Loja Wildlife, Granada Province, Spain.: Charca de Suarez and Cerro Gordo, Granada Province.

Another day down on the coast with Jayne, Lynn and Steve.

Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus).

We all headed down to the coast near Motril where Steve and I spent a couple of hours in the wetland reserve of Charca de Suarez and Jayne and Lynn went for a long walk along the beach to get Jayne's 10.000 steps in for the day.

Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus).

We first stopped at the small hide overlooking the long pool on the western side of the reserve, on the way round we had seen Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), European Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) and a single Monarch (Danaus plexippus).

Red Avadavat (Bengali Rojo / Amandava amandava).

Once in the hide, we spent quite a while watching and photographing small parties of Red Avadavats (Bengali Rojo / Amandava amandava) as they feed on the exposed mud of a very low pool.

We also saw Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), European Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum), Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator), Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea) and Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa).

Red Avadavat (Bengali Rojo / Amandava amandava).

We moved on to the new hide overlooking the new lagoon which was also lacking a great deal of water and spent the rest of the visit seeing what came out of the reeds.

Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus).

Species seen included Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Red-rumped (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica) and Barn Swallows (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Western House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Common Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) and both male and female Little Bitterns (Avetorillo Común / Ixobrychus minutus) but only in flight as well as Long Skimmer (Orthetrum trinacria), Orange-winged Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) and Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope).

Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus).

After lunch we drove a little further along the coast to Cerro Gordo where we walked out to the tower and photographed the splended Two-tailed Pasha (Charaxes jasius) and at the same time saw Long-tailed Blue (Lampides boeticus), Swallowtail (Papilio machaon), Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus), Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata), Western Orphean (Curruca Mirlano / Sylvia hortensis) and Sardinian Warblers (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).

Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius).

The only big dip of the day was when we visited Salabrena and the frozen milk shop was closed!!!! GUTTED. We did however have a cracking meal at El Cerro bar in Loja later in the evening.