Birding down on the Malaga coast.
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| White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala). |
We headed down to Malaga and I dropped Jayne off at the Larios centre and continued on the short distance to the beach at Guadalhorce where I spent a while scanning the sea and the river picking up
Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus),
Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus),
Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and
Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), 3x
Black-necked Grebes (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis),
Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo) and just as I started to walk back in land slightly a single
Eurasian Oystercatcher (Ostrero Euroasiatico / Haematopus ostralegus) flew over me and carried on along the beach.
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| White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala). |
Down in the bushes to the side of the track I picked up a couple of
Reed (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus),
Sardinian (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and a single
Garden Warbler (Curruca Mosquitera / Sylvia borin),
Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris),
Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) and on the nearby buildings
Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and
House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus).
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| Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres). |
On the river there was very smart
Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis), a
Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos),
Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and in the tamarisks there were several
Common Chiffchaffs (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita),
Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti),
Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis) and
Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata). As I walked down to the bridge I added
Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus),
Common Redstart (Colirroja Real / Phoenicurus phoenicurus),
Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla) and
Blue / Common (Anax imperator) and
Lesser Emperors (Anax parthenope),
Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii),
Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta),
Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa) and
Iberian Water Frog (Rana Común / Rana Perezi).
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| Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba). |
Once I was on the reserve proper I made my way to the main hide over looking Laguna Grande but things were quiet, I did however see a single pale phase
Booted Eagle (
Aguila Calzada / Aquila pennatus), a female
Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus),
Western Osprey (Águila Pescardora / Pandion haliaetus),
Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis),
Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata),
Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus),
Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago),
Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus),
Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto),
Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major),
Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis),
Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) and
Long-tailed Blue (Lampides boeticus).
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| Common Scoters (Negrón Común / Melanitta nigra). |
My next stop was at the Long Pool, I soon located
White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala),
Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca),
Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and
Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) along with
Penduline Tit (Pájaro Moscón / Remiz pendulinus) which I only heard a couple of times.
I continued on around the reserve as far as the pool near the sea watch hide, on the way I picked up a few more new species for the day including 5
Greater Flaming's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus),
Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta),
Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia),
Kentish (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus) and
Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula),
Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula),
Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and on the furthest part of the last pool there were 4
Eurasian Oystercatchers.
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| Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis). |
On my way out of the reserve I again heard
Penduline Tits but this time I managed to get brief views of 2 birds as they flew in to the reeds on the far side of the river.
I went back in to the city where I met Jayne and we had a very nice menu del dia in the shopping center and the headed along the coast a little further to Fuengirola where again Jayne did some shopping and I went to El Faro to sea what was at sea from the roadside hide. I was there for around two hours and during this time I saw
Black-headed,
Mediterranean,
Lesser Black-backed,
Yellow-legged and
Audouin's Gull (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii),
Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis),
Northern Gannets (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus) adults, immatures and Juvenile birds, a single
Cory's (Pardela Cenicienta / Calonectris diomedea) and 5+
Balearic Shearwaters (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus), a flight of 7
Common Scoters (Negrón Común / Melanitta nigra), a dozen or so
Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres), a couple of
Sanderlings (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba) and both
Ringed and
Kentish Plovers.
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| Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus). |
A
Kingfisher came along the coast and landed on some rocks in front of the hide and then flew out to sea and disappeared off towards Morocco. I next went back and met Jayne again and we did a bit more shopping before heading home.
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