Guadalhorce Ponds, Malaga, Malaga Province and near Huètor Tajar in Granada Province, Spain.

A quick visit to the Ponds but Derek and I were beaten by the ****** Mosquito's.

Ebird List for the Pools.

Ebird List for the Garden.

 

I started the day by taking Karen and Robert down to Malaga to catch their flight back to UK after what I hope was an enjoyable few days butterfly hunting for them seeing three out of the four targets we had wanted and a few extra species.

Marbled Duck (Cerceta pardilla / Marmaronetta angustirostris).

After saying goodbye to them I headed out to Guadalhorce where I met up with Barbara and Derek Etherton as well as Andy Patterson and his new dog Sally. 

After we had chatted for a while Andy and Sally headed off, Derek and I headed on to the reserve to look for a couple of reported Garganey (Cerceta Carretona / Spatula querquedula) whilst Barbara spent some time reading and watching the cars.

Almost straight away we were being bitten by the masses of Mosquitos which in the end was the reason it was a short visit, we made our way around to Observatorio de Laguna Grande where we picked up Common Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba), Slender-billed (Gaviota Picofina / Chroicocephalus genei), Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus) and Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Thalasseus sandvicensis), Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Little (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Little Egrets (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Sedge Warbler (Carricerin Común / Acrocephalus schoenobaenus), Common Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis) and European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).

Little Bittern (Avetorillo Común / Ixobrychus minutus).

As we couldn't find the Targets at Laguna Grande we walked around to Observatorio de Laguna Escondida where was saw White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), Little Bittern (Avetorillo Común / Ixobrychus minutus), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum) and Western Subalpine Warbler (Curruca Carrasqueña Occidental / Curruca iberiae).
As the Mosquito's just kept getting worse we started to head off the reserve but call in at the mound that gives views over Laguna La Casilla where we saw lots more Marbled Ducks but nothing much else so we walked back to the car and then we all went for some breakfast and then I headed back home and got on with some jobs, later I went out to check the terrace and heard my first Red-necked Nightjar (Chotacabras Cuellirrojo / Caprimulgus ruficollis) of the year and a couple of calling Little Owls (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).