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Friday 15 May 2015

Ronda, Indiana, Caves of the Cat and Oak woods near Montejaque, Malaga Province.

Jayne and Renate spent the day in Ronda whist Deb and I caught up with a couple more interesting species.
Deb and Renate Day Seven.

Olivaceous Warbler (Zarcero Pálido Occidental / Hippolais opaca).
We all drove over to Ronda where Jayne and Renate got out and spend from all acounts a very pleasant day around the town sightseeing and having a nice meal over looking the Taco. Deb and I made our way out into the country and to out first stop near the Rio Guadiaro at Indiana where we soon had the target Western Olivaceous Warbler (Zarcero Pálido Occidental / Hippolais opaca) in the bins and the camera lens.
Olivaceous Warbler (Zarcero Pálido Occidental / Hippolais opaca).
We had great views of this difficult species singing from several different trees around us. In the same area we picked up Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), several Black Kites (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans), Rock Pigeon (Paloma Bravia / Columba livia), Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica) and Melodious Warbler (Zarcero Común / Hippolais polyglotta).
Olivaceous Warbler (Zarcero Pálido Occidental / Hippolais opaca).
We moved along the river a short way and found another pair of Olivaceous on a side stream and in the wood near there a calling and drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus).
Alpine Swift (Vencejo Real / Apus melba).
As we were walking back towards the car we were surprised to get a Ring-necked Parakeet (Cotorra de Kramer / Psittacula Krameri) flash along the river through the Poplar trees.
We moved on but just along the river a short way to the Cave of the Cat, the first stop was at the Hotel there where we had a coffee whilst we listened to Golden Orioles and Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla).
Deb getting some shots of the Swifts.
On the river we watched at least two more Olivaceous Warblers and hordes of Alpine (Vencejo Real / Apus melba) and Pallid Swifts (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus) as the wheeled around abover the water and flew in and out of the cave. Whilst we were trying to get some shots of the swifts we had Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), 50 or so Honey Buzzard (Aberjero Europeo / Pernis apivorus) pass down the Valley along with good numbers of Black Kites (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans), Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus) and a Short-toed Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus).
Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis).
We crossed the river on the clapsed bridge and on around the board walk under the railway out to the Cave where deb spent some time trying to get some shots of the Apline Swifts as they left and approched the entrance, in the same area we had several fleeting glimpes of the Dipper (Mirlo Acuático / Cinclus cinclus) as it flew along the river. 
Wader flock in flight.
We spent quite a while here and finished off with another coffee before going up through Benaojan and Montejaque and stopped in the Oak woods on the drop down to the Ronda road lookng for woodland species. We walked along the roadside picking up Hawfinch (Picogordo / Coccotraustes coccotrauetes), Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus), Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli), Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), heard Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Long-tailed Tits (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei).
Wood Sandpiper (Andarrios Bastardo / Tringa glareola).
Once we got back to the car we headed back into Ronda and picked Renate and Jayne up at the Bullring before drivig over to Fuente de Piedra on the way home to try and get better views of the Lesser Flamingo's (Flamenco Enano / Phoenicopterus minor) but they were in almost the same place and there was a lot less water so the were unlikey to come any closer. On the way in we checked the roadside pool again and had great views of a good number of Curlew Sandpipers (Correlimos Zarapitin / Calidris ferruginea) some looking very smart in their summer plumage, other still looking completly grey.
Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta).
Also on the pool were Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Common (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) and Wood Sandpipers (Andarrios Bastardo / Tringa glareola), Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Gull-billed Tern (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), White (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Lesser Kestrel (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) and Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata).
Curlew Sandpiper (Correlimos Zarapitin / Calidris ferruginea).
From the view point we had the two Lesser's and a few hundred Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Great Reed Warbler (Carricero Tordal / Acrocephalus arundinaceus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) and Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo).
Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus).
We had a look from the small hide on the rare trail and saw several Dark Spreadwing (Lestes macrostigma) in the Clubrush stands along with Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator) and Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii). From the large hide we boosted the day list with Red-crested Pochard (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera) and Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus).
Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).
We returned to the car and spent some time photographing the waders on the entrance road pool again before heading back to the house seeing Common (Urraca / Pica pica) and Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis) and once we were back at the house we had the usual calling Red-necked Nightjars (Chotacabras Cuellirrojo / Caprimulgus ruficollis).

1 comment:

lindamaryolivine said...

You won't believe this (or you might!) but when our group was in Montejaque in May, all we looked at was rocks. What we missed!