Fuente de Piedra, Malaga Province and Osuna, Braza del Este and Los Palacios y Villafranca, Sevilla Province, Spain.

A day birding with Steve and Elena, heading west to Sanlucar.

Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus).

I left home and arrived at Fuente de Piedra just before 08.00, I was very surprised but pleased to find there was some water in the pools on the roadside and by the boardwalk but the main lake still looked very sad and unless we get a lot of spring rains I don't hold out much hope of the Flamingo's breeding this year.

Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) heading out to the main lagoon.

Obviously this is a huge problem for many of the species that rely on the reserve but also for the town as sooner or later they are going to loose a great deal of their tourist money if the Flamingo's abandon the lake. 

Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).

Guessing the problem is partly at least the amount of water being taken legally and in may cases illegally to irrigate the masses of Olive trees in the area, the same as in other wetland areas.

Marbled Ducks (Marmaronetta angustirostris).

Anyway I walked down to the boadwalk and checked to pool there seeing Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti).

Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula).

I saw Steve and Elena arrive so I walked back up and met them and we checked the larger pool along the roadside where we saw Black-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae) and back along the boardwalk a good number of Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) flew over us as they headed out onto the main Lagoon, several Common Chiffchaffs (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) where feeding in the Tamarisk bushes and in the same bushes we also saw a Sedge Warbler (Carricerin Común / Acrocephalus schoenobaenus).

Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus).

As we walked around the edge of the lower pools on our way around to the back pools we added Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) and a couple of Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus).

Iberian Brown Hare (Liebre ibérica / Lepus granatensis).

Around on the back pools we went into the larger of the hides over looking the larger pool where we saw Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) and lots of Rabbits (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus).

Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans).

Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).

From the second hide over looking the smaller pool we saw pairs of both Red-crested Pochard (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina) and Marbled Ducks (Marmaronetta angustirostris), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and as we walked back to the car a Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus) flew over.

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

White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia).

Our next stop was for a coffee in a bar near Osuna before we went out along the road which follows the Railway Line, a short distance along here we found several Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa) and a Iberian Brown Hare (Liebre ibérica / Lepus granatensis). 

Black-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa).

Further on as we drove to the first bridge I saw Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and 2 Lesser Kestrels (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni).

Black-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa).

From the bridge we had a soaring Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus), Calandra Lark (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra) and spread across the distant fields 20 odd Great Bustards (Avutarda Común / Otis tarda).

Great Egret (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba) and Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio).

We drove on but when  saw a large flock of at least 400+ Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans), which were soaring around the rubbish dump near La Puebla de Cazalla I pulled off and got some shots before continuing on my way to meet at Braza del Este but unfortunately Steve had taken a bad turning so I spent a while checking the first couple of areas of water finding Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica), Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Green (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) and Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia), Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina) and Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia).

Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia).

Steve and Elena arrived and told me of their travels, we continued scanning the middle wet area adding Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Little Stint (Correlimos Menudo / Calidris minuta), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) and a female type winter Reed Bunting (Escribano Palustre / Emberiza schoeniclus).

Immature Black Stork (Ciguena Negra / Ciconia nigra).

We drove a bit further on up the track to the Slucies where we saw an immature Black Stork (Ciguena Negra / Ciconia nigra) down on the main channel and on a side channel Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis) and a couple of female Black-headed Weavers (Ploceus melanocephalus) which were flycatching from some very tall reeds.

Female Black-headed Weaver (Ploceus melanocephalus).

We drove to Los Palacios, on the way Steve spotted several Night Herons (Marinete Común / Nycticorax nycticorax) sat out in a trackside field, a Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus) soared over head and in a group of bushes Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina).

Night Heron (Marinete Común / Nycticorax nycticorax).

Our last stop of the day was at the El Pantano marshes and river where after some time we had views but not good views of two Laughing Doves (Streptopelia senegalensis). We saw many of the same species in the wetland but nothing new so we headed to our hotels adding Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica) and Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus).

Laughing Dove (Streptopelia senegalensis).

Later we met again and had some food in the main square of Sanlucar de Barrameda and made arrangements for tomorrow.