Near Archidona, Fuente de Piedra, Laguna Dulce, Teba, Vulture feeding station and other Campillos Laguns, Malaga Province.

A day around the Malaga Lagoons, some with water some with less.

Hawfinch (Picogordo / Coccotraustes coccotrauetes).

Bona, Don and I headed out West and across into Malaga Province where our first stop was in a Valley near to Archidona, a place I always enjoy. We parked and started to walk along the main track but progress was slow as we kept finding new species for Ron to photograph which included Blue  (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia).

Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula).

In amongst the vegetaion along the rio we heard Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and as we walked a little further on we saw the first of a few Hawfinches (Picogordo / Coccotraustes coccotrauetes) later we had a bird which showed well for us in the open. As we moved on we also caught up with Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), a drumming and calling Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Spotted (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata) and Pied Flycatchers (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca), Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes) and several Robins (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula) which called and sang nicely. 

Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata).

As we got back towards the car we scanned the old quarry buildings and found a male Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura) on one of the electrical pylons, a good bird to get before we moved on towards Fuente de Piedra.

Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus).

Just after we got off the motorway we picked up a very smart pale phase Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus) which soared above us just on the edge of town, we continued on after getting some flight shots and parked just below the visitors centre on the car park.

Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

We moved around to the Mirador and scanned the almost empty lake seeing a few Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) and out on the dry part of the lake there was a large flock of Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus). In the same area we also saw a good number of Ringed Plovers (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula) out on the mud and in the bushes and general area we added Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Western Orphean Warbler (Curruca Mirlano / Sylvia hortensis), several Rabbits (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus), Carpentor Bee (Xylocopa violacea), Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii), Small White (Pieris rapae) and Clouded Yellow (Colias Común / Colias corcea).

Red Fox (Zorro / Vulpus vulpus).

We moved around to the hide over looking the back pool where we saw quite a few new species including Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Common (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Green (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), a single Wood Sandpiper (Andarrios Bastardo / Tringa glareola) and 2x Curlew Sandpipers (Correlimos Zarapitin / Calidris ferruginea), Little Stint (Correlimos Menudo / Calidris minuta), Ruff (Combatiente / Philomachus pugnax), Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina) x1, Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala) x4, Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and a very nice Red Fox (Zorro / Vulpus vulpus) which came out of the reeds on the far side of the pool.

Common Whitethroat (Curruca Zarcera / Sylvia communis).

We walked back to the car and had our lunch, whilst we were stood there a smart looking immature male Common Redstart (Colirroja Real / Phoenicurus phoenicurus) and at least two Common Whitethroat (Curruca Zarcera / Sylvia communis) came into a bush nearby and posed nicely for the camera.

Common Whitethroat (Curruca Zarcera / Sylvia communis).

We drove across country to Laguna Dulce we saw 3x Ravens (Cuervo / Corvus corax) feeding way out on some fields but little else.

At the Laguna we found good numbers of Greater Flamingo's, masses of Eurasian Coots,  Several waders including  Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba), Wood Sandpiper and many of the species seen earlier.

Common Redstart (Colirroja Real / Phoenicurus phoenicurus).

We next visited the crags near to Teba seeing good numbers of Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) and several calling Red-billed Choughs (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) before going to a nearby Vulture feeding station seeing a couple of Griffons there along with our first

Iberian / Southern Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) and Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae).

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

From here we did a loop back to Campillos stopping at a Pine woodland on the way where we had good views of several Pied and Spotted Flycatchers, a cracking male Common Wheatear, Short-toed Treecreeper and Common Crossbills (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra). 

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

Our last stop of the day was at Laguna Catacete, again seeing more Greater Flamingo's, White-headed Duck, Common Pochard, Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Ringed Plover,  Ruff, Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Red Knot ( Correlimos Gordo / Calidris canutus), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and 3x Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis). From here we headed back to the house.

Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).