Guadalhorce Pools, Malaga Province, Spain.

Birding and shopping, I know which I am happier doing.

Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops).

I drove down to Guadalhorce and parked by the school before walking straight out to the hide over looking Laguna Grande, on the way I saw and heard Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Sardinian (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Reed (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus) and Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).

Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops).

Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops).

From the hide I soon located the long staying adult winter Little Gull (Gaviota Enana / Larus minutus) on the island just infront of the hide which also had a group of Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis) preening at the oposite end.

Little Gull (Gaviota Enana / Larus minutus).

Little Gull (Gaviota Enana / Larus minutus).

Also seen out on the lake were Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Audouin's (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii) and Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Squacco Heron (Garcilla Cangrejera / Ardeola ralloides), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos) and Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica).

Male Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula).

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) on a Crown Daisy (Chrysanthemum carinatum).

I walked around to the next hide where I picked up White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), a nice male Common Redstart (Colirroja Real / Phoenicurus phoenicurus) and several Painted Lady's (Vanessa cardui) x11.

Squacco Heron (Garcilla Cangrejera / Ardeola ralloides) and Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta).

Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta).

I walked back around to the Laguna Grande hide but only added Mediterranean Gull (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus) before heading off to the hell that is IKEA and then home.