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Wednesday 5 September 2018

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 (Ciguenuela 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 (Ciguenuela 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 (Aguila Calzada / Aquila pennatus), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus).
Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela 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 (Pontia daplidice), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) and Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata).
Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela 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 (Aguila Calzada / Aquila 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 Reidora / Chroicocephalus 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).

Sunday 2 September 2018

Near Huétor Tajar, Granada Province, Spain.

Another two Goldens but this time an Adult as well.

Adult down low and immature higher up.
After the 2CY bird low over the house a couple of days ago I was pleased to see these two Golden Eagles (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos), an Adult and the 2CY bird moving West but they remained much more distant. I often get immature birds here but adults are a much rarer sight. Looking at this pic and the ones a couple of days ago I can clearly see the 2CY bird in both due to the damaged feather in the secondiers of the left wing.