Laguna Grande, Arroya Marin, Fuente de Piedra and Teba Gorge, Malaga Province.

Day two with Sheila and Denis over in Malaga Province.

White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

Today we were heading a little further out and over into Malaga Province starting with a quick visit to Laguna Grande, the water levels were low but better than I had expected and we soon found Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Great Crested (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus) and Little Grebes (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).

Our next stop was at Arroya Marin where we were looking for woodland species, we parked and walked along the river near the entrance picking up Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major).

Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).

We moved further along the valley and walked along another stretch of river and the list grew with  Blue (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Coal (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and  Long-tailed Tits (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes).

We moved on and made our way to Fuente de Piedra, on the entrance road we stopped and checked the pool which held a little water and a few birds including Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).

Once we parked we went to the mirador around the back and scanned the main salt lake, way out on the very dry looking lake we saw a very small number Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), lots of Gulls, several Shelducks (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula) and Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus).

Round at the hides we had a few more nice species including a couple of White-headed Ducks (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago) and as we were walking back to the mirador we heard the arrival of a couple of hundred Common Cranes (Grulla Común / Grus grus).

We left the reserve and headed off around the western side of the lake making our way towards Teba seeing a nice Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) sat on a roadside post and a little further on we had Meadow Pipits (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) and a couple of Common Buzzards (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo).

At the raptor watch point near Teba we had good numbers of Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), a pair of displaying Peregrine Falcons (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and a few Bath Whites (Blanqiverdosa / Pontia daplidice).

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

Later in the Gorge we picked up a few more very nice species including Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Rock Pigeon (Paloma Bravia / Columba livia), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) along with Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera) and Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria).

We finished the walk and returned to the car and then made our way back to the hotel where I said goodbye to Sheila and Denis, they were staying at the Cortijo again and then they where moving on south down to Penny and John Hales in Casares.

Thank you to Sheila and Denis for your support and company for the two days.