The Rio Guadalfeo, Charca del Suarez, Cerro Gordo in Granada Province, Caleta de Velez in Malaga Province and near Zafarraya in Granada Province, Spain.

Down on the Coast and then into the hills.

Deb and Ian, Day Ten. 

Ebird List for Rio Guadalfeo.

Ebird List for Charca del Suarez.

Ebird List for Cerro Gordo.

White-throated Dipper (Mirlo Acuático Europeo / Cinclus cinclus).

We were out early and at a spot along the Rio Guadalfea to the South of Granada where we were hoping to see White-throated Dipper (Mirlo Acuático Europeo / Cinclus cinclus) and quite quickly we had good views of two birds, one of which rested for a while on a log on the far side of the river.

White-throated Dipper (Mirlo Acuático Europeo / Cinclus cinclus).

In the same area we also saw Eurasian Golden Oriole (Oropéndola Europea / Oriolus oriolus), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), Eurasian Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Europeo / Certhia brachydactyla), Eurasian Wren (Chochin paleártico / Troglodytes troglodytes), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and Small White (Pieris rapae).

Monarch (Danaus plexippus).

European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).

We dropped down to the coast where we met friend Juan Perez at the entrance of Charca and after getting registered with Pepe and then went for a walk around the reserve, we started at the small screen near the entrance but only picked up Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) and Laguna del Alamo Blanco was also quiet but we did managed to see one of the hybrids between Eurasian  (Focha Común / Fulica atra) and the Red-knobbed Coot (Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), a couple of Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild) and Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica).

We continued on towards the main hide overlooking Laguna de las Aneas, on the way we had Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), European Turtle (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur) and Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Pallid (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus) and Common Swifts (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Cetti's Warbler, Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris) and a very nice male Eurasian Penduline Tit (Pájaro Moscón / Remiz pendulinus) which showed extremely well for us.

Eurasian Penduline Tit (Pájaro Moscón / Remiz pendulinus).

Eurasian Penduline Tit (Pájaro Moscón / Remiz pendulinus).

From the main hide we had Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), Red-knobbed Coot (Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Audouin's (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii) and Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta), Grey (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and Purple Heron (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea), Common Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus) and Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum).

Eurasian Penduline Tit (Pájaro Moscón / Remiz pendulinus).

Eurasian Penduline Tit (Pájaro Moscón / Remiz pendulinus).

We called in at both of the hides overlooking Laguna del Trébol adding Western Swamp-hen (Calamón Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), Squacco Heron (Garcilla Cangrejera / Ardeola ralloides), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Common Chaffinch and European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis).

Squacco Heron (Garcilla Cangrejera / Ardeola ralloides).

Squacco Heron (Garcilla Cangrejera / Ardeola ralloides).

Western Swamp-hen (Calamón Común / Porphyrio porphyrio).

Western Swamp-hen (Calamón Común / Porphyrio porphyrio).

We also saw Iberian Bluetail (Ischnura graellsii), Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope), Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii), African Grass Blue (Zizeeria knysna), Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra), Monarch (Danaus plexippus), Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria), Perez's (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi) and Stripe-less Tree Frog (Hyla meridionalis), Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa) and Wild Boar (Jabalí / Felis silvestris) during the walk.

We had a quick look at the last hide before we reached the exit but added nothing new, we said goodbye to Juan and Beatriz before heading for a coffee near the motorway and the followed the coast to the west.

Stripe-less Tree Frog (Hyla meridionalis).

Wild Boar (Jabalí / Felis silvestris).

Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii).

We came off the coastal motorway and dropped down to the coast and then went a short way along the old coast road until we took the side road up onto Cerro Gordo where we were hoping to see the later arriving White-rumped Swift (Vencejo Cafre / Apus caffer) but we only managed to find Pallid and Common.

Other birds seen were Short-toed Snake Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Eurasian Blue (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus), Coal (Carbonero Garrapinos / Periparus ater), European Crested (Herrerillo Capuchino / Lophophanes cristatus) and Great Tit, Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Cecropis daurica), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Common Chaffinch, Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis), European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) and Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria).

We made another stop along the coast at Caleta de Velez for an Ice-cream and to check the port beach but all we found there were lots of Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) so we carried on and headed inland to a spot near Zafarraya to have a look for some Orchids, at the first spot we found Bumble-bee (Ophrys bombyliflora), Mirror (Ophrys speculum), Small Woodcock (Ophrys picta), Somber Bee (Ophrys lupercalis), Yellow Bee (Ophrys lutea), Giant (Himanthoglosum Robertiana) finished, Lizard (Himanthoglosum hircinum) still in bud, Conical (Neotinea conica) most were finished, Fan-lipped (Anacamptis collina) well finished, Pink Butterfly (Orchis papilionacea) and Small Tongue Orchid (Serapias parviflora).

Yellow Bee Orchid (Ophrys lutea).

Small Woodcock Orchid (Ophrys picta).

Small Woodcock Orchid (Ophrys picta).

Mirror Orchid (Ophrys speculum).

Bumble-bee Orchid (Ophrys bombyliflora).

As we walked we also saw and heard Mallard, Western Bonelli's (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli), Western Orphean (Curruca Mirlona Occidental / Curruca hortensis) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina), Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus), Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera) and Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina).

Late Sawfly Orchid (Ophrys ficalhoana).

Late Sawfly Orchid (Ophrys ficalhoana).

Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera) var. fraternalis.

Our second stop along this road was in amongst the oaks where we added Woodlark (Alondra Totovía / Lullula arborea), Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata), Late Sawfly (Ophrys ficalhoana), Bee (Ophrys apifera) var. fraternalis, Lange's (Androrchis langei) and Southern Early Purple Orchid (Orchis olbienis) finished, Sword-leaved Helleborine (Cephalanathera longifolia) and Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenoides) before we returned to the car and headed further up towards Loja.

Lange's Orchid (Androrchis langei).

Lange's Orchid (Androrchis langei).

Sword-leaved Helleborine (Cephalanathera longifolia).

Sword-leaved Helleborine (Cephalanathera longifolia).

Our final stop of the day was at a spot where there are usually a good number of Montagu's Harriers (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus) breeding but due to the fact that the farm had already cut most of the fields where they nest for silage we only saw two birds along with Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator) and Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).