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Friday 9 November 2018

Guadalhorce, Torremolnos and Guadalhorce again, Malaga Province.

Seeing Mom and bit of birding down on the Malaga Coast.

Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).
I started off by headed down to Guadalhorce and having a look at the coast by the Western walkway but it was fairly quiet, however I did see Northern Gannet (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) and Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).
Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus).
Next I made my way into Torremolinos where I met Mom and John at their Hotel and we spent a few really nice hours wandering along the sea front and having some Lunch, this was just a short extra meet as we will be joining them at the hotel for a few days later in their holiday.
Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus).
I dropped them off in the Port of Benalmadina where they caught the tourist bus for a trip around the area and I popped up to Plaza Cantabria just up the road looking for some Bulbuls which had been around for a while but I dipped on them.
Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus).
I did see Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Robin, Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla).
Great Cormorants (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo).
I gave up and dropped back down to Guadalhorce but this time I parked by the church and walked on to the main reserve and then around to the main hide where I spent most of the visit. 
Black-necked Grebes (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis).
Whilst there I recorded Western Cattle (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Little (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) and 2x Great Egrets (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba), 6x Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), 1x Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Little (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and 10x Black-necked Grebes (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), 
Northern Shovelers (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata).
1x Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), 1x Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), 1x Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), 1x Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), 2x Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia), lots of Great Cormorants (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Western Osprey (Águila Pescardora / Pandion haliaetus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), 2x Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus), 2x Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), 5x Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Spotless and 150+ Common Starlings (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris), Meadow Pipit and Black Redstart.
Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus).
After quite a while I moved on around to the next hide seeing Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Sardinian Warbler, Robin, Song Thrush, Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs canariensis) and one of the Great Egrets which flew across to the far side of the reserve.
Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).
I continued on around to the far bank of the reserve and checked the two hides along there but they were quiet except for a single male Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica) from the wader pool and what was probably the same Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) as during my last visit but this time along the old river bank.
Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).
Down at the coastal watch point I again scanned the sea and was quite surprised to see a single Cory's Shearwater (Pardela Cenicienta / Calonectris diomedea) being harrised by a Great Skua (Págalo Grande / Stercorarius skua) just off shore.
Great Egret (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba).
I walked back to the bridge where I had a Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) before returning to the car and heading home.
Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo).
Common Starlings (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris).
Common Starlings (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris).

Wednesday 7 November 2018

Sierra de Loja, Huétor Fields, Granada Provice.

A day with 20+ members of the Andalucian Bird Society.

I met the group just off the A92 at the services near Loja where the day list was started off with a group of Iberian  Magpies (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), several House Sparrows (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and several flyover Corn Buntings (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).
The plan was to drive the 14km over to the far side of the site in one lump but we did have a couple of stops to have good views of several male Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Cabra pyreaica), Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura) and a couple of fine Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).
Once we were in the main area we parked, walked and quickly found our first Ring Ouzels ( Mirlo Capiblanco / Turdus torquatus) which were on the tops of some high rocks, during the visit we saw around 30 birds of both torquatus and alpestris subspecies.
As we walked along the track towards the crags lower down we heard and briefly saw a single Fieldfare (Zorzal Real / Turdus pilaris) as it disappeared from view over the ridge and away, as well as Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) and as we left the road and took to the tracks Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Rock Pigeon (Paloma Bravia / Columba livia), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and up on the cliffs above us 4 or 5 noisy but elusive Alpine Accentors (Acentor Alpino / Prunella collaris).
Some of the group stayed nearer to the main track whilst a few of us took to the ridge where we had another Black Wheatear, a small flock of Rock Sparrows, Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina) and several Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax).
We returned to the cars and dropped further along the track to where we were turning around but made a stop there and checked the fields and rocks finding more Thekla Larks, a nice male Rock Bunting, Black Redstart and a day time hunting Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).
As we dropped down we had a male Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus) and made a stop along the crags where some of the group had a male Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius) and then another couple of Alpine Accentors which most of the group got good views of. We finished this part of the day with Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax) along the crags, Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus) in the woods as we dropped back to the parking where we had lunch and added Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Iberian / Southern Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala).
After lunch we headed to the fields to the North of Huétor Tajar and had a walk along one of the tracks out into the fields where we started by finding Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis) and Crested Larks (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Sardinian Warbler, Black Redstart, Meadow Pipit, 20 odd Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), a single Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Common Stonechat and Common Chiffchaff.
We moved out on to the Mesia road side of the site and checked the channels and reed beds there finding a nice male Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica), Jackdaw, Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Red-legged Partridge, Iberian  Magpie, a flock of around 8 Reed Buntings (Escribano Palustre / Emberiza schoeniclus), Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Common Starling (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris), Corn Buntings and the last bird of the day a couple of Mallards (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) which dropped n just as the rain started. We all said our goodbyes and headed off in different directions home. Thanks to all those who attended and hope you all enjoyed the day despite the weather not being to kind. If anyone has any more photo's and you are happy for them to be used here please email them to me at lojawildlife@gmail.com

Monday 5 November 2018

Llanos de Antequera, Fuente de Piedra, Laguna Dulce, Malaga Province.

A muddy drive to the wet West.

Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops).
After some heavy rain over the last few day I decided to go and have a look around the wetlands and pools over the boarder in Malaga Province. On the way I picked up Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).
My first stop was on the fields at Llanos de Antequera near the town of the same name where I was disappointed and alarmed to see just how much of this once nice open area of fields was now covered in the most intensive Olive planting I have ever seen.
Along the main track  I still found good numbers of Corn Buntings (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and a Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) which was feeding on the edge of the road.
Further along the road I added Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Calandra Lark (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra) and around the corner on the track towards the former Laguna Herrera I picked up Common Starling (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris),
Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina) and quite a few Mallards (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) on a flooded field.
I left the site and headed up the road to the woodlands near Humilladero where I parked and waited to see what came down and the answer was not a great deal but I did see several Common Crossbills (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax) and Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).
I drove on along the side roads to Fuente de Piedra where I was pleased to see lots of water but there were very few birds and during the walk around the pools and from the mirador I only managed to add Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra),
Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Black-winged Stilts (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), 2x immature Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) which were the only I saw, 2x Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), 4x Common Cranes (Grulla Común / Grus grus) and 2x Shelducks (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna).
I drove around the roads to the west of the main lake along some very muddy roads, as I drove around towards the main road down to Laguna Dulce near Campillos I found a flock of 15 Avocets (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), quite a few more Common Cranes, Corn Buntings, Iberian / Southern Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus).
I drove to Laguna Dulce but again it was extreamly quiet but extreamly full and over flowig into the surrounding fields, the only species seen at the site were Eurasian Coot, Mallard, Black-winged Stilt and Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina). I drove back home via Antequera when the rain started to roll in.