Laguna de la Ratosa and surroundings, Malaga Province.

A trip out to the garden centres in Cabra and then out to Laguna de la Ratosa near Alameda.

Jayne and I headed out towards Antequera and then north to the town of Cabra where we visited a couple of local garden centres where we picked up quite a few nice plants for the terraces.

Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

We got around the garden centres quicker than expected so we headed to the garden centres around Antequera, during the drive around I saw Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and Red-rumped Swallows (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica).

Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

Later we went back up the motorway towards Cordoba and came off towards Alameda and the out to Laguna de la Ratosa where we found plenty of water, quite a lot where it would not normally be forming pools in fields. During a drive around the site we saw lots of Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Black-winged Stilts (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Red-crested Pochard (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Little (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and Great Crested Grebes (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus), Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Gull-billed (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica) and Whiskered Terns (Fumarel Cariblanca / Chilidonias hybridus), Red-crested Pochard (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina), Ruff (Combatiente / Philomachus pugnax), Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator) and Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae).

Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator).

I also saw a few butterflies around the lake including Bath (Pontia daplidice), Large (Pieris brassicae) and Small Whites (Pieris rapae) and Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus).

We headed back to the motorway and had lunch just before driving back home.