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Thursday 16 August 2018

Guadalhorce, Malaga Province.

A Spanish Lifer on the Malaga Coast.

Banded Groundling (Brachythemis impartita) Male.
Jayne, Lynn, Steve and Myself set off heading for Malaga (Plaza Maor and Ikea) where we dropped the girls, whilst Steve and headed just up the road to the pools at the mouth of the Guadalhorce.
The main target was the Pacific Golden Plover (Chorlito Dorado Siberiano / Pluvialis fulva) which had been hanging around for a while, during the walk out from the church parking area we saw several Banded Groundling (Brachythemis impartita) dragonflies which are always a good find along with Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa), Hummingbird Hawkmoth (Macroglossum stellatarum), Carpentor Bee (Xylocopa violacea), Scarce / Spanish Swallowtail (Chupaleches / Iphiclides podalirius / Iphiclides feisthameli) and Clouded Yellow (Colias Común / Colias corcea).
Banded Groundling (Brachythemis impartita) Female.
The most recent info came from E-bird which said it had been seen on the 15th on the main pool but when we got there we cold only find two Grey Plover (Chorlito Gris / Pluviali squatarola) and after talking to some more birders who had already visited the wader scrape hide and had not seen it I was not very confident about seeing the Plover.
Pacific Golden Plover (Chorlito Dorado Siberiano / Pluvialis fulva).
Anyway we continued to scan the main lake and found a nice selection for the time of the year which included Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia), Kentish (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus) and Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Audouin's (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) and Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica).
Pacific Golden Plover (Chorlito Dorado Siberiano / Pluvialis fulva).
We left the main hide and walked around to the next hide where we spent some time photographing a couple of Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and saw Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula) and Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus).
Pacific Golden Plover (Chorlito Dorado Siberiano / Pluvialis fulva).
Further around at the next hide we missed the 4 reported Ferruginous Ducks (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca) and found nothing new so continued on to the Wader scrape hide and found Little Ringed, Kentish and Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Black-winged Stilt, Dunlin and Greenshank. But not sign of the Plover so we decided to go and check the rio just incase it had moved there, again there was no Plover but we did add Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba), Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres).
Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea).
Our next stop was down at the beach where one of the cyclists had left a nice puddle where he decided to pee in the seating area of the sea watch point, many thanks. Whilst dodging the wet patches we saw a couple of Sandwich Terns (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis) out to sea and a Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) on the beach.
We retraced our way back along the track but having totally given up on the Plover I did not even check the Rio but thought I would have a quick look at the wader pool as we walked passed and was very happy that we did as the first bird in the bins was the Pacific Golden Plover or I was fairly confident it was and once in the scope it was quickly confirmed. When we found it it was right at the back of the pool but the longer we watched it the closer it came and it gave us really nice views in the end. From this hide and during the walk back to the car we added Little Stint (Correlimos Menudo / Calidris minuta), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca) and a Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata).
Mediterranean skipper (Gegenes nostrodamus).
We went into Plaza Mayor and picked up Jayne and Lynn before going to a spot near to the Campo de Golf Channel to eat our lunch in the shade of one of the trees, once we had finished Steve and I had a quick look in the Channel but it was quiet and we only found Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica), Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea), Mediterranean skipper (Gegenes nostrodamus) and Small White (Pieris rapae) before returning to the car and then driving home.

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