Rio Velez and Vinuela, Malaga Province.

A warm quiet couple of hours on the river.

Night Heron (Marinete Común / Nycticorax nycticorax).

On the way down to Torre del Mar via Salar and Puente don Emanuel I saw Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Calandra Lark (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), a Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius) which flew across the road and landed n an Almond tree giving us nice views, Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cyanus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and several Lesser Kestrels (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni) both on roadside wires and a ruined building.

Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla) Female.

Once down on the coast I dropped Jayne at the shopping centre and went for a quick look along the Rio Velez but as Jayne had had an earlier appointment we were later in the day than usual so things had already warmed up some what.

Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula).

As soon as I arrived I noticed anice adult Night Heron (Marinete Común / Nycticorax nycticorax) sat in the lower branches of a poplar tree, both Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) and Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) were roosting right in the upper branches and a couple of Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) were feeding down in the river amongst the dock leaves.

Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis).

On the track side flowers there were several large Carpentor Bee (Xylocopa violacea) whizzing around and several Small (Artogeia rapae), Large (Pieris brassicae) and Bath Whites (Blanqiverdosa / Pontia daplidice) flapping around at a much slower pace. As I walked down towards the beach I soon added Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos) and Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) to the list.

Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti).

I scanned the sea once I reached the beach but apart from several Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) and a couple of Great Cormorants (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo) it was empty except of some wrinkles who really should be made to keep there cloths on.

Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

I checked the beack pool and saw the 5x Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) that 3 Spanish photographers had told me about earlier and several Eurasian Coots (Focha Común / Fulica atra), the single neck collared Red-knobbed (Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), 3x Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus) and a noisy (even noisie than the Stilts this time) Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), 2x Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius) and in the reeds around a small stagnant pool a Crake species which zipped out of site before I could confirm it was a Baillon's (Polluela Chica / Porzana pusilla) which was my initial thought.

Red Avadavat (Bengali Rojo / Amandava amandava).

I sat down on the dryish mud at the side of the pool and waited there for about 1.5 hours but the bird did not show again, I did get good views of a Cetti's, my first Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus) of the year, a small flock of Red Avadavats (Bengali Rojo / Amandava amandava) and a single Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope).

Red Avadavat (Bengali Rojo / Amandava amandava).

I walked back up the River but only added Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) and a few wild flowers including Common Mallow (Malva sylvestris), Crown Daisy (Chrysanthemum carinatum var discolor), Eruca (Eruca sativa), Field Madder (Sherardia arvensis), Field marigold (Calendula arvensis) and Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum).

Pink Butterfly Orchid (Orchis papilionacea).

Once I was back at the car I went and met Jayne and we had some lunch in a small resturant in torre del Mar before calling in at several garden centres on the way home. Near to lake Vinuela we made a quick roadside stop so that I could get some shots for a clump of Pink Butterfly Orchid (Orchis papilionacea).

Pink Butterfly Orchid (Orchis papilionacea).