Arroyo Marin, Fuente de Piedra, Laguna Dulce, Teba area and back to Marin, Malaga Province.

Woodlands, Wetlands and Gorges.

Day Three with the Leicester Ladies.

The Ladies.

Todays first site was in the wooded river valley of the Arroyo Marin, we parked and walked for a while. During this walk we saw and heard Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Blue (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) and Great Tits (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Wryneck (Torcecuello / Jynx torquilla), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Hawfinch (Picogordo / Coccotraustes coccotrauetes),  

Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos).

Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cyanus), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs).

The Ladies along Arroyo Marin.

We also found flowering Yellow Bee Orchid (Orquídea Abejera / Ophrys lutea), Pink Butterfly Orchid (Orchis papilionacea), Mirror Orchid (Espejo de Venus / Ophrys speculum subsp speculum),  Blue Hounds-tongue (Cynoglossum creticum), Corn Poppy (Papaver rhoeas), Common Grape Hyacinth (Muscari neglectum), Eruca (Eruca sativa), Grey-leaved Cistus (Cistus albidus), Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum), Purple Bugloss (Echium plantagineum), Rosy Garlic (Allium roseum), Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum), Shepherds Needles (Scandix pecten-veneris), Scarlet Pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis) and White Mignonette (Reseda Alba).

Whiskered (Fumarel Cariblanca / Chilidonias hybridus).

We moved on to Fuente de Piedra and the Laguna's and pools on the reserve, we started by scanning the entrance road pool from the van and had views of Whiskered (Fumarel Cariblanca / Chilidonias hybridus) and Gull-billed Terns (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica), Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Little Stint (Correlimos Menudo / Calidris minuta), Ruff (Combatiente / Philomachus pugnax), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Wood Sandpiper (Andarrios Bastardo / Tringa glareola), Yellow Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica).

Whiskered (Fumarel Cariblanca / Chilidonias hybridus).

We moved on to the car park and then walked down to the board walk, in the car park we had Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli) and on the board walk we had better views of the Whiskered Tern, Sand Martin (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula) and House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica). 

Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala).

We walked around to the Mirador where we scanned through the large numbers of Greater Flamingo's and located Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) and Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor).

Lesser Flamingo (Flamenco Enano / Phoenicopterus minor) and Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

We went to the hide over looking the larger lake and straight away we found a vey smart Purple Heron (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea), followed by Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus). 

The Ladies at Fuente on the board walk.

From the second hide we picked up a singing Great Reed Warbler (Carricero Tordal / Acrocephalus arundinaceus), Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa), Iberian Water Frog (Rana Común / Rana Perezi) and Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) but nothing else so we moved back to the Mirador and soon picked out a Lesser Flamingo (Flamenco Enano / Phoenicopterus minor) in amongst the large flock of Greaters and then another Lesser was found much closer in the flock along the near shore.

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta).

We went back to the car and then moved on around the western shore to the Mirador at the other end of the lagoon where we had lunch and added Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), Red-crested Pochard (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina), Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) and Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus).

Gull-billed Tern (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica).

After getting round the southern side of the lagoons pot holed roads we made it to Laguna Dulcewhere we scanned the pool from the hide and picked up Black-necked (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis) and Great Crested Grebes (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus), a 100+ Red Crested Pochards, White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), 3x Black Tern (Fumarel Común / Chlidonias niger) and a Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope).
We dropped down the main road towards Malaga and stopped off at the raptor watch point on the Teba road where we watched several Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) drift over and a pair of Peregrine Falcons (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus) as they flashed around the cliff faces.

Green Hairstreak (Callophrys rubi).

Our next stop was just down the road at the Tajo del Molino, one of the Jane's stayed on the bridge and watched from there whilst the rest of us dropped down in to the gorge and soon had good views of Alpine Swifts (Vencejo Real / Apus melba), Crag Martins (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), Rock Pigeon (Paloma Bravia / Columba livia) and heard both Wren and Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea). We also saw Clouded Yellow (Colias Común / Colias corcea), Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina), Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera), Anthyllis vulneraria (Mediterranean Kidney Vetch), Borago officinalis (Borage), Chrysanthemum carinatum var discolor (Crown Daisy), Convolvulus althaeoides (Mallow-leaved Bindweed), Galactites tomentosa (Galactites) and Helianthemum apenninum (White Rockrose).

Male Pied Flycatcher (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca).

On our way back towards home we called in at Arroyo Marin again and did the same walk as we did during the morning and added Garden Warbler (Curruca Mosquitera / Sylvia borin), Pied Flycatcher (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca), Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli), Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni), Moroccan Orange-tip (Anthocharis belia), Green Hairstreak (Callophrys rubi) and Large Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis polychlorus) to the days list before heading back to the houses.