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.

Huétor Fields and Sierra de Loja, Granada Province.

A morning with Pau from Valencia and an afternoon on a cold hill.

Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax).

I met Pau Lucio a Birding Guide from the Valencia area at the bar at the bottom where we had a coffee before heading out on to the patch. 

Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax).

A started by going out along the Rio Vilano picking up White (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Grey Wagtails (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis) and on the road near to the model aeroplane runway we added Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis) and Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita).

Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).

We moved on around to the town and walked a track out on to the fields follwing an irrigation channel, here we found more Tree Sparrows, Common Stonechats, a male Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), 3+ Dartford (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata) and several Sardinian Warblers (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), lots of Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus) and Corn Buntings (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata).

Again we moved on around towards the central track still looking for the Bustards which have become elusive, on the way in we saw and photographed one of the regular Little Owls (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) and the found the first 11 Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) on a Lucerne field. 

Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata).

A little further along the track we found another 40 odd Bustards mix in with Northern Lapwings, Spotless and Common Starlings (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulg aris) and 8+ Golden Plover (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaria) and quite a few Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).

Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae).

We headed back to the bar and said our goodbyes before I headed home. Later I dropped Jayne off at the craft groups meal at Flatti's in Loja and went up Sierra de Loja. 

Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae).

I started off in the lower quarry where I had views of Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Common Stonechat, Black Redstart, Meadow Pipit, Blackbird, Common Chaffinch, Linnet and a pair of very well behaved Dartford Warblers.

Alpine Accentor (Acentor Alpino / Prunella collaris).

After a while I drove up to the Northern crags and spent the rest of the afternoon watching a single stretch of rocks looking for a wintering Wallcreeper (Treparriscos / Tichodroma muraria), I always think that if you do not try you will never find one, anyway I did not but got great views of a flock of 15+ Alpine Accentors (Acentor Alpino / Prunella collaris) which eventually came right down in front of me whilst I was sat in the car. 

Alpine Accentor (Acentor Alpino / Prunella collaris).

In the same area I added Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura), Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius) and Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa). 

Alpine Accentor (Acentor Alpino / Prunella collaris).

I later picked Jayne up and we headed home.

Alpine Accentor (Acentor Alpino / Prunella collaris).

Huétor Fields, Granada Province.

A walk back from the Garage in Huétor Tajar to the house across the fields.

I dropped the car off for a service and decided to walk back to the house across the tracks and fields, along the road between the town and the railway bridge I started off with Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), 35x Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), White (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Grey Wagtails (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) and Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki). 

On the far side of the railway line I soon added Common Starling (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulg aris), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Tree (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus) and House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla) and Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).

On the track along side the Arroyo Vilano I found Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Dartford (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata) and Cetti's Warblers (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis).

Along the last stretch of the walk from the Bar to house I boosted the list by seeing Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula) and Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae).