El Faro and Fuengirola sea front, Malaga Province.

An unexpected Spanish Lifer down on the coast.

Jayne and I made an unexpected trip down to Malaga City to swap a item at the Larios Centre before heading along the coast to Fuengirola where I dropped Jayne off at the Miramar. I then drove down to the junction of the coastal motorway just past the sea watch hide and parked over looking the sea. I then started to scan through the large numbers of Gulls flying past going East and was amazed that in the first group of Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) there was a 1st winter Glaucous Gull (Gavión Hiperbóreo / Larus hyperboreus) which was the first I have seen in Spain. I drove as quickly as I could down towards the mouth of the Rio Fuengirola hoping to see the bird again and after a couple of minutes the bird appeared over head ad circled a few times with the Yellow-legs and then disappeared off east again towards the port so again I jumped into the car again and parked just before the port and again waited for it to arrive and after a few minutes the Gull flew in lower this time but it disappeared over the port buildings and towards the Gull roost on the main sea wall but I did not see if it landed or flew on. I went in and had a look but found nothing so I went and met Jayne for some lunch before returning and spending the rest of the afternoon looking with out success. 

Other species seen during the morning and afternoon included 100s of Mediterranean Gulls (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus) along with Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and Audouin's (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii), Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis), Northern Gannet (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus).

Whilst I was near the port in the afternoon I also saw a new weather phenomenon in the shape of a water spout which formed quite a long way out to sea and lasted for nearly five minutes and was watched by quite a crowd from the prom.