Guadalhorce Pools and Sierra de Mijas, Malaga Province, Spain.

Getting Lynn and Steve to Malaga for their flight home, meeting Derek Etherton for some birding and then later looking for Orchids with Kevin Wade.

Ebird List from Guadalhorce, 63 Species. 

Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus).

Lynn, Steve and I were up early and quickly on our way down to Malaga so that they were there for 08:00 ready for their flight back home to the UK.

Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis).

After saying goodbye to them I headed over to Desembocadura del Guadalhorce where I met up with Derek Etherton, as I walked down towards the entrance I picked up Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Europeo / Certhia brachydactyla), Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus), Western Jackdaw (Grajilla occidental / Corvus monedula), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Crown Daisy (Chrysanthemum carinatum), Bermuda Buttercup (Oxalis pes-caprae) and Field Marigold (Calendula arvensis).

Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas).

We started by heading over to the eastern side of the reserve where we checked the two hides along that side, at the first one Observatorio de Laguna La Casilla, we saw Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Great Egret (Garceta Grande / Ardea alba), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Marbled Duck (Cerceta pardilla / Marmaronetta angustirostris), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula) and Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis).

Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

From the second, the Observatorio de Río Viejo we found Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Pied Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus) heard only, Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major).

Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

As we walked along the Río Viejo towards the sea we picked up Common Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), a dozen or so Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba), Grey Plover (Chorlito Gris / Pluvialis squatarola), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola) and European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris).

Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

From the Observatorio Espigón de Levante we saw at least 4x Balearic Shearwaters (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus), several Northern Gannets (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus), a group of Mediterranean Gulls (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus) sat on the sea and large numbers of both Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) as well.

Male Northern Pintail (Ánade Rabudo / Anas acuta).

As we walked along the beach we saw Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Thalasseus sandvicensis), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata) and as we turned back onto the reserve a couple of Meadow Pipits (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis).

Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata) and Ruff (Combatiente / Calidris pugnax).

We reached the hide overlooking Laguna Grande were we spent a while scanning the water seeing Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta), Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), male Northern Pintail (Ánade Rabudo / Anas acuta), Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra),  Common Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Common Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia), Ruff (Combatiente / Calidris pugnax), Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus) and Slender-billed Gull (Gaviota Picofina / Chroicocephalus genei), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) and Purple Bugloss (Echium plantagineum) before it got a bit too busy and we headed off.

Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) and Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).

From the last hide which looks over Laguna Escondida we saw Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala) and a newly arrived Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum).

Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos).

The wind was bitter here so we decided to head back to the cars and then went for a coffee and a tostada at a bar Derek knew before we headed off.

Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata).

Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata).

I headed off up to the Sierra de Mijas where I was meeting up with Kevin Wade to search for some Orchids, unfortunately we didn't manage to find the target but we did find some very smart Fan-lipped (Anacamptis collina) and Woodcock Orchids (Ophrys Scolopax) before I was forced to head home when the first signs of a rather nasty stomach bug started to show up.

Woodcock Orchid (Ophrys Scolopax).

Whilst there I also saw European Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Lophophanes cristatus), Large White (Pieris brassicae), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) and as we reached the cars a very smart Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina).

Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina).