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 through 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 plumage 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 through the reed beds 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 croceus), Small White (Artogeia rapae), African Grass (Zizeeia knysna) and Southern Blue (Polyommatus 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 car and 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 surrounded by a family party of the two adults and two possibly three youngsters which was a fantastic experience.

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 Centers before heading home.