Laguna Grande and Laguna Chica, Archidona, Malaga Province.

A couple of hours walking and birding with the Iznajar Walking Group.

Broad leaved Iris (lirio de invierno / Iris planifolia).

I met Jeff Parkes and four other members of the group on the service road along side the A92, from here we walked up hill towards Laguna Grande. On the way up we saw several early flowering Broad leaved Iris (lirio de invierno / Iris planifolia), Henbit Deadnettle (Lamium amplexicaule) and Field marigold (Calendula arvensis) along with Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).

Once we reached the top of the hill we had a look over the water and picked up good numbers of wildfowl including Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca) x8, Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina) 40+, Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca) x3, Great Crested Grebe (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus) x7+, Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) x46, Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo) x3 and at least 2 more Grey Herons.
Other species seen in this area included Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), a couple of Crag Martins (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and several disused Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei) holes. Jeff then took us along side the laguna and showed us tree rubbing spots used by the local Wild Boars (Jabalí / Felis silvestris), in the same area and further along the walk we saw plent more signs of this distructive species where they had rotten up large areas amongst the scrub and around the Oaks where they were eating the fallen Acorns.

Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula).

We continued on a roundabout track out towards Laguna Chica adding only Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula) on the way and several Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata) on the water.

We continued on in a large circle back around to Laguna Grande, on the way we saw a single Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and a couple of Eurasian Badger (Meles meles) in the mud. 

Once we reached the pool again we retraced our steps back down to the cars and said our goodbyes before heading off.

I went back towards home across country on a road through Fuente Camacho and then up on to the Loja / Zafarraya road, along there I had Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica) and Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).