Some birding with Friends Barbara and Derek.
Ebird List for Rio Grande.
Ebird List for Peñón de Peñarrubia.
Ebird List for Laguna Dulce.
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Bluethroat (Ruiseñor Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica) from Derek.
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I was up with an 06:00 alarm and picked friend Christine up at 06:30 so that I could drop her down to Malaga airport for her flight back to the UK, I then went up towards Alhaurín de la Torre and met Barbara and Derek Etherton in Restaurante El Tardón for a very nice breakfast.
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| Bluethroat (Ruiseñor Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica) from Derek. |
From the bar we went just down the road to Zapata but we were only able to visit parts of the site due to the amount of mud / topsoil carried down during recent storms, most of the birding was done along the one channel where we picked up
Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus),
Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos),
White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba),
European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola),
European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula),
Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti),
Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada),
Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala),
Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata) and
Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor).
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One of several flights coming in, surprisingly quiet considering how low they were.
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We parked part way along the track and had a short walk adding a nice male
Bluethroat (Ruiseñor Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica) which Derek managed to get a few shots of, Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra),
European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis),
Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula),
Common Starling (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris),
Eurasian Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis),
Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops) and a surprise when a Eurasian Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus)
flew up from the edge of the channel. |
| Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus). |
Barbara walked back towards the car whilst Derek and I went to the far side of the bridge and found Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus),
Common Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago),
Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) and Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo).
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| Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus). |
We decided to head off up towards the Rio Grande picking up
Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) on the way out and called in at an area of Lettuce fields on the way where we had
Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real / Lanius meridionalis),
European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris),
Northern Raven (Cuervo grande / Corvus corax),
Sardinian Warbler,
Black Redstart and
Crested Lark.
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| Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus). |
We arrived at the Rio Grande and took the track along the North bank and parked up by the next bridge, on the way we saw
Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), more
Mallards,
Green Sandpipers,
Great Cormorant and
Crested Lark. |
| Cinereous Vulture (Buitre Negro / Aegypius monachus). |
We parked and the scanned from the bridge before Derek and I had a rather muddy walk up stream (maybe not our best idea) where we added
Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Eurasian Blue (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus) and Long-tailed Tit (Mito Común / Aegithalos caudatus),
Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Europeo / Certhia brachydactyla),
Eurasian Jay (Arrendajo Euroasiático / Garrulus glandarius) and oun our way back down to my car which we had left by the main road we saw 2x
Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).
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| Cinereous Vulture (Buitre Negro / Aegypius monachus). |
We said goodbye and Barbara and Derek headed back home and I headed north towards Campillos but called in at Peñón de Peñarrubia where there were a good number of Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) with well over a 100 birds in the air at the same time along with a single Cinereous Vulture (Buitre Negro / Aegypius monachus), a calling Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteño / Emberiza cirlus) and a few Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris).
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| Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus). |
I continued on and made a stop at Laguna Dulce near Campillos where I spent a while in the hide there, there was a small amount of water but still around 80% of the area was still dry and not like to get any better even if we do get more rain until the extraction for agriculture is reduced.
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| Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus). |
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| Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus). |
On the area of water that was there I picked out
Mallard,
Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca),
Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus) and a few
Common Cranes (Grulla Común / Grus grus) on the drier areas.
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| Common Cranes (Grulla Común / Grus grus). |
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| Common Cranes (Grulla Común / Grus grus). |
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| Common Cranes (Grulla Común / Grus grus). |
Other species seen around the margins and in the air included
Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus),
Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), 3 distant
Griffon Vultures and
Black-headed Gulls (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus).
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| Common Cranes (Grulla Común / Grus grus). |
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| Common Cranes (Grulla Común / Grus grus). |
As I was about to leave several flocks of
Common Cranes started to drop in and more and more came in as I walked back to the car where I also found a few
Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum).
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| Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum). |
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| Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum). |
I made my way around to Fuente de Piedra where I had some lunch before dropping down to the reserve but as there was only a bit of water on the left and none on the right there were just 3 immature
Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus)and literally nothing else and as I had been around to the Mirador and the back hides a few day earlier I headed home.
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Unfortunately I think these signs will have to come down in the future as there just won't be any Flamingo's.
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| Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus). |
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