Northern Malaga Province.

A tour around several sites in Northern Malaga Province.

Kate and Jim Day Four.

Rufous Bush Robin (Alzacola Rojizo / Cercotrichas galactotes).

We drove west and on our way towards Antequera we started the day list off with Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto).

Rufous Bush Robin (Alzacola Rojizo / Cercotrichas galactotes).

We continued on west to a spot where I have seen a pair of Rufous Bush Robins (Alzacola Rojizo / Cercotrichas galactotes) in the past, we arrived but found no sign of them at the usual spot so we moved to the far side of the Vineyard but again we found no sign of the birds so we went for a drive along some track around the fields in the area which had similar habitats.

Rufous Bush Robin (Alzacola Rojizo / Cercotrichas galactotes).

After a while I caught a glimpse of a bird on a fence so we turned up a small track to the entrance to a small holding and had OKish views of our first Bush Robin.

Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta).

Just as we parked to look at it it flew down into the vines and out of sight but within seconds appeared right at the side of the vehicle and started to sing and continued to do so from a couple of spots amongst the foliage giving us stunning views and making Kate and Jim's cameras work very hard.

Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila pennatus).

In the same area we also saw Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis), Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus), Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus), Northern Raven (Cuervo grande / Corvus corax), Western Jackdaw (Grajilla occidental / Corvus monedula) and European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster).

Hooverfly Species.

Our next stop was at Fuente de Piedra, the water levels were dropping fast but there was still small amounts in all of the outer pools and on the way in we picked up Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Pied Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra) and several Gull-billed Terns (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica).

European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster).

We parked and then had a look down on the boardwalk but the only bird of note here was a bathing Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus) which showed quiet nicely for several minutes in the open.

Spanish Gatekeeper (Lobito listado / Pyronia bathseba).

We continued on around to the Mirador checking the reedy ditch seeing only a single Iberian Blue-tail (Ischnura graellsii) and a small Hoverfly species, as we walked we had fly overs by Booted Eagle and Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans) we also saw or heard Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Great Reed (Carricero Tordal / Acrocephalus arundinaceus), Common Reed (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Sardinian (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala) and Cetti's Warblers (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti).

Day flying Moth species.

From the Mirador we saw more Greater Flamingo's, Gull-billed Terns and round the back from the hides Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and Black-headed Gulls (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus).

Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris).

Once we were back at the car we headed to a spot just to the south of Fuente to try and get some photographs of European Bee-eaters at a spot I had found a week or so earlier on another tour, we arrived and after a short while so did the birds and the photographs were taken and we were on our way back towards Home but called in at a wooded valley on the way to see if we could catch up with a few more butterflies, we did and they included Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus), Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina), Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus), Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina), Bath  (Pontia daplidice), Large (Pieris brassicae) and Small Whites (Artogeia rapae), Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenoides), Spanish Brown Argus (Aricia cramera), Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria), Small (Thymelicus sylvestris) and Lulworth Skippers (Thymelicus acteon), Southern (Pyronia cecilia) and Spanish Gatekeepers (Pyronia bathseba), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) and Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra), we also had a very smart Day flying Moth but it still remains unnamed and Rose Chafer (Cetonia aurata).

Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos).

Birds at the site included Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Eurasian Golden Oriole (Oropéndola Europea / Oriolus oriolus), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

Rose Chafer (Cetonia aurata).

At the far end of this valley we saw three spikes of the uncommon Iberian Mirror Orchid (Ophrys vernixia) which I was pleased to see was doing well in a spot I had first seen it 8 years earlier.

Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus).

We also had Blue Hounds-tongue (Cynoglossum creticum), Brown Bluebell (Jacinto bastardo / Dipcadi serotinum), Corn Poppy (Papaver rhoeas), Grey-leaved Cistus (Cistus albidus), Meadow Saxifrage (Saxifraga granulata), Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum), Naples Garlic (Allium neapolitanum), Rabbits bread (Andryala integrifolia), Rosy garlic (Allium roseum), Southern Knapweed (Centaurea pullata ssp pullata), Yellow Phlomis (Phlomis lychnitis) and Globe Thistle (Echinops ritro) before we headed for Granada Province and the house.