Rio Velez, Malaga Province.

A couple of hours birding and conflict.

Red-knobbed Coot (Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata).

Jayne and I headed across country towards the coast for a days shopping and birding, on the way down we saw Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula) and Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax).

Red-knobbed Coot (Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata) and a group of Eurasian Coots (Focha Común / Fulica atra).

I dropped Jayne off in the center of Torre del Mar for a few hours shopping, I went down to the river and parked near the beach. I walked out on to the sand and started to check out the pool and quickly found a neck collared Red-knobbed Coot (Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata) amongst a group of Eurasian Coots (Focha Común / Fulica atra) with the collar number of 27F. Out to sea I picked up Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus) and Black-headed Gulls (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis), Balearic (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus) and Cory's Shearwaters (Pardela Cenicienta / Calonectris diomedea). A small group of Audouin's Gulls (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii) had landed on the beach so I decided to try and get some shot which is when the conflict between myself and a German tosser started, I was lying down photographing the gulls when he started to throw stones at the birds.

Banded Groundling (Brachythemis impartita).

I asked him to stop and explained that I would plant a rock square between his eye if he did not, a few seconds later a rock missed me by inches which I was not happy about so I stood up and grabbed a rock and started to make my way over to the chap but as I started he lept up grabbed his towel and bag and ran like a scared dog off up the beach.

Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis).

After this slight problem I got back to the birding adding Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) on the pool and on the beach I found 3x Curlew Sandpipers (Correlimos Zarapitin / Calidris ferruginea), 2x Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), 2x Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba), Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus), a Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina) and several Banded Groundling (Brachythemis impartita).

Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus).

I then headed back inland following the edge of the main river and soon found the first of quite a few adult and immature Little Ringed Plovers (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica), Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and a single Wood Sandpiper (Andarrios Bastardo / Tringa glareola) which disappeared off up stream.

Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta).

At the bridge I turned around and came back down the track to the car, on the way I added a few more new species for the day including Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Reed (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus) and Willow Warblers (Mosquitero Musical / Phylloscopus trochillus), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris) and Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea). Also along the river I caught up with Blue / Common (Anax imperator) and  Lesser Emperors (Anax parthenope), Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea), Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata), African Grass Blue (Zizeeia knysna), Small White (Artogeia rapae) and Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria). Once I was back at the car I picked Jayne up and we headed off to Malaga.