Mirador Desembocadura del Guadalhorce, Puerto de Fuengirola, Sierra de Mijas, Rio Pereilas, Monda area and near Refugio De Juanar in Malaga Province and Puerto de Deportivo, Algeciras, Cadiz Province, Spain.

A Gull to start with, then some brilliant Orchids and then another Gull that didn't show up.

Ebird List for Fuengirola Port.

Ebird List for Algeciras Port.

 

A very muddy, plastic filled Guadalhorce pushing all the crap out into the Med.

I Started the day visiting the Mirador Desembocadura del Guadalhorce in search of a Common Scoter (Negrón Común / Melanitta nigra) that had been reported but as soon as I arrived I was sure there wasn't going to be as the Rio Guadalhorce was emptying masses of brown topsoil filled water out into the Med along with masses of discarded Plastic bottles, chemical containers and fertiliser bags from the farmers further up river as well as other general shit and crap discarded in the Spanish Countryside.

Whilst I was there I did see Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus), Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) and Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor).

Black-legged Kittiwake (Gaviota Tridáctila / Rissa tridactyla).

I decided to cut my losses and headed for a bar for some breakfast and then went to the meeting point where I was catching up with Andy Patterson, Derek and Barbara Etherton for a local trip to the Port of Fuengirola for a Black-legged Kittiwake (Gaviota Tridáctila / Rissa tridactyla) which has been around for a few days.

Black-legged Kittiwake (Gaviota Tridáctila / Rissa tridactyla).

We parked and walked down to the point in the Port where we could see through the barriers and we soon had the Kittiwake in view and as we were watching it a very kind Guy who was going to one of the boats let us in through the gate so we could get a better view for a few minute.

Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo).

We also recorded Black-headed, Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Yellow-legged and Lesser Black-backed Gull, Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Thalasseus sandvicensis), Great Cormorant, Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres) and Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta).

After getting good views of the bird we walked back towards the car but stopped for a coffee in the Freiduria El Cenachero de Fuengirola bar in the Port, as we drank the ladies there kept bring out some very nice looking bread rolls out which means we will have to make another visit.

Sawfly Orchid (Ophrys tenthredinifera).

Once back at the cars I said goodbye to the others and headed off up to the Sierra de Mijas area where I was looking for some Orchid species and after parking I found my first Sawfly (Ophrys tenthredinifera) and Pink Butterfly Orchids (Orchis papilionacea) of the year, as well as the Hybrid Ophrys x Castroviejoi (O. speculum x O. scolopax).

Ophrys x Castroviejoi (O. speculum x O. scolopax).

Ophrys x Castroviejoi (O. speculum x O. scolopax).

I also saw plenty of Woodcock (Ophrys Scolopax) and a few going over Fan-lipped Orchid (Anacamptis collina), Palmate Anemone (Anemone palmata), Sardinian Warbler, Common Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapilla), Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), Eurasian Jay (Arrendajo Euroasiático / Garrulus glandarius) and European Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Lophophanes cristatus).

Woodcock Orchid (Ophrys Scolopax).

I returned to the car and moved to a site near to Coin where I stopped briefly to see Two-leaved Gennaria (Gennaria diphylla) before I again moved on to a spot friend Kevin Wade had given me near Monda, at two spots just a couple of hundred meters apart I saw two new Ophrys hybrids, the first between O. alpujata x O. lupercalis which was right on the roadside.

Two-leaved Gennaria (Gennaria diphylla).

Two-leaved Gennaria (Gennaria diphylla).

Two-leaved Gennaria (Gennaria diphylla).

The second Hybrid Ophrys × diazii (O. alpujata × O. scolopax) which was in some nearby Olives along with Oprys alpujata and Woodcock Orchid.

Ophrys alpujata x O. lupercalis.

Ophrys alpujata x O. lupercalis.

Oprys alpujata.

Ophrys × diazii.

Ophrys × diazii.

As I was heading down to the coast on my way to Algeciras I popped into Refugio De Juanar where I found 3 more spikes of Oprys alpujata before I dropped back to the coast and then along to a spot near Algecirus where friend Ricky Owen had seen a couple of days ago.

Oprys alpujata.

Narcissus Species.

I got there and spent a few hours searching but there were very few Gull in the area and I only found Yellow-legged and Lesser Black-backed, as well as Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Spotless Starling, Common Blackbird, White Wagtail, Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris) and European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).

Later I went to my hotel in Algeciras and then went for quite a long walk along the prom before I turned in.