Fuente de Piedra in Malaga Province, the Garden and Huétor Fields in Granada Province, Spain.

A run over to Fuente for a Marsh Sand, some gardening and then a walk down the Fields later.

Ebird List for Fuente de Piedra.

Ebird List for the Fields.

 

Marsh Sandpiper (Archibebe Fino / Tringa stagnatilis).

I set the alarm for 06:00 but as I had gone to bed so early last night I was already up and about when it went off so I was in Fuente having Breakfast well before first light.

Marsh Sandpiper (Archibebe Fino / Tringa stagnatilis).

Marsh Sandpiper (Archibebe Fino / Tringa stagnatilis).

As it started to get light I was on site and almost straight away I could see my target the Marsh Sandpiper (Archibebe Fino / Tringa stagnatilis) but the light was still low so I scanned the rest of the Pool finding Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra),  Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Pied Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Black-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Western Jackdaw (Grajilla occidental / Corvus monedula), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae) and Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

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

Once I had finished the scan I turned to look for the Marsh Sand again but it had disappeared so I walked down to check the marshy area on the left where I saw a couple of Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Thinornis dubius) but nothing else so I checked the other pool again and found the Marsh Sand again and had nice views through the scope.

Black-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa).

I walked back towards the car park and then went for a look along the board walk where I saw more Black-winged Stilt, Pied Avocet, Black-tailed Godwit, as well as a very smart male Red-crested Pochard (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina), Marbled Duck (Cerceta pardilla / Marmaronetta angustirostris),  Sand Martin (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Cecropis daurica), Cetti's (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala).

Red-crested Pochard (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina).

I returned to the road side pool where the Marsh Sand had moved back to the Visitors Center end of the pool but views were almost directly into the sun however I did get a few bad closer shots, as I watched it again I added Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Whiskered (Fumarel Cariblanca / Chilidonias hybridus) and Gull-billed Tern (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica), Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi) and Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus).

Pied Avocets (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta).

Pied Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta).

Pied Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta).

After a while I headed back home as I had loads to do before friends arrive on Thursday so I spent most of the rest of the day either gardening or getting the house sorted.

Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) and a Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica).

Later I went for a walk down the Lucerne fields but there was a lot of disturbance as two tractors were blade harrowing the weedy fields next to the Lucerne, as I walked I did see Black-winged Kites (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus), Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus), Eurasian Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Willow Warbler (Mosquitero Musical / Phylloscopus trochillus), 3x Greater Short-toed Lark (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla) which were new for the year, Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Red Avadavat (Bengali Rojo / Amandava amandava) x6, Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus), Spanish (Yellow) (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis) and European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris).

The Sierra Nevada as the sun dropped.