Granada and Malaga Coast Line.

A change of plan when birding with Mike Fiddler from Australia.

Spanish Ibex (Cabra pyreaica hispanica).

I met Mike near Padul on the motorway coming up from the coast and had expected to do a day around the normal area of the Cacín Valley and so on but Mike wanted to go back down the coast and just do a few quick visits to sites where he could take some photographs. 

We started off by heading to the fields and wet areas to the rear of Charca del Suarez, we did a walk along the back road and started off by seeing lots of Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), several Red Avadavat (Bengali Rojo / Amandava amandava), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), House (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) and more surprisingly a couple of Sand Martins (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia) which I guess must have been very late migrants as they have not been recorded breeding in the area.
On the way back we also picked up Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) and heard several Common Quail (Codorniz Común / Coturnix coturnix).

Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis).

We also saw a nice Monarch (Danaus plexippus) butterfly and several Speckled Woods (Pararge aegeria). From here we went around to the entrance of the reserve so that Mike could see the opening times before headed out to Cerro Gordo down towards Nejer, here we had a walk out to the tower but it was again quite quiet but we did record Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus), (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus), House Martin, Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus) and Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris).

Mammoth Wasp (Megascolia maculata).

We later went up on to the higher areas and checked an area out where I have seen interesting species in the pasted but we were unable to get there due to building works. On the way down we saw a small herd of Spanish Ibex (Cabra pyreaica hispanica).

Our next stop was at Rio Velez where we has a look down on the beach first before walking the river. On the and from the beach we saw Balearic (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus) and Cory's Shearwaters (Pardela Cenicienta / Calonectris diomedea), Northern Gannet (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus), Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis), Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and a single flyby Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo). Looking inland on the pool there were a few Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and further up the river we saw Squacco Heron (Garcilla Cangrejera / Ardeola ralloides), Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), more Zitting Cisticola's, Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina) and Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus).

Mammoth Wasp (Megascolia maculata).

Also seen here were Broad Scarlet (Crocothemis erythraea), Iberian Blue-tail (Ischnura graellsii), Bath White (Pontia daplidice), Clouded Yellow (Colias corcea), Iberian Water Frog (Rana Común / Rana Perezi), Carpentor Bee (Xylocopa violacea) and a huge Mammoth Wasp (Megascolia maculata). 

By now it was getting hot and we had covered enough sites to keep Mike going for the few days he had left in Spain so we headed in and I headed back home.

Thanks Mike hope the photography went well for the rest of the holiday.