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Friday 7 October 2016

Caminito del Rey, Malaga Province.

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

Jayne, Linda and Jan.
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.
Rock Pigeon (Paloma Bravia / Columba livia).
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).
On the walk out to the start.
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. 
Having a breather.
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).
Two Bonelli's Eagles (Aguila-azor / Hieraetus faciatus) and a Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).
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 (Pontia daplidice).
Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).
We finished the walk and the drove to Riofrio where we had some lunch before heading home.
Bath White (Pontia daplidice).







1 comment:

lindamaryolivine said...

A marvellous walk in itself but great to go with Mick and benefit from his expertise. We would never have spotted half the things he showed us!