Guadalhorce, Caleta de Velez, Malaga Province and Motril Port area, Granada Province.

An early return to the Malaga and Granada Coast.

 

Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus).

I left Huelva after eventually defrosting the car at 06.00 and headed for Guadalhorce on the Malaga coast looking for a reported Rock Pipit (Bisbita Costero / Anthus petrosus), so after a long drive with breakfast sandwich on the way I was at the parking by the church at 09.15 and then walked out on to the reserve.

As I walked out to the seawatch point I picked up a pale morph Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) and Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).

Just before I arrived at the seawatch point I bumped into Bob Wright and then Andy Patterson and we found 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), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo) and Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis) but there was no sign of the wanted Rock Pipit.

Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).

Bob and Andy went back through the reserve and I spent some time watching Northern Gannets (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus) out to sea before walking along the beach checking the smaller birds but I only managed Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), a dozen or so Kentish Plovers (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus) and a couple of Sanderlings (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba).

Great Black-backed Gull (Gavión Atlántico / Larus marinus) 1st winter.

I walked inland to the main hide overlooking Laguna Grande where I again saw Bob and we found White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), Red-crested Pochard (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), lots of Great Cormornts, Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and in some dead trees Spotless (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and Common Starlings (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris).

Great Black-backed Gull (Gavión Atlántico / Larus marinus) 1st winter.

I started to walk back to the car after arranging to meet Bob at Caleta later, on the walk back I saw Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and several Monk Parakeets (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus) and Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis).

Great Black-backed Gull (Gavión Atlántico / Larus marinus) 1st winter.

Once back at the car I drove over to Caleta de Velez where I checked the fenced off beach and found the 1st winter Great Black-backed Gull (Gavión Atlántico / Larus marinus) in amongst the Lesser Black-backed, Yellow-Legged and Black-heads.

Common Gull (Gaviota Cana /Larus canus).

I met up with Bob and we checked out the pleasure boat port looking for the Common Gulls (Gaviota Cana /Larus canus) that were reported but we found nothing so we returned to the beach where we saw the Great Black-backed again and then a Spanish birder who was watching the GBBG said that one of the Common Gulls was at the other end of the beach.

Common Gull (Gaviota Cana /Larus canus).

Bob and I walked down and soon found the gull right on the waters edge but into the sun so we walked around to the other side of the bird but whilst we were out of sight of it for just a few seconds it disappeared. We also saw a Sanderling, House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and more Monk Parakeets.

Siskin (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus) Male.

I said goodbye to Bob and continued on along the coast to the mouth of the Port at Mortil, I parked and then walked down to the sea via the bridge and then the walk way to the beach. On the way I had a very smart male Siskin (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus) in the same tree as three Black-rumped Waxbills (Estrilda troglodytes).

Great Northern Diver (Colimbo Grande / Gavia immer).

Great Northern Diver (Colimbo Grande / Gavia immer).

Once I was down on the beach I set the scope and was pleased to find that the Great Northern Divers (Colimbo Grande / Gavia immer) that Good Friend Juan Perez had seen yesterday was still there but it was very active and was diving continually.

Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis).

In the same area I also had views of Sandwich Tern, White Wagtail, Lesser Black-backed and Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus) and Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild). After an hour and a half of watching the diver it took off and flew out to sea but I hear it was back again in the morning, as the bird had disappeared I drove back home after a good successful trip.