Near Los Palacios y Villafranca, Barza del Este, driving to and at Grazalema, Sevilla and Cadiz Provinces, Spain.

A couple more for the year list and a trip over to see friends.

 

Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild).

I left Los Helechos early after a good night and drove north to a spot along a dry river bed near to the town of Los Palacios y Villafranca where I parked and stood by the car looking for the very local Laughing Dove (Streptopelia senegalensis) which have been in the area for a few years now but failed to see them for the first time.

Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild).

However I still built up a nice list including Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus) and my first Western Olivaceous Warbler (Iduna opaca) of the year.

Night Heron (Marinete Común / Nycticorax nycticorax).

Night Heron (Marinete Común / Nycticorax nycticorax).

I walked across the bridge and then along the far back along side the wetland and reedbeds, as I walked I found Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus), Night Heron (Marinete Común / Nycticorax nycticorax), Western Cattle (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) and Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Squacco Heron (Garcilla Cangrejera / Ardeola ralloides), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus), Whiskered Tern (Fumarel Cariblanca / Chilidonias hybridus), Collared Pratincole (Canastera Común / Glareola pratincola) and Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica).

Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto).

White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia).

I drove through the town and out on a track to the west of the town where I drove to an almost dry pool with a good sized Heronry in a bank of Tamarisk trees, on the way I had several pairs of White Storks (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia) on pylons, some more European Bee-eaters feeding from the wires and down on the ditches lots more Night Herons.

Yellow-crowned Bishop (Euplectes afer).

Yellow-crowned Bishop (Euplectes afer).

Once I arrived at the pool I added Purple Heron (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea), Glossy Ibis, Whiskered Terns, Black-headed Gulls, a nice male Yellow-crowned Bishop (Euplectes afer) which was singing from the top of dead sticks and a female Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum).

Purple Heron (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea).

Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio) a few of the many I saw.

Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus).

I continued on the tracks out to Barza del Este but took a wrong turn some where and ended up back in town but as it turned out it was a good wrong turn as I stopped on the way back out to the Wetlands to have some breakfast.

European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster).

Night Heron (Marinete Común / Nycticorax nycticorax).

I finished breakfast and drove out to the first area of water along the main track where I was surprised to see loads of water but not many birds, on the pools I found 4 Marbled Ducks (Marmaronetta angustirostris) which was very nice, masses of Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), Black-winged Stilts, Great Reed Warbler (Carricero Tordal / Acrocephalus arundinaceus), Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Savi's Warbler (Buscarla Unicolor / Locustella luscinoides), Little Grebe, Purple (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea) and Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans).

Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum) female.

Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio).

Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio).

Marbled Duck (Marmaronetta angustirostris).

On the first bend in the river I added Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Gull-billed Tern (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica) and Greater Short-toed Lark (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla).

Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus).

Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra) female.

Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra).

I continued on around the rest of the area before heading off towards Grazalema but I didn't add anything else.

Campanula mollis.

On the way through the mountains I made a stop at Fuente del Descansadero where I spent some time gong through the butterflies finding lots of Cleopatras (Gonepteryx cleopatra), Spanish Gatekeeper (Pyronia bathseba), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Holly (Celastrina argiolus) and Common / Southern Blue (Polyommatus icarus / celina), Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Small (Thymelicus sylvestris) and Southern Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus baeticus), an unexpected Copper Demoiselle (Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis) and on the surrounding rocks I also had  Campanula mollis.

Candlestick Bugloss (Echium boissieri).

Curly Rockrose (Cistus crispus).

Tolpis nemoralis.

I continued on finding Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirundo daurica), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus) and Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila pennatus).

Blue-eye (Erythromma lindenii).

Blue-eye (Erythromma lindenii).

My next stop was at the Mirador Puerto del Boyar where I saw Tolpis nemoralis, Curly Rockrose (Cistus crispus), Grey-leaved Cistus (Cistus albidus), Candlestick Bugloss (Echium boissieri), Echium albicans and half a dozen or so Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris).

I drove through Grazalema as I was too early still to meet Sue and made a brief stop on the Rio Guadalete seeing male and female Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa) before having a walk along a stretch of the Arroyo de Campabuches finding Blue-eye (Erythromma lindenii), Orange Featherleg (Platycnemis acutipennis), Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator), Orange-winged Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi), a Pincertail species, Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris), Small White (Pieris rapae), Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina) and lots of the noisy Perez's Frogs (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi).

Small White (Pieris rapae).

I got to Sue's at around 18.00 and we had a good chat and caught up with a few things as both of our lifers had been turned upside down for one reason or another. Whilst we sat up on the terrace we had Pallid (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus), Common Swifts (Vencejo Común / Apus apus) in large numbers and a couple of Alpines (Vencejo Real / Apus melba), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) and a nice male Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).

Orange Featherleg (Platycnemis acutipennis).

Later we had a very nice evening meal, a glass of Red and chatted for ages, did me good and Sue I hope.