Guadalhorce and Laguna Grande (Archidona), Malaga Province, Spain.

A day down on the coast avoiding the rain further inland.

Ebird List for Laguna Grande.

No wildlife photo's as I can't find them on the Laptop ??????? bit of a brain fart.

 

The view from the Hide at Laguna Grande.

I met Lynn and Steve at their Camper and we then went down to the nearby bar Complejo El Rosario for Breakfast before continuing on down to Malaga and to the Guadalhorce where we parked near the church and walked onto the reserve.

We walked out to the hide overlooking the Laguna Grande, on the way we saw Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii), Oriental Hornet (Vespa orientalis), Feral Pigeon (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus), European Pied Flycatcher (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta) and a single migrating European Honey Buzzard (Aberjero Europeo / Pernis apivorus).

Lynn and Steve BIRDING.

From the main hide we recorded Little Stint (Correlimos Menudo / Calidris minuta) x3, Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina) x8, Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba), Common Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres) x1, Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Pied Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta) x5, Little Egret, Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) x7, Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia) x1, Common Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia) x2, Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus) x4, Little Tern (Charrancito Común / Sternula albifrons) x4, Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus), Slender-billed (Gaviota Picofina / Chroicocephalus genei) and Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Little (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).

After some time we moved around to Laguna Escondida but it was quiet and the only new species seen was Common Kingfisher (Martin Pescador Común / Alcedo atthis) but there were larger numbers of Northern Shovelers, a couple Eurasian Coots and a Little Grebe.

Again we moved around the reserve to a raised area which gave us a view over the back of the Laguna de la Casilla and we got nice views of 4 Marbled Duck (Cerceta pardilla / Marmaronetta angustirostris), a couple more Little Egrets and an immature Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus).

We went around to the two hides on the next back but the water levels were very high and we didn't find much new except for a couple of Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Ruff (Combatiente / Calidris pugnax), Mediterranean Gulls (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata) and down at the beach we had a couple of migrant Vagrant Emperors (Anax ephippiger) coming in off the sea.

We left the beach and the spent some more time at the main hide adding Western Osprey (Águila Pescardora / Pandion haliaetus), White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia) and as we were leaving the Hide we picked up an immature Egyptian Vulture (Alimoche Común / Neophron percnopterus) and a dark morph Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas).

Just as we were about to leave the reserve we had 2 Western Ospreys in the air above us calling and circling together, once we were back at the car we had our food and then headed back inland for a visit to the Laguna Grande.

Once we arrived we did a walk around the Laguna seeing Mallard, Eurasian Coots, Little Grebe, Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito ibérico / Picus sharpei), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Europeo / Merops apiaster), Eurasian Crag (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Red-rumped (Golondrina Dáurica / Cecropis daurica) and Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala) bird wise.

We also picked up Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus), Red-veined Darter, Orange-winged (Trithemis kirbyi) and Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata), Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea), Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum), Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope), Sage Skipper (Muschampia proto), Small White (Pieris rapae), Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi) and Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa).

We returned to the car and then went for a coffee back at the camper before I headed off home to meet up with Dave Grundy who was already at the house and settled in, later we checked through some moths I had caught the night before and then later we went down town to have a beer and something to eat.