Fuente de Piedra and Archidona, Malaga Province.

An afternoon Celebrating Andy Patterson's 75th Birthday and a mornings birding.

Whiskered Tern (Fumarel Cariblanca / Chilidonias hybridus).

I drove over to Fuente de Piedra where I started by scanning the pool on the road in picking up Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Little Ringed (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius) and Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Sand (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia) and House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus).

Whiskered Tern (Fumarel Cariblanca / Chilidonias hybridus).

I then parked and walked down towards the board walk where I was very pleased to see friends Juliet and David Hird who I had not bumped into since our trip to the Pyrenees back in June 2017.

We spent a while checking the pools seeing a Whiskered Tern (Fumarel Cariblanca / Chilidonias hybridus), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula) and Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis).

Whiskered Tern (Fumarel Cariblanca / Chilidonias hybridus).

We walked from there around to the mirador with the Oak tree, on the way we watched the House Martins coming to shelter behind the reeds on the ground to get out of the wind as well as Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris) and Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus).

Whiskered Tern (Fumarel Cariblanca / Chilidonias hybridus).

From the Mirador we did not add much as it was blowing a very cool gale, we did however find a couple of Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna) on the main lake, an immature Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) which did a fly past and Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor).

Northern Shovelers (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata).

From the larger of the hides over looking the fresh water pools we picked up Red-crested Pochard (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Little (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and Black-necked Grebes (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta) and Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla).

Andy being presented with a painting of Wandering Albatross's from the Spanish Birders.

From the smaller hide over looking the other pool we saw Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Large White (Pieris brassicae), Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus) and Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa).

Black-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa).

We walked back around to the car park along the lower path, on our way we found Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula) and after a visit to the centre a pair of Garganey (Cerceta Carretona / Anas querquedula) were added from the upper view point over the left hand end of the fresh water pool.

We then went around to the bar on the far side of the town but just as I was leaving the site I added Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) and a single Gull-billed Tern (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica). At the bar I again met up with Juliet and David and Bob and Jenny Wright as well as around 40 or so Spanish birders and their families to celebrate Andy Patterson's 75th Birthday. We had a good time there and enjoyed a fine spread of food (thanks Andy and Lupe).

Black-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa).

I left a little earlier than most but wanted to get back home, on my way I stopped briefly to see 3 Black-tailed Godwits (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa) which Bob had found earlier along with at least 3 male Marsh Harriers (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) and Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).

Black-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa).