Guadalhorce, Malaga Province and driving north to Extremadura.

Leicester Ladies tour of Extremadura.

Pickup, day One.

Pre-tour birding at Guadalhorce and the drive North to Torrejón el Rubio.

Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis).

I drove down to Malaga early and before I collected the van for the Extremadura tour starting later in the day I spent a few hours at Guadalhorce Pools, as I walked along the beach where I started the list with Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris). 

I walked on to the reserve and to the main hide over looking Laguna Grande finding good numbers of Slender-billed Gulls (Gaviota Picofina / Larus genei) as well as good numbers of Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), more Sandwich Terns and several Gull-billed (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica).

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

Waders included several Dunlins (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina), 3x Curlew Sandpipers (Correlimos Zarapitin / Calidris ferruginea), Black-winged Stilts (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), 2x Avocets (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Kentish (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus) and Ringed Plovers (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba) and Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos).

Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis).

Also seen around this pool were Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), an immature Whiskered Tern (Fumarel Cariblanca / Chilidonias hybridus) and Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta).

Slender-billed Gulls (Gaviota Picofina / Larus genei).

Smaller birds included Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus). 
I left the reserve and made my way to the Van hire company where I collected a Mercedes Vito van, never again as the bloody thing had so many warning alarms which were just so dam annoying.
Anyway once I had the van I met the Ladies from Leicester and we started to head north towards Torrejon el Rubio, before we made a lunch stop we had started the trip list with Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) and several White Storks (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia).

Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) a very pale bird.

We made a stop at a bar where we got some fuel and food and on an area of grass behind the bar where we had Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Large (Pieris brassicae), Small (Pieris rapae) and Bath Whites (Blanqiverdosa / Pontia daplidice), Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina ssp hispulla),  Clouded Yellow (Colias Común / Colias corcea) and a smart False Ilex Hairstreak (Querquera / Satyrium esculi).

Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

Plants found in the grassland included Field marigold (Calendula arvensis), Mallow-leaved Bindweed (Convolvulus althaeoides), Purple Bugloss (Echium plantagineum), Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum), Corn Poppy (Papaver rhoeas) and others.
We continued north to the pools along side the Rio Guadiana at the Puentes de Don Benito, we parked and checked a couple of the pools finding a nice Purple Heron (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea), Mallard, European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), a couple of Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis), a single Gull-billed Tern,  a Great Reed Warbler (Carricero Tordal / Acrocephalus arundinaceus) which played hard to see, Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Alpine Swift (Vencejo Real / Apus melba), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Barn Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirundo daurica), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), a small group of Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild) and low over the water Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope) and Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea) and there were also several Stripe-necked Terrapins (Mauremys leprosa).

Immature Whiskered Tern (Fumarel Cariblanca / Chilidonias hybridus).

We continued heading North to our accommodation and by the time we reached a supermarket in Trujillo we had boosted the list with Greenfinch, Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), House Martin, Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Pallid (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus), Alpine Swift and Common Swift, Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus), Rock (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia), Collared and Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus), Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans) and Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

False Ilex Hairstreak (Querquera / Satyrium esculi).

At the supermarket there were a couple of Lesser Kestrels (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni) and at the accommodation in Torrejoh de Rubio I could hear good numbers of Perez's Frogs (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi).