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Tuesday 27 November 2018

Arroyo Marin, Laguna Grande, Malaga Province and Sierra de Loja, Granada Province.

Woods, Water and Mountains.

Iberian  Magpies (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki).
Nicky and I headed out again and made our way west over the boarder into Malaga Province and down in to the Arroyo Marin. We parked and walked the first Km or so scanning as we went and finding Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), a good group of Iberian  Magpies (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) some of which sat up nicely, Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Blue (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) and Long-tailed Tits (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs canariensis), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla) and as we returned to the car we had both male and female Black Wheatears (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura).
Ferruginous Ducks (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca).
We drove further along the valley to the chain barrier and spent some time checking the more open area nearby and the dencer trees near the river and boosted the list with a calling Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes) and some flyover Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra).
Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae).
On our way to the Sierra we called in at Laguna Grande which was full to the brim but also had quite a few birds there including Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), 3x Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca) and Great Crested (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus) and Little Grebes (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and up off the water Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei), Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata), Long-tailed Tit, Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius) and Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki). 
Ring Ouzel (Mirlo Capiblanco / Turdus torquatus).
We continued on along the motorway and then up the Sierra de Loja where we drove right over to the far side picking up Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura), a couple of Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) and Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis).
At the far side of the Charca del Negra track we searched the Hawthorn trees and soon found the first of quite a few Ring Ouzels (Mirlo Capiblanco / Turdus torquatus) which were feeding on the winter berries, during the visit we saw around 15 birds of both torquatus and alpestris subspecies.
Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae).
In the same area we also had a single Fieldfare (Zorzal Real / Turdus pilaris), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia) and Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).
On our way back down along the crags we had good views of another Dartford Warbler, Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) and Iberian Green Woodpecker.

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