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Friday, 10 October 2014

Rio Grande and Parque Tecnologico, Malaga Province.

A mornings with Javier Ripoll watching Dragonflies and Birds.

Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta).
I drove down to the Rio Grande just to the North of Malaga where I was meeting Javier Ripoll Rodríguez to have a look for some dragonflies along the river.
Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata).
I was a bit early so I had a look along the river near the bridge and found several Little Egrets (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), a couple of Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Green  (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) and Common Sandpipers (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Grey (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and White Wagtails (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra),  
Badger Tracks in the mud.
Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Feral Pigeon (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Cetti's (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and Sardinian Warblers (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and 2 Ravens (Cuervo / Corvus corax).
Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea).
Once I met up with Javier we went for a walk along the Rio up passed the places where I had been before and checked an interesting stretch of water, almost straight away we started to find the first dragon species including a nice male Migrant Hawker (Aeshna mixta) on a small pool away from the main river and a little further up stream we found Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii), Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea), Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope), Epaulet Skimmer (Orthetrum chrysostigma) and both Orange-winged (Trithemis kirbyi) and Violet Dropwings (Trithemis annulata).
On our way back to the bridge we added  Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator) to the list. In the same area we also saw Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Iberian Water Frog (Rana Común / Rana Perezi), Large Psammodromus (Lagartija colilarga / Psammodromus algirus), Small White (Artogeia rapae), Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) and Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus).
Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii).
Our next stop was back down the main road towards Malaga at the Parque Tecnologico, on the entrance pool we saw Common Moorhen, Grey Heron, Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Red-veined Darter, Scarlet Darter, Lesser Emperor, Epaulet Skimmer and both Orange-winged (Trithemis kirbyi) and Violet Dropwings and Iberian Blue-tail (Ischnura graellsii). We then moved in to the Parque and checked out a couple more areas of water were we saw Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina) and several Black Perchers (Diplacodes lefebvrii).
Just as we were making our way back towards the car it started to rain and did it rain, it hammered down for the next hour or so. We decided to call it a day at this point and we both headed off. 
Thanks Javier for a cracking morning and it was good to meet up at last. Also thanks for the extra info and help.