Fuente de Piedra, Arroyo Marin, Malaga Province,

A day out in Malaga Province.

Sharon, John and Caitlin, Day Eight.

 

Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata).

We headed out along the A92 to Fuente de Piedra, on the pool on the entrance track we found Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Ruff (Combatiente / Philomachus pugnax) x8, Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia).

Immature Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

We parked and walked around to the far side of the Visitor's Centre where we scanned the main lake and saw a hundred or so Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) but we were looking for an immature Lesser Flamingo (Flamenco Enano / Phoenicopterus minor) which had been reported a few days earlier but we did not find it unfortunately. 

Immature Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

From this point we also picked up Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula).

Ruff (Combatiente / Philomachus pugnax).

We moved around to the back two hides over looking the freshwater pools, as we walked round we found a very well behaved Praying Mantis (Mantis religiosa), once in the hide we scanned the larger pool finding Little (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Marbled Duck (Marmaronetta angustirostris), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica).

Praying Mantis (Mantis religiosa).

From the smaller pool we added  Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata) x3, Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Common Redstart (Colirroja Real / Phoenicurus phoenicurus) x2 and Common Whitethroat (Curruca Zarcera / Sylvia communis).

Praying Mantis (Mantis religiosa).

We returned to the first hide and picked up Wryneck (Torcecuello / Jynx torquilla), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Willow Warbler (Mosquitero Musical / Phylloscopus trochillus), Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus) as well as Small White (Pieris rapae) x2, Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) x5, Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus) and Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi).

Immature Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

As we walked back towards the car we spent a while checking out some flycatching birds we saw another Common Redstart, a female type Pied Flycatcher (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca) and a Garden Warbler (Curruca Mosquitera / Sylvia borin).

Walking back up the Marin.

On the road out we picked up a sizable flock of 6x Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus) and 36  Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus).

Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica).

Our final stop of the day was on the way back to the house at Arroyo Marin where we had a good long walk along the valley and we boosted the list by finding Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus), Common Crossbills (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra) and a Red Deer (Ciervo común / Cervus elaphus) which was bellowing from the pines on the hillside but it remained hidden and as we got back to the car we saw two Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica) on the crags.