Malaga Airport, Malaga Province and Cerro Hacho, Granada Province, Spain.

Friends arrive at Malaga and a walk around Hacho later.

Ebird List for Hacho.

Broad-leaved Iris (Iris planifolia).

I started the Morning with a  few catch up jobs and the drove down to Malaga Airport to meet friends Lynn and Steve from the UK who where coming over for a few days wildlife watching, during the drive down I saw Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus) and Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica).

All went well with the meeting and we were soon on our way back up to the house, we pulled off for a coffee at Rosario and then continued on, just before we arrived we picked up one of the regular Little Owls (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) at the bottom of my road.

Giant Orchids (Himanthoglosum Robertiana).

After getting sorted and having a chat we decided to go and have a walk around the lower track at Cerro Hacho, after parking we did the loop in a clockwise direction starting the list with European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), a calling Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteño / Emberiza cirlus), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Europeo / Certhia brachydactyla), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) and lots of Broad-leaved Iris (Iris planifolia) flowers.

Giant Orchids (Himanthoglosum Robertiana).

Up at the split in the track near the Quarry we found a good number of flowering Giant Orchids (Himanthoglosum Robertiana) my first Orchid of the year and as we walked on around the top end of the loop we added Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis), Long-tailed Tit (Mito Común / Aegithalos caudatus), European Crested (Herrerillo Capuchino / Lophophanes cristatus) and Eurasian Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus) and Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa).

Mediterranean Scorpion (Escorpión Amarillo / Buthus Occitanus).

As we started the walk down the Northern side Steve found a tiny little Mediterranean Scorpion (Escorpión Amarillo / Buthus Occitanus) and further on we picked up Thekla's Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris), Eurasian Siskin (Jilguero Lúgano / Carduelis spinus), a fly through Hawfinch (Picogordo Común / Coccotraustes coccotrauetes), a pair of Bonelli's Eagles (Aguila Perdicera / Aquila faciatus) over the ridges on the Loja side and quite a few spikes of flowering Somber Bee Orchid (Ophrys fusca / foresteri / lupercalis).

Somber Bee Orchid (Ophrys fusca / foresteri / lupercalis).

The last stage of the walk was along the road back to the car seeing Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

Once we were back at the cars we headed back to the house, on the way we saw Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus) and 3 more Little Owls.

Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).

Later we headed out for a drink and food at 3 Calle's down in Huétor Tajar.