Laguna Dulce near Campillos and Mirador de Atajate in Malaga Province, Rio Hozgarganta near Jimena de la Frontera, Pinar del Rey and Playa Montijo near Chipiona in Cadiz Province, Spain.

In search of the last of the Iberian endemic birds.

Ebird List for Laguna Dulce.

Ebird List for Mirador de Atajate.

Ebird List for Pinar del Rey. 

 

Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

We started the day with a drive out west, our first stop was at Laguna Dulce where from the hide we started the day list with Gadwall (Anade Friso / Mareca strepera), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Red-crested (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina) and Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), 2x Egyptian Geese (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca) which were seen inflight and dropping into the reeds on the far side of the pool, Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Little (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Black-necked (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis) and Great Crested Grebes (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus) and Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

Gadwall (Anade Friso / Mareca strepera) and Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

In the air and around the margins we also saw Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Thinornis dubius),Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus) and Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Gull-billed Tern (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Western Marsh (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) and Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis) and Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera).

At the same spot we also had Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum), Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator), Red-veined (Sympetrum fonscolombii) and Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta), Small White (Pieris rapae) and Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera).

Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos).

We continued on around Ronda, out towards Gaucin and ultimately Jimena de la Frontera, on the way we made a stop at the Mirador de Atajate near the village of the same name where we saw a passing Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos) along with Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Blue Spotted Hairstreak (Satyrium spini) and False Ilex Hairstreak (Satyrium esculi) and Large White (Pieris brassicae).

Large White (Pieris brassicae).

Blue Spotted Hairstreak (Satyrium spini).

False Ilex Hairstreak (Satyrium esculi).

We continued on and after a coffee break in Gaucin we were soon parked up at the side of the Rio Hozgarganta near Jimena de la Frontera, as we walked along the very dry margins of the Rio looking for the target Iberian Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Ibérico / Phylloscopus ibericus) which I have seen here in the passed.

We didn't find the Chiffchaff  but we did see and hear Barn and Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Cecropis daurica), Western House (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum) and Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Eurasian Golden Oriole (Oropéndola Europea / Oriolus oriolus), Western Olivaceous (Zarcero bereber / Iduna opaca) and Western Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli), Blue / Common and Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope), Red-veined and Scarlet Darter, Epaulet Skimmer (Orthetrum chrysostigma) and White Featherleg (Platycnemis latipes).

We  didn't hear or see the target so we dropped down toward Pinar del Rey, a site given to me by good friend Ricky Owen (should have listened to Ricky to start with, so he told me 😁😁😁😁) and almost as soon as we parked we could hear the first of at least Iberian Chiffchaff so we headed for the call and were soon watching2 birds chasing around a couple of Poplar trees, after a while one of the birds flew into a smaller bush right next to us and continued to sing whilst showing well for us.

Iberian Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Ibérico / Phylloscopus ibericus).

Iberian Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Ibérico / Phylloscopus ibericus).

We also saw Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Griffon Vulture, Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Eurasian Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus), Eurasian Blackcap, Common Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapilla), Common Blackbird and European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris).

We also had Holly (Celastrina argiolus), Lang's Short-tailed (Leptotes pirithous) and Long-tailed Blue (Lampides boeticus), Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) and Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria).

We decided after getting very good views of the Chiffchaff to head for Chipiona where we were going to be staying the night but before we went and checked in we popped into Playa Montijo but it was generally fairly quiet and we only saw Bar-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colipinta / Limosa lapponica), Kentish (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Anarhynchus alexandrinus), Common Ringed (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula) and Grey Plover (Chorlito Gris / Pluvialis squatarola), Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina), Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres),Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba), Whimbrel (Zarapito Trinador / Numenius phaeopus) and Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo).

We went to our accommodation and dropped very lucky with a parking space almost opposite, later we went for a walk along the sea front and had a nice (not as good as the one in Ceuta) ice-cream before turning in ready for the early start tomorrow.