IF YOU ARE LOOKING AT THE BLOG ON A PHONE PLEASE CHANGE TO WEB VIEW AT BOTTOM OF PAGE AS IT WILL LOOK BETTER, THANKS MICK.

Wednesday 15 May 2019

Guadalhorce, Malaga Province and Sierra de Loja, Granada Province.

A morning around the pools with Mehdi and Tatiana before meeting Karen and Rob at the airport.

Collared Pratincole (Canastera Común / Glareola pratincola).
I drove down to the cost and walked in to the reserve along the beach again, on the river there was a pair of Black-winged Stilts (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) out to sea and a male Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) in the beach scrub.
Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).
Once in the hide I immediately picked up a flying Collared Pratincole (Canastera Común / Glareola pratincola) in amongst the flock of feeding Sandwich (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis) and Whiskered Terns (Fumarel Cariblanca / Chilidonias hybridus).
Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).
Out on the pool there was also a good selection of waders including Ringed (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula) and Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus), Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus) x3, Black-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa), Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres), Little Stint (Correlimos Menudo / Calidris minuta) and a couple of flighty Common Sandpipers (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos). After a while Mehdi and Tatiana arrived after getting nice views of a couple of Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) which showed well for their camera.
Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula).
We boosted the list when a group of Slender-billed Gulls (Gaviota Picofina / Larus genei) dropped in along with Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Pallid (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus) and Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), a couple of Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos) and Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula).
Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus).
We moved on and walked around to the next hide finding a female Pied Flycatcher (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca) in the Tamarisk trees.
Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus).
We arrived at the hide and soon found Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala) and a stunning male Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus) which was sat in the top of a nearby Tamarisk.
Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus).
We walked around to the next two hides were we had better views of the Black-tailed Godwit and a Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia).
Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres).
There were lots of waders on the old river but the only new ones were Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina) and Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba) along with a few adult and immature Audouin's Gull (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii).
Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus).
We headed back to the cars along the beach and as we reached the river I said goodbye the Mehdi and Tatiana as they went to try and get better views of the Hoopoes they had seen on the way in and I headed to the Airport to meet Karen and Rob.
Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina).
I arrived with just a few minutes to spair as Karen and Robs flight had arrived early and they were through the airport very quickly. We got to the car and headed back towards the local patch and decided to call in at te lower quarry track on the way to the hotel and quickly started the trip on a high with the adult Eagle Owl (Buho Real / Bubo bubo) which was sat on it's usual perch.
Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus).
We spent the next warm hour or so searching the areas along the track and found Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenodes), Spanish Gatekeeper (Lobito listado / Pyronia bathsheba), Panoptes Blue (Pseudophilotes panoptes), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), Small (Pieris rapae) and Bath White (Blanqiverdosa / Pontia daplidice), Southern Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus boeticus), Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli), Centaurea boissieri, Centaurea prolongoi, Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalia), Andalusian Storksbill (Erodium recorderi), Blue Hedgehog Broom (Erinacea anthyllis), Common Snapdragon (Antirrhinum major), Tassel Hyacinth (Leopoldia comosa), Yellow Rockrose (Helianthemum nummularium), Bonelli's Eagle (Aguila-azor Perdicera / Hieraaetus faciatus), Barn (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirundo daurica),  Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) and a fleeting Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata).
Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus).
We headed in to the Cortijo de Tajar where Karen and Rob checked in and we sorted out the pickup for morning before I headed Home.
Black-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa).
Black-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa).
Southern Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus boeticus).
Southern Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus boeticus).
Centaurea boissieri

No comments: