Near El Chorro, Rio Turón near Ardales and Laguna Dulce, Malaga Province, Spain.

Out and about looking for Dragon's with friends Lynn and Steve from the UK.

Ebird List for the Terrace.

Ebird List for Laguna Dulce.

 

During the night, at about 02:00 a new species paid a visit to the back Terrace, a Western Barn Owl (Lechuza Común / Tyto alba) which flew in and landed on the railings for a while.

I started the day by driving out to El Puerto del Jaral near Villanueva del Rosario where Lynn and Steve were staying, near their motorhome we heard Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito ibérico / Picus sharpei), saw Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra) and as we were driving out to the motorway we had a couple of Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops) sat up on the wires and further on a  Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus).

We made our way out to a spot near El Chorro where we were checking out a spot for Dragonflies, on the way we stopped at the far end of the Embalse de Guadalteba Dam seeing Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas) and Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) in the air, Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Europeo / Certhia brachydactyla), Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Coal Tit  (Carbonero Garrapinos / Periparus ater), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) in the Pines and Great Crested (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus) and Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Common Kingfisher (Martin Pescador Común / Alcedo atthis) and a Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata) x1♂.

We continued on to the spot we had come to check but we didn't see anything Dragonfly wise but did find Griffon Vulture, Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), a ♀ looking European Pied Flycatcher (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca), Eurasian Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus) and a  Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria).

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

Our next stop was at a nearby Vulture Feeding station, just before we arrived we saw a large kettle of Griffon's but there we only a few at the actual feeding station, in the same area we picked up Thekla's Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) and Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) ♀ before moving on to a couple of spots along the Rio Turón near Ardales.

Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) ♀.

We got to the first site and had some lunch before dropping down to the river where we spent a while checking the area out finding masses of Oriental Hornets (Vespa orientalis), Copper Demoiselle (Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis), Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator), Desert Darter (Sympetrum sinaiticum), Large White (Pieris brassicae), Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus), Grayling (Hipparchia semele), Striped Grayling (Hipparchia fidia), Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina), Cetti's (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), Eurasian Jay (Arrendajo Euroasiático / Garrulus glandarius), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Europeo / Certhia brachydactyla), European Pied Flycatcher (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra) and European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).

The Rio Turón.

Oriental Hornets (Vespa orientalis).

Desert Darter (Sympetrum sinaiticum) ♂.

Desert Darter (Sympetrum sinaiticum) ♂.

A tatty Striped Grayling (Hipparchia fidia). 

Grayling (Hipparchia semele).

At the second spot which was a little closer to Ardales we had Iberian Bluetail (Ischnura graellsii), Blue / Common Emperor and Vagrant Emperor (Anax ephippiger), Migrant Spreadwing (Lestes barbarus), Small Pincertail (Onychogomphus forcipatus), Keeled Skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens), Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea), another Desert Darter, Swallowtail (Papilio machaon), Small White (Pieris rapae), Grayling, Meadow Brown, Small Fleabane (Pulicaria vulgaris), Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Common Kingfisher (Martin Pescador Común / Alcedo atthis), Cetti's Warbler, Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis).

Steve along the second stretch of the Turón we visited.

Small Pincertail (Onychogomphus forcipatus) ♂.

Migrant Hawker (Aeshna mixta) ♂.

Desert Darter (Sympetrum sinaiticum) ♂.

On the way back towards the house we called in at Laguna Dulce which still had water and a good number of birds including Common Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Little (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Pied Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Black-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Common Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Ruff (Combatiente / Calidris pugnax), Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Common Kestrel, Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Sand (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia) and Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Common Redstart (Colirroja Real / Phoenicurus phoenicurus), European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), good numbers of Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis) and many Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis) winter ♂.

Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis) winter ♂.

Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

I dropped Lynn and Steve back to their Motorhome and then headed home.