Guadalhorce, Malaga Province.

Revisiting the Pacific Golden Plover at Guadalhorce Pools.

Pacific Golden Plover (Chorlito Dorado Siberiano / Pluvialis fulva).

I dropped Jayne and Barb off in Torremolinos where they spent the morning shopping whilst I went down to the Pools at Guadalhorce to see if I could see the long staying Pacific Golden Plover (Chorlito Dorado Siberiano / Pluvialis fulva) again. I walked in from the parking by the church, on the way in I saw a couple of Little Egrets (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), a Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis) and as I walked along the reed fringed track out towards the hide over looking the wader scrape end of the Rio Viejo I had an immature Ortolan Bunting (Escribano Hortolano / Emberiza hortulana) out on the track feeding before flying up and over the reeds towards Laguna Escondida.

Pacific Golden Plover (Chorlito Dorado Siberiano / Pluvialis fulva).

I missed the hide over looking Laguna de la Casilla and went to the wader scrape where there was quite a crowd, two faces stood out amongst them, the first was Derek Etherton who I know quite well and then I spotted a face I know well but have only ever seen on the net, John Cantelo from the Uk. 

Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus).

It was great after messaging for quite a while now to actually meet and have a good chat. John, Derek and Antony moved down to the next section of the river looking for the Plover but I decided to stay in the hide and see what was about, I quickly found Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Little Ringed (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius) and Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus).

Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus).

John and Co returned and said the Plover was down on the Rio so I had a walk down and after a bit of a search I found the bird on the rocks on the far shore and quite distant. In the same area there were several Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina), Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba), Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus) as well as a good sized flock of Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris) and Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis).

Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).

I walked back up to the wader hide but there was nothing new so I headed for Laguna Escondida picking up Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii), Banded Groundling (Brachythemis impartita), Orange-winged Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi), Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator), Bath White (Blanqiverdosa / Pontia daplidice), Clouded Yellow (Colias Común / Colias corcea) and Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata).

Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus).

From and around the hide there was a good flock of Linnets (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), several Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina) and as I started to walk around to the main hide over looking Laguna Grande I had good views of a male Long Skimmer (Orthetrum trinacria).

Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus).

From the hide I was lots of Gulls, most were Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) but in with them there were also good numbers of Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Audouin's (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus) and 5+ Slender-billed (Gaviota Picofina / Larus genei).

Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus).

Other species were Little Tern (Charrancito Común / Sterna albifrons), Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia), Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) and 5 Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata).

As I walled back towards the car I found a very confident Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata) which just totally ignored me as I took his photo and just as i got back to the bridge I had the Immature Ortolan Bunting again on the main path.

Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata).