Guadalmar sea front, Guadalhorce, Malaga Province.

Some birding down on the coast with friend Steve Jones from Cornwall.

Great Cormorants (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) and Northern Shovelers (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata) on Laguna Grande.

I made my way down to Malaga Airport where I was meeting Steve Jones who was coming over from the UK so we could go and do some Iberian Lynx (lince iberico/ Lynx pardina) watching in Sierra Morena. I was quite early so I went down on to the beach at Guadalmar where I had been a few days earlier and seen some good sea duck.

Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos).

When I first arrived I could find nothing on the sea so I decided to walk back to the car, on the way I bumped into Derek, Barbara, Barbara and Jerry so I walked back with them and we again scanned with the aid of their scopes and soon found the 30 or so Common Scoters (Negrón Común / Melanitta nigra) and the 3 Velvets (Negrón Especulado / Melanitta fusca) as well as Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Black-headed Gulls (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Crag Martins (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and a single Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) which was my first of the year.

Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia).

I found Steve at the airport and we went back out to the coast at Guadalhorce where we parked on the beach carpark and walked along the beach and on to the reserve, once we were in the main hide over looking Laguna Grande we picked up Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia), Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Little (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) and Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), 1x Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), 10x Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), Spotless (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and Common Starling (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris), Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra).

Male White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala).

From the next hide we had a couple of cracking looking male White-headed Ducks (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca).

Male White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala).

We walked around to the two hides on the bank seeing a group of 5 Black-tailed Godwits (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa) which had beed flushed up by a passing Booted Eagle, Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus) and Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) on the way and from the hide a group of Monk Parakeets (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus).

Male White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala).

From the wader hide I was pleased to see the Spotted Redshank (Archibebe Oscuro / Tringa erythropus) that had been around for a while, Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) and just along the track the first of several Crested Larks (Cogujada / Galerida cristata).

Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina).

We continued on down the track towards the sea and added Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba) and Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina) on the old river and down at the watch point Northern Gannet (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus), Great Skua (Págalo Grande / Stercorarius skua) and Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis).

Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis).

We walked back along the back and around to the hide over looking the long hide where we got some shots of the White-headed Ducks before returning to the main hide where we got good views of the Eurasian Curlew (Zaoaito Real / Numenius arquata).

Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra).

During the walk around the reserve we also had Clouded Yellow (Colias Común / Colias corcea), Large (Pieris brassicae) and Small White (Pieris rapae). We walked back to the car seeing several
House Sparrows (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) on the way and then made our way back up to the house.

5 Black-tailed Godwits (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa).

Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta).

Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis).

Eurasian Curlew (Zaoaito Real / Numenius arquata).

Eurasian Curlew (Zaoaito Real / Numenius arquata).

House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus).