Caleta de Velez, Malaga Province and Zafarraya area, Granada Province, Spain.

Scanning through the Gull on Caleta Port beach.

 

Caspian Gull (Gaviota del Caspio / Larus cachinnans).

Andy and I headed down to Caleta de Velez where a colour ringed Caspian Gull (Gaviota del Caspio / Larus cachinnans) had been recorded for several day. 

Caspian Gull (Gaviota del Caspio / Larus cachinnans).

We arrived and spent quite a while searching the gulls on the beach but as hard as we tried we could not find the bird, two Spanish birders were also having the same results, we did however see Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus) and Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Shag (Cormorán Mondudo / Phalacrocorax aristotelis), Northern Gannet (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus), Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres) and Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba).

Caspian Gull (Gaviota del Caspio / Larus cachinnans).

Caspian Gull (Gaviota del Caspio / Larus cachinnans).

We walked a bit further down the prom and checked the Yacht port out seeing nothing we turned around and made another quick check of the beach again and after a few minutes we located the target bird stood just above the tide line, the light was just wrong but I got some OKish shots before I flew out to sea.

Shag (Cormorán Mondudo / Phalacrocorax aristotelis).

From here we headed back toward Zafarraya but stopped to have some lunch just through the Arch into Granada Province where I have stopped before. 

Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta).

After eating we walked the old railway line adding Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura), lots of Crag Martins (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) and Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).

Crag Martins (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris).

Crag Martins (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris).

Once we reached the car we started to drive back towards the house taking the more cross country route and during the drive we had views of Siskin (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus), Brambling (Pinzón Real / Fringilla montifringilla), Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus) and Redwing (Zorzal Alirrojo / Turdus illacus).

Siskin (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus) female.