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Friday 16 February 2018

Home near Huétor Tajar, Granada Province.

An hour in the hide by the pool.

Hawfinch (Picogordo / Coccotraustes coccotrauetes).
After filling the feeders I set the hide up and waited to see what arrived. There were several Siskins (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus) still knocking about including at least three ♂ and even more ♀, ♂ Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), ♂♀ Blackbird
Hawfinch (Picogordo / Coccotraustes coccotrauetes).
(Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), ♂♀ House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), ♂♀ Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), ♂♀ Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), a couple of singing Short-toed Treecreepers (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla) in the olives, Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and a beast of a Hawfinch (Picogordo / Coccotraustes coccotrauetes) dropped straight into the feeder scattering everything. It sat there for a while and flew straight out again not giving a chance for a clear shot. 

Siskin (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus) female.
Siskin (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus) male.
Siskin (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus) female.
Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla).
Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla) male.
Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla) female.
Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla) female.
House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) male.
House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) male.
House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) male.

Monday 12 February 2018

Caleta de Velez and Laguna de La Barrera, Malaga Province.

A very nice day down on the coast.

One or two Gulls to search through.
After an early visit to the hospital for Jayne we headed off down to Caleta de Velez where I spent a while looking for the reported 1st Winter Iceland Gull (Gaviota Groenlandesa / Larus glaucoides) which had been around for a few days, I did not find it but did see lots of Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and Mediterranean Gulls (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba), a couple of Grey Herons (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) which were on the port wall and several Little Egrets (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) on the rocks below.
Grey Herons (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).
In the trees nearby there were loads of Monk Parakeets (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and in the air several Crag Martins (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris).
I did not find the target species so we went in to Torre del Mar where we did some shopping and then went up to the shopping center near the motorway where Jayne had a successful visit.
Little Egrets (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta).
After the shopping we returned to the Port where I met up with Bob Wright and not long after he arrived we had an adult winter Common Gull (Gaviota Cana /Larus canus) fly past us at the head of a flock of Meds and Black-heads and on the outer sea wall a couple of Ruddy Turnstones (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres) whilst out to sea there were several Northern Gannets (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus).
Female Tufted Duck (Porrón Monudo / Aythya fuligula).
I left Bob at the port and then Jayne and I went back to Torre where we had lunch on the sea front before going back yet again to the port for another go at the Gull and after about 40 minutes I saw it out in the port entrance in flight, it flew around for several minutes and then turned towards the beach but before it got close a large flock of birds came up on the far side of the sea wall telling me that another fishing boat was coming in and the Iceland Gull turn around and disappeared into the masses of birds. I waited around for a while longer seeing the bird briefly again but it disappeared behind the sea wall. 
Female Tufted Duck (Porrón Monudo / Aythya fuligula).
I gave in waiting for it to come into the beach and we headed off towards Malaga, on the way we called in quickly at a small lake called Laguna de La Barrera on the out skirts of the city where Bob had seen a female Tufted Duck (Porrón Monudo / Aythya fuligula) earlier in the day amongst a flock of Common Pochards (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina). In the same area I also saw Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major).
Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina) male.
We went back to the car and then dropped down to the shops in the city where we finished the day off with some shopping before heading back home after a great day.