Desembocadura del Guadalhorce, Malaga, Malaga Province, Spain.*

A mornings birding with some birders from my old area of the UK.

Ebird List for the Pools, 62 Species.

 

Temmincks Stint (Correlimos de Temminck / Calidris temminckii).

I left early and was down at the site near Malaga where I met Matthew, Hannah and James, I met Matthew back in Albrighton when I was there for a year back in 2020 where he was a great help to Jayne and I.

We walked into the reserve, on the way we picked up Red-rumped (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirundo daurica) and Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus) and Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Eurasian Jay (Arrendajo Euroasiático / Garrulus glandarius), Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata) and Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).

Temmincks Stint (Correlimos de Temminck / Calidris temminckii).

From the bridge on the way in we added Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis) and Feral Pigeon (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia) and on the first part of the walk Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala) were picked up.

Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia).

Once were on the reserve we headed for the hide overlooking Laguna Grande and really gave the day list a boost, starting with Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Kentish (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus) and Common Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba), Little (Correlimos Menudo / Calidris minuta) and an unexpected Temmincks Stint (Correlimos de Temminck / Calidris temminckii) which James picked up in front of the hide. 

Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus).

Other species included Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus), Gull-billed (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica), Little (Charrancito Común / Sternula albifrons) and Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Thalasseus sandvicensis), a few Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus) and a good numbers of Mediterranean Gulls (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae) and Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus). 

Eurasian Curlew (Zarapito Real / Numenius arquata).

We moved on to Laguna Escondida where we scanned the pool finding Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), a single male Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), a female White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), a pale morph Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila pennatus) which was out the far side of the Motorway, Common Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis), Common Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus) and Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus).

Eurasian Curlew (Zarapito Real / Numenius arquata).

We walked on around to the far bank and visited the two hides over looking Laguna de la Casilla, Matthew picked out an immature Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera) and a flyby Common Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia) and the rest of us added Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius) and Pied Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta).

We continued on towards the sea, on del Rio Viejo and surroundings we saw Crested Larks (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Red-crested Pochard (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina), a fine looking Whimbrel (Zarapito Trinador / Numenius phaeopus) and a Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis) which sat on a dead twig.

Eurasian Curlew (Zarapito Real / Numenius arquata) being mobbed by a Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus).

Down at the Observatorio Espigón de Levante (Aves Marinas) and along the beach we didn't see anything new but had singles of both Little and Sandwich Tern, before heading back onto the reserve and making a second stop at Laguna Grande and finished the list off with 2x Wood Sandpipers (Andarrios Bastardo / Tringa glareola), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Audouin's Gulls (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus) and a very unexpected Eurasian Curlew (Zarapito Real / Numenius arquata).

As we walked out our last new species was a smart almost full summer Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina), once we reached the cars we went on to the nearby Industrial area and had a really nice menu del Dia in Restaurante El Fogón before we headed off, thanks to you all for a cracking morning.

Eurasian Curlew (Zarapito Real / Numenius arquata) and a Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus).

Other species seen during the morning Blue / Common (Anax imperator) x4 and Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope) x2, Red-veined (Sympetrum fonscolombii) x40+ and Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea) x12, Long Skimmer (Orthetrum trinacria) x2, Blue-winged Grasshopper (Oedipoda caerulescens) and Common Chicory (Cichorium intybus).

I headed into the city for an appointment I had before heading back home.