Embalse de Iznajar and Fuente de Piedra, Malaga Province.

A morning of Orchids and an afternoon with the Birds.

Dark Spider Orchid (Ophrys incubacea).

I dropped Jayne off at the Trabuco ladies group meeting and headed off to the Embalse de Iznajar to look for some Orchids, I arrived and started to walk to the main area just as the rain started and it was like this all morning with the odd heavy shower passing through.

Naked / Italian Man Orchid (Orchis italica).

Anyway armed with my trusty Ikea bag which works well for kneeling on and as a rain hood for the camera and tripod I made a start with some spikes of Naked / Italian Man Orchid (Orchis italica) which were flowering on a steepish bank under pine trees.

Orchiaceras bivonae.

These were followed by a sing rather tatty looking Orchiaceras bivonae the hybrid between Naked / Italian Man Orchid and Man Orchid (Orchis anthropophora), Yellow Bee Orchid (Ophrys lutea), Sawfly Orchid (Ophrys tenthredinifera), Mirror Orchid (Ophrys speculum), Giant Orchid (Himantoglossum robertiana), Bumblebee Orchid (Ophrys bombyliflora), Small Woodcock Orchid (Ophrys picta), Woodcock Orchid (Ophrys scolopax), Somber Bee Orchid (Ophrys fusca), Ophrys subfusca and a single spike of Dark Spider Orchid (Ophrys incubacea).

Small Woodcock Orchid (Ophrys picta).

Birds in the same area included Subalpine (Curruca Carrasquena / Sylvia cantillans) and Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus), Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius) and Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax).

Bumblebee Orchid (Ophrys bombyliflora).

I got all the shots I wanted so I headed back to Antequera and on up the motorway to Fuente de Piedra, I spent most of the visit sat in my car along side the entrance road pool where I watched a group of feeding Whiskered (Fumarel Cariblanca / Chilidonias hybridus), Gull-billed (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica) and Black Terns (Fumarel Común / Chlidonias niger) for a couple of hours.

Wood Sandpiper (Andarrios Bastardo / Tringa glareola).

On the same pool there were Black-tailed Godwits (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Green (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Common (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) and Wood Sandpipers (Andarrios Bastardo / Tringa glareola), Ruff (Combatiente / Philomachus pugnax), Little Stint (Correlimos Menudo / Calidris minuta), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Blue-headed (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava flava) and a constan stream of both House Martins (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) and Barn Swallows (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica). 

Black Tern (Fumarel Común / Chlidonias niger).

I had a quick stroll around to the view point and then to the two hides on the freshwater pools, on the wa to the Mirador I had nice views of Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus) and Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna).

Whiskered Tern (Fumarel Cariblanca / Chilidonias hybridus).

From the two hides I added Mediterranean Gull (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Red-crested Pochard (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and a calling Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus).

Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus) leaning into the wind.

On the way back to the car I saw several spikes of Yellow Bee Orchid (Ophrys lutea), Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), Clouded Yellow (Colias Común / Colias corcea) and a Large Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis polychlorus). I again went and stopped along side the roadside pool but the only new species were Sand Martin (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) and a small flock of Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) which flew over.

Blue-headed (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava flava).

After a while a car pulled up in front of me and instead of staying in the car the British birders got out clanging tripods and door which had the expected effect of flushing some birds and pushing every thing to the far side of the pool so i decided to push on and headed back to Trabuco and picked Jayne up. We got home and as things had warmed up we spent a couple of hours doing some gardening.

Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos).