A Spanish Lifer over shadowed by an Owl.
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Slavonian / Horned Grebe (Zampullín Cuellirrojo / Podiceps auritus). |
After quite a run around which started with a visit to Granada hospital, the down to the coast and along to Torre del Mar to call at a market to see a man about a TV box, next came Ikea and some more shopping before a very nice visit to have afternoon tea with Juliet and David Hird. Later we headed back towards Malaga where I dropped Jayne at Plaza Mayor and my last stop was at Guadalhorce.
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Ruff (Combatiente / Philomachus pugnax) and Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus). |
I parked at the beach and walked over the sand bar and into the reserve via the track off the beach, as I walked I started the list off with 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), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris).
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Short-eared Owl (Buho Campestre / Asio flammeus) flying infront of the hide. |
As I walked towards the main hide I met Noel Hohenthal and very shortly we were watching the winter plumaged Slavonian / Horned Grebe (Zampullín Cuellirrojo / Podiceps auritus) which was the third Spanish lifer of the year for me. We moved around to the hide and watched the grebe again from there along with Black-necked (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis) and Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina),1x female Northern Pintail (Ánade Rabudo / Anas acuta), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), a single Ruff (Combatiente / Philomachus pugnax), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula) and as we sat there a stunning Short-eared Owl (Buho Campestre / Asio flammeus) which flew right across in front of the hide and away off to the right.
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Short-eared Owl (Buho Campestre / Asio flammeus). |
After a while I left the hide and walked back towards the beach and soon relocated the Short-eared Owl and spent a superb hour watching and photographing this stunning bird before heding back to pick up Jayne from the shopping centre and then driving home after quite a long day.
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Short-eared Owl (Buho Campestre / Asio flammeus). |