Rio Guadalhorce, Malaga Province.

A nice sit on the beach after a not so nice visit to the dentist.

Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis).

Jayne and I headed down to Periana where I was to have some work done on the teeth which turned out to be a lot less of a problem than first thought. Once the drilling and rebuilding was done Jayne and I headed to Malaga via the coastal Motorway, our first stop was at Brico, then Ikea, Dealz i Malaga and finally the Lario's where I dropped Jayne for a couple of hours shopping whilst I headed for Guadalhorce.

Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo).

Once I was there I had a look at the sea from the watch point but it was quiet except for a good number of Northern Gannets (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus), a couple of Balearic Shearwaters (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus) which were folowing a small fishing boat, Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis) and Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo). 

Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo).

After a while I walked out to end of the sandy spit which formed when the river broke through, here I spent the next two hours just sat with the bins and camera, watching and photographing what ever came close enough. The first birds were a small group of a dozen or so Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba) and a single Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), followed by several Sandwich Terns and Great Cormorants. Whilst I was sat here and on a short walk upstream along the river I also recorded Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus), Water Pipit (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba). 

Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba).

In a small drainage chanel near the road I watched a large group of Crag Martins feeding low over a small pool, they were joined for just a single pass by my first House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) of the year. Also seen whilst in this area were Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) and Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis).

Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis).

I went back into Malaga where I picked Jayne up and then we headed back towards the house.