Guadlahorce Pools and Beach, Parque de la Represa, Marbella, Río Guadaiza and Finca Molina, Casares, Malaga Province, Spain.

A cracking bit of birding on my way to see friend John Hale at Finca Molina with an unexpected Lifer.

Ebird List for Guadalhorce, 55 species.

Ebird List for Parque de la Represa, 18 species.

Ebird List for Río Guadaiza, 18 Species.

Ebird List for Finca Molina, 11 species.

The beach at Guadalhorce with quite a good swell out to sea.

I left home to sound of a couple of calling Little Owls (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) in the nearby Olives and made my way down to Malaga where I called in at the Guadalhorce Reserve, I parked near the beach and walked up onto the bank where I started the list off with Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major).

Bonaparte's (Gaviota de Bonaparte / Larus philadelphia), Slender-billed (Gaviota Picofina / Larus genei) and Black-headed Gulls (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus).

Bonaparte's (Gaviota de Bonaparte / Larus philadelphia), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and Mediterranean Gull (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus).

I dropped down onto the beach and walked out to the reserve, on the way I had 3x Kentish (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus) and 2x Ringed Plovers (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), 2x Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and the first of a few Barn Swallows (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and House Martins (Avión Común / Delichon urbica).

Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).

Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia).

Once I was on the reserve I went to the main hide over looking Laguna Grande where I spent a couple of hours birding and chatting with Blas and Juan seeing Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Black-necked (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis) and Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis).

Great Skua (Págalo Grande / Stercorarius skua).

Looking up the beach.

On the far side of the pool there were a few gulls roosting and bathing, even with just my bin's I could pick up the Bonaparte's Gull (Gaviota de Bonaparte / Larus philadelphia) that had been around for a few days in amongst the many Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and Mediterranean Gulls (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), mixed in with them there was also a couple of adult Slender-billed Gulls (Gaviota Picofina / Larus genei) as well as a few Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) and Sandwich Terns (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis).

Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) immature.

Other species seen on the reserve included White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae) female, Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) and Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris).

Yellow-browed Warbler (Mosquitero Bilistado / Phylloscopus inornatus).

Yellow-browed Warbler (Mosquitero Bilistado / Phylloscopus inornatus).

I walked back to the car along the beach again adding a Great Skua (Págalo Grande / Stercorarius skua) and several Northern Gannets (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus) before I headed a bit further along the coast to Parque de la Represa, in Marbella where I was very pleased to bump into Kevin Wade and very shortly after that we picked up the Yellow-browed Warbler (Mosquitero Bilistado / Phylloscopus inornatus) which had been wintering in the same Cork Oak for quite some time.

Yellow-browed Warbler (Mosquitero Bilistado / Phylloscopus inornatus).

Yellow-browed Warbler (Mosquitero Bilistado / Phylloscopus inornatus).

After we got some good views of the bird we had a walk around the rest of the park adding Rose-ringed Parakeet (Cotorra de Kramer / Psittacula krameri), Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla) and Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) but missed the Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata) which had been wintering there.

Rose-ringed Parakeet (Cotorra de Kramer / Psittacula krameri).

I left Kevin at the park and armed with directions he had given me I went to look for what had been described as a funny looking Western Yellow Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava) and had been wintering at the site.

Eastern Yellow Wagtail (Lavandera de Chukotka / Motacilla tschutschensis).

Eastern Yellow Wagtail (Lavandera de Chukotka / Motacilla tschutschensis).

Not long after I arrived I got two short view of the bird which certainly did look odd, later in the day I got a message from Andy Paterson saying that the bird had been identified as an Eastern Yellow Wagtail (Lavandera de Chukotka / Motacilla tschutschensis) on calls sent to Magnus Robb of The Sound Approach.

Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres).

Ruddy Turnstones (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres).

I didn't see anything else at this site so I headed for John's at Casares where we had a nice evening and along with some nice food, a couple of beers we saw Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) and several Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).