Fuente de Piedra in Malaga Province and Sierra de Loja in Granada Province, Spain.

Wetlands and uplands with Danielle.

Ebird List for Fuente de Piedra.

Ebird List for Sierra de Loja.

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

We headed down the A92 from Loja and were soon watching waders on the entrance road pool in the rain, I think I can say with some certainty that Damielle was a little happy seeing the Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) which were feeding alongside Black-winged Stilts (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Ruff (Combatiente / Philomachus pugnax), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Marbled Duck (Marmaronetta angustirostris), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna) and an Egyptian Goose (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca).

Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

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

The rain continued so we watched the pool from the car and added Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Gull-billed Tern (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and Slender-billed Gulls (Gaviota Picofina / Larus genei) x2, Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra) and Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus).

Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula).

Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus).

Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus).

Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta).

The rain eased so we went up and parked and then went down to the boardwalk where there were a good number of Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina), a couple of Curlew Sandpipers (Correlimos Zarapitin / Calidris ferruginea), at least 3 Little Stint (Correlimos Menudo / Calidris minuta), a couple of heard only Cetti's Warblers (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae) and Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur).

Egyptian Goose (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca).

Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna).

Marbled Duck (Marmaronetta angustirostris).

Marbled Duck (Marmaronetta angustirostris).

Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna).

We moved and parked the car up at the far end of the car park and then went up to the visitors center and then out to the Mirador where we saw many more Greater Flamingo's, Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Common Swifts (Vencejo Común / Apus apus) before going around to the hides over looking the fresh water pools.

Slender-billed Gulls (Gaviota Picofina / Larus genei).

On the first pool we picked up White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), Red-crested (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina) and Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Little (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), House (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) and Sand Martins (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia).

Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

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

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

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

Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) immature.

We again returned to the car and had one last look at the roadside pool on the way out adding just a single Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirundo daurica) before we headed back East and then up Sierra de Loja now that the rain had stopped.

Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina).

We drove out to the furthest point just passed the Hawthorn woods, on the way out we stopped to check some plants and found Yellow Bee Orchid (Ophrys lutea), Dianthus pungens subsp. brachyanthus, Thapsia villosa, Rusty-back Fern (Ceterach officinarum), Herb-Robert (Geranium robertianum), Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria), Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum baeticum), Venus's Navelwort (Iberodes linifolia), Cerastium gibraltaricum, Viola dementria and Common Stork's-bill (Erodium cicutarium). 

Western Black-eared Wheatear (Collalba Rubia / Oenanthe hispanica) with a Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina) caterpillar.

Western Black-eared Wheatear (Collalba Rubia / Oenanthe hispanica).

As we drove up we saw a very manky looking Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and out on the tops we soon found Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus) and Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).

Spectacled Warbler (Curruca Tomillera / Sylvia conspicillata).

Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator).

Along the far crags and amongst Hawthorns we added Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Sardinian (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and Western Orphean Warbler (Curruca Mirlona / Sylvia hortensis), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator) and at least 8 Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae).

On the return drive we went a short way along the central track towards Salara and added Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus) and on the way down a pair of Spectacled Warblers (Curruca Tomillera / Sylvia conspicillata) showed well before we called it a day.