Los Palacios y Villafranca and Osuna in Sevilla Province, Fuente de Piedra in Malaga Province, Spain.

Out west twitching a Shrike Lifer (Spanish).

Ebird List for Los Palacios y Villafranca. 

Ebird List for Osuna.

 

The Shrike site.

I was on the road at around 05:45 and was on site at around 08:30, after parking I walked out to the area friend Ricky had given me and scanned the Juncus tussucks out in the field seeing several European Stonechats (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra), in the air large numbers of Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus) and in the bushes several Great Spotted Cuckoo's (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius).

Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius).

Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius).

Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius).

From this first spot I couldn't find the target Isabelline Shrike (Lanius isabellinus / Alcaudón isabel) so I moved just a short way further along the track passed a stand of reeds and after just a couple of minutes had my first distant views of the Shrike, it was a good job Ricky had told me to take the scope as it was certainly needed for this bird but it did look very smart even at the distance.

Isabelline Shrike (Lanius isabellinus / Alcaudón isabel).

Isabelline Shrike (Lanius isabellinus / Alcaudón isabel).

As I spent the next 1.5 hours watching the bird I also saw Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus),  Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Eurasian Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) heard only, Little (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta) and Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito ibérico / Picus sharpei) in the Almonds behind me, Eurasian Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis) and Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), a surprise singing male Bluethroat (Ruiseñor Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Small White (Pieris rapae) and a few Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus).

Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus).

I moved around to the opposite side of the paddock and had slightly closer views of the Shrike but the light was nowhere near as good, even so I enjoyed the bird for another hour.

After seeing what I was pretty sure was a Laughing Dove (Tórtola senegalesa / Streptopelia senegalensis) fly passed and land in one of the Tamarsk trees back up near the river I turned the car around and went the short way up to check on it and soon found it sat in the densest part of the tree.

Another newly arrived migrant, John.

I then saw something I really hadn't expected, another birder who turned out to be friend John Cantelo, so I whizzed around to where he was, said hello and then we got brief but better views of the Dove before returning to the spot for the Shrike which John didn't know about, a bonus Spanish lifer for him as well.

We added a nice pale morph Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas) before John went to try to see the Dove again and I headed off towards home via Osuna first and then a brief visit to Fuente de Piedra on the way.

Eurasian Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus).

I did the usual run around the fields viewing the area from the railway bridges, on the drive out to the point where I turned around I saw Eurasian Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) under the Olives on the way in, Black (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans) and Red Kites (Milano Real / Milvus milvus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real / Lanius meridionalis), Northern Raven (Cuervo grande / Corvus corax) and at the point near an deflect Cortijo with some large Eucalyptus trees where I turned around there we good numbers of Common Starlings (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris) and a few Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis).

Common Starlings (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris).

Common Starling (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris).

I started to make my way back to the motorway but decided to have a look from the one bridge and I was glad I did as I soon found 7 Great Bustards (Avutarda Euroasiática / Otis tarda) which appeared to have been disturbed from an area of Olives and flew out into the center of a ploughed area and landed.

7 Great Bustards (Avutarda Euroasiática / Otis tarda).

7 Great Bustards (Avutarda Euroasiática / Otis tarda).

As I drove around the loop I did I was surprised how much of this important area for the Bustards had been allowed to be put to intensive Olive fields, worrying as it is in the whole of Andalucia where they seem happy to destroy habitat with Olives or Solar panels.

Black-winged Stilts (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus) and 3 Black-tailed Godwits (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa).

Black-winged Stilts (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus) and 3 Black-tailed Godwits (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa).

I continued on and made a brief visit to Fuente de Piedra but I only checked the pools around the entrance road and boardwalk, it was fairly quiet but I did see more Black-winged Stilts and 3 Black-tailed Godwits (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa) but little else so I headed off home after a successful day.