Playa de Montijo and Lagunas de Camino Colorado in Cadiz Province and back to Malaga, Malaga Province, Spain.

A cracking days birding with fiends and meeting some new ones.

Ebird List for the Playa.

Ebird List for the Pools.

Scanning the Tern flocks.

We were up and out reasonably early and having breakfast at Restaurante Venta Andrés before continuing on to Playa de Montijo where we were hoping to see some interesting Tern Species but unfortunately none of the rarer species came in but we did have a good time birding meeting Manuel Bárcena for the second time and Nacho Barrionuevo who I had heard lots about (all good) for the first time.

Ricky and Derek on the beach.

Nacho and Eva.

We did however pick up 5 Little Swifts (Vencejo Moro / Apus affinis) as soon as we walked out onto the beach where we did see good numbers of Sandwich (Charrán Patinegro / Thalasseus sandvicensis), Common (Charrán Común / Sterna hirundo), Black (Fumarel Común / Chlidonias niger) and Little Terns (Charrancito Común / Sternula albifrons) as the tide pushed everything in.

Common Tern (Charrán Común / Sterna hirundo).

Black (Fumarel Común / Chlidonias niger), Common Tern (Charrán Común / Sterna hirundo) and Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Thalasseus sandvicensis).

Black (Fumarel Común / Chlidonias niger), Common Tern (Charrán Común / Sterna hirundo) and Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Thalasseus sandvicensis).

Common Tern (Charrán Común / Sterna hirundo) and Sandwich Terns (Charrán Patinegro / Thalasseus sandvicensis).

Other species seen on the beach included Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus), Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Slender-billed (Gaviota Picofina / Chroicocephalus genei), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Bar-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colipinta / Limosa lapponica), Eurasian Oystercatcher (Ostrero Euroasiático / Haematopus ostralegus), Grey (Chorlito Gris / Pluvialis squatarola), Kentish (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus) and Common Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Whimbrel (Zarapito Trinador / Numenius phaeopus), Common Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia), Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina), Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba) and Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres).

Little Tern (Charrancito Común / Sternula albifrons).

Common Tern (Charrán Común / Sterna hirundo).

Black Tern (Fumarel Común / Chlidonias niger).

Common Tern (Charrán Común / Sterna hirundo) with a fish about to be hassled by a Gull.

Common Tern (Charrán Común / Sterna hirundo).

Black Tern (Fumarel Común / Chlidonias niger).

Common Tern (Charrán Común / Sterna hirundo) and Sandwich Terns (Charrán Patinegro / Thalasseus sandvicensis).

Other species seen as we walked the area included a Western Osprey (Águila Pescardora / Pandion haliaetus) which was picked up by Nacho as it was being mobbed by lots of Terns, Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), 2x Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor). 

Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres).

Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba).

Grey Plover (Chorlito Gris / Pluvialis squatarola).

Bar-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colipinta / Limosa lapponica).

Nacho, Ricky, Myself and Derek.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly but not saying who's who.

Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus).

We said goodbye to Manuel and headed for the Lagunas de Camino Colorado where Nacho and Eva (I think I have the ladies name right) caught us up, on the first pool we saw lots more Glossy Ibis, White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Western Swamp-hen (Calamón Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) and several domestic type Greylag Geese (Ansar Común / Anser anser).

Mediterranean Gull (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus).

Slender-billed Gull (Gaviota Picofina / Chroicocephalus genei).

Slender-billed Gull (Gaviota Picofina / Chroicocephalus genei).

Western Osprey (Águila Pescardora / Pandion haliaetus) and Terns.

We crossed the road and checked the other pool, here we added more White-headed Ducks, a single Marbled Duck (Cerceta pardilla / Marmaronetta angustirostris) but it had a seriously damaged wing unfortunately, Muscovy Duck (Pato criollo / Cairina moschata), Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Common Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia) and the first of 4 or 5 Temmincks Stints (Correlimos de Temminck / Calidris temminckii).

Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra) and Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus).

Temmincks Stint (Correlimos de Temminck / Calidris temminckii).

Temmincks Stint (Correlimos de Temminck / Calidris temminckii).

Other species seen included Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis), Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator), Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii), Long Skimmer (Orthetrum trinacria) and Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi).

At this point I somehow managed to tweak my back so I sat in the car whilst Derek and Ricky went to check the bigger pool and they added Red-knobbed Coot (Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata), Squacco (Garcilla Cangrejera / Ardeola ralloides) and Black-crowned Night Heron (Marinete Común / Nycticorax nycticorax) before we started head back down to Ricky's place where we dropped him off before heading to Derek's and then later heading out for an Indian meal which was very nice.