Laguna Dulce, Fuente de Piedra, Travelling to La Rambla and back home via Ecija, Malaga, Sevilla and Cordoba Provinces.

A mornings birding, a bit of cermic shopping and a nice visit to Ecija for lunch and a wander around the town.

Female Little Crake (Polluela Bastarda / Porzana parva).

Jayne and I were up and out earlish and made our first stop of the morning at Laguna Dulce near Campillos where almost straight away I had the target species in the bins, the female Little Crake (Polluela Bastarda / Porzana parva) had been around for a few days and I had already missed it once so I was very happy to get good views.

Female Little Crake (Polluela Bastarda / Porzana parva).

After standing by the last post of the shielding fence for a while the bird wandered into view and I managed to get a few shots but the light was not great. A little later I had good views in a slightly better light.

Female Little Crake (Polluela Bastarda / Porzana parva).

Out on the lake I also recorded Black-necked (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), Great Crested (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus) and Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), Red-crested (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina) and Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), 2x Eurasian Curlew (Zaoaito Real / Numenius arquata), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

Great Crested Grebe (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus).

We moved on and made our way to Fuente de Piedra visitor's Centre, on the drive in there were several more Greater Flamingo's on the pool on the left along with Eurasian Coot, Common Moorhen, Black-winged Stilt, Snipe and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus).

I scanned the main lake from the mirador seeing huge numbers of Greater Flamingo's, Northern Shovelers, Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), a single Gull-billed Tern (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica) which flew out over the lake, Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) and Black-headed Gulls.

Spotted Crake (Polluela Pintoja / Porzana porzana).

Around the back on the fresh water pools I added Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Red-crested and Common Pochards, Gadwall, Mallard, White-headed Duck, Little and Black-necked Grebe, Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and Cetti's Warbler.

Spotted Crake (Polluela Pintoja / Porzana porzana).

I walked down to the board walk where I bumped into several Spanish birders who were watching at least 3 Spotted Crakes (Polluela Pintoja / Porzana porzana) which I had good views of and got some distant shots of and just a few meters away a Sedge Warbler (Carricerin Común / Acrocephalus schoenobaenus) was singing from deep in a Tamarisk bush but I did manage a brief view as it flew from one to another.

I returned to the car and we drove off up to the town seeing a couple of White Storks (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia) on the pool by the road and a pair of Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) on the field near the main road.

Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

We had a coffee and toast in the town before heading North towards La Rambla via Puente Genil adding Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), a Marsh Harrier and by the Rio de Cabra a big surprise as there were around 300 Black Kites (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans) some of which were bathing down in the River whilst loads were passing over much higher. Down on the Rio there was a single White Stork, a dozen or so Black-winged Stilts, a single Redshank, 8 Avocets and a pair of Red-rumped Swallows (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirundo daurica).

Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans).

Once we arrived in La Rambla we found everything we wanted surprisingly quickly so after a coffee we headed to the town of Ecija, a place a friend had recently recommended as a good place to visit and he was spot on. 

We had a very nice lunch sat out in the sun at Bar Canarias before wandering around the streets looking at the Churches and plaza'sand after a cracking afternoon we headed back home.