Zapata, Rio Guadalhorce near Cártama, Rio Casarabonela and Laguna Dulce, Malaga Province, Spain.

A final day out with Lynn and Steve down in Malaga Province.

Ebird List for Zapata.

Ebird List for Rio Guadalhorce near Cártama. 

Ebird List for Laguna Dulce.

 

Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta).

I started by picking up Lynn and Steve, then we started the day with Breakfast in Restaurante Paneque Rosario before driving down to Malaga and through the Airport to the Rio Guadalhorce at Zapata, we checked the area between the river crossing and the upper ford.

Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta).

Near the lower crossing we started the list with Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Blue / Common (Anax imperator) x1♂ and Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope) x1♂, Oriental Hornet (Vespa orientalis) and Thorn Apple (Datura stramonium).

Thorn Apple (Datura stramonium).

Further up stream we added Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and an unexpected European Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Thinornis dubius), Green (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) and Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Black-crowned Night Heron (Marinete Común / Nycticorax nycticorax), Common Kingfisher (Martin Pescador Común / Alcedo atthis), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Sand Martin (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia), Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild) and Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea).

Epaulet Skimmer (Orthetrum chrysostigma) x1♀ teneral.

Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea) ♀.

As we checked this area we also saw Iberian Bluetail (Ischnura graellsii) x1♂ x1♀, more Lesser Emperors x1♂ and 1♀, Epaulet Skimmer (Orthetrum chrysostigma) x1, Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) x10+, Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea) x1♂ and x1♀, False Mallow Skipper (Carcharodus tripolinus) x1, Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi), Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa) and Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria).

False Mallow Skipper (Carcharodus tripolinus).

False Mallow Skipper (Carcharodus tripolinus).

We returned to the car and headed across country to the spot where the Rio Grande and the Rio Guadalhorce meet but apart from a few pools further up stream the Rio Grande was dry and the Guadalhorce had heavy machinery working in it but we still did a walk down stream away from the works and found Little Ringed Plover, Common and Green Sandpiper, Great Cormorant, Little and Great Egret (Garceta Grande / Ardea alba), Grey Heron, Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Eurasian Jay (Arrendajo Euroasiático / Garrulus glandarius), Northern Raven (Cuervo grande / Corvus corax), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Europeo / Certhia brachydactyla), Spotless Starling, Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), European Pied Flycatcher (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca), Common Waxbill, Grey and White Wagtail.

Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea) a slightly more mature ♀.

Along the river we also saw good numbers of Dragons which included Lesser Emperor x2♂, Epaulet Skimmer (Orthetrum chrysostigma) x5♂, Long Skimmer (Orthetrum trinacria) x2♂, Red-veined Darter x10+,  Scarlet Darter x5♂ x1♀ and Orange-winged Dropwing x10+.

Looking down stream along the Rio Guadalhorce.

We returned to the car and then went a little further north to the Arroyo de Casarabonela, a site that used to be one of our favourite site but as with so many wildlife places in Andalusia it was totally degraded and basically dead, however we did find Western Willow Spreadwing (Chalcolestes viridis) x2, Epaulet Skimmer x4♂ and Red-veined Darter x4.

The site was so bad that we quickly decided to push on back towards Lynn and Steve's base but went via the longer northern route making a quick stop at Laguna Dulce on the way, here we saw a single Blue / Common Emperor x1♂, Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Pied Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Curlew Sandpiper (Correlimos Zarapitin / Calidris ferruginea), Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas), Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Common Kestrel, Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), Barn Swallow, House (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis) and Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

We headed back to Lynn and Steve's site where I said goodbye to them until we catch up again, either here (most Likely or in Cornwall.