Caminito del Rey, Malaga Province.

Our second walk along the cliffs of El Chorro's caminito del Rey.

We picked Jan and Linda up at 08:00 and headed off the the start point for the days adventure along the Caminito, on the way I saw Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) and Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus) and just as we approached the Embalses near the start of the walk Jayne spotted a small herd of Spanish Ibex (Cabra pyreaica hispanica) just below the dam wall.

On the walk out to the control point for the Caminito I added Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), Coal (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus).

Once we were on the cliff walk we saw lots of Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), some in flight and some sat on the cliff tops. With the Vultures sat on the cliffs  found a couple of Bonelli's Eagles (Aguila-azor / Hieraetus faciatus), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), lots of both Feral and Rock Pigeons (Paloma Bravia / Columba livia), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and in the sky above us lots, 100+ Alpine Swift (Vencejo Real / Apus melba) calling loadly and Blue lettuce (Lactuca tenerrima) growing from the cracks in the Limestone. 

In the wooded middle part of the walk I saw Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Common Redstart (Colirroja Real / Phoenicurus phoenicurus), Pied Flycatcher (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), a Goshawk (Azor Común / Accipitor gentillis) which was circling over the pines on the ridge and a couple of Andalucian Wall Lizards (Podarcis vaucheri).

On the second cliff walk I had the first Crag Martins (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), a male Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and just before the end of the walk a Bath White (Blanqiverdosa / Pontia daplidice).

We finished the walk and the drove to Riofrio where we had some lunch before heading home.

Photographs from the top: Greneral shots of the day unless other wise labelled.

Two Bonelli's Eagles and a Griffon Vulture.

Griffon Vulture.

Bath White.