesser Kestrel (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus) and European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster).

Common Tern (Charrán Común / Sterna hirudo).

Once we were down at Torre I dropped Jayne off in the town for some shopping whilst I went down to the river for a couple of hours birding. I parked down by the very nice but ill placed new hide and walked out on to the beach to scan the sea, straight away I picked up some skimming Balearic Shearwaters (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus), a couple of Northern Gannet (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus), masses of Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), along with a few Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus).

Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti).

Also passing along the coast were quite a few Sandwich Terns (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis), as I was watching these I picked up another Tern species but could not get anything on it but though that it might have been a Common (Charrán Común / Sterna hirudo). Anyway I continued on to the far side of the beach pool and looked throgh a small group of roosting gulls a little further up the beach and was very pleased to find several immature Audouin's (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii) amongst them, a well over due year tick.

Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis).

As I was checking the rest of the birds the Tern I had seen earlier came and landed on the beach amongst them and as I had thought it was a fine adult Common another year tick. Also on the beach were three summer plumaged Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba), Ringed (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula) and Kentish Plovers (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus) and a Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta). 

Penduline Tit (Pájaro Moscón / Remiz pendulinus).

I then decided to walk in land along the river so I made my way back throught the reedbeds picking up Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria), Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) and Large White (Pieris brassicae). 

Penduline Tit (Pájaro Moscón / Remiz pendulinus).

Once out on the river there were several Little Ringed Plovers (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), a Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus) and Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula). I also recorded several insect species including Clouded Yellow (Colias corcea), Small White (Artogeia rapae), African Grass (Nina esmaltada / Zizeeia knysna) and Common / Southern Blue (Polyommatus icarus / celina), Swallowtail (Papilio machaon), Broad Scarlet (Crocothemis erythraea), Epaulet Skimmer (Orthetrum chrysostigma) and Iberian Blue-tail (Ischnura graellsii). 

Penduline Tit (Pájaro Moscón / Remiz pendulinus).

After a while I wandered back to the carand drove down towards the road bridge where I again parked, as soon as I got out of the car I was aware of several calling Penduline Tits (Pájaro Moscón / Remiz pendulinus) and soon realized that I was surounded by a family party of the two adults and two possibly three youngsters which was a fantastic experiance.

Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata).

 Also seen along this stretch were a couple of Squacco (Garcilla Cangrejera / Ardeola ralloides) and a Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica), Feral Pigeon (Columba livia) and down in the water a Viperine Snake (Culebra Viperina / Natrix maura) and lots of Iberian Water Frogs (Rana Común / Rana Perezi).I then went back to the car and picked Jayne up in Torre and we continued the day by visiting several Garden Centres before heading home.