Fuente de Piedra, Laguna Dulce, Campillos and Laguna de Capacete, Malaga, Spain.

Another good day's birding with Friends Barbara and Derek but with a sticky end !!!

Ebird List for Fuente de Piedra.

Ebird List for Laguna Dulce.

Ebird List for Campillos.

 

The roadside pool through the fog.

I drove over to Mollina where I met Barbara and Derek, we had some breakfast and a coffee before heading to Fuente de Piedra and after parking we checked out the roadside pool and the swampy area on the opposite side, through the fog we managed to find Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata) on the pool and Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Sardinian (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala) and Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti) and through the fog we saw a single White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia) sat on it's nest on the old chimney stack.

The roadside pool again still through the fog.

We took the track around the back of the marshy area to the far end of the boardwalk and then came back towards the visitors centre end, as we walked we saw Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Western Jackdaw (Grajilla occidental / Corvus monedula), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), European Stonechat, House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) and Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola).

The Pool along the side of the Boardwalk.

Barbara and Derek on the Boardwalk.

Along the Tamarisks heading towards the Mirador we were pleased to see a small flock of Eurasian Siskin (Jilguero Lúgano / Carduelis spinus), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis) and on the pool at the far end of the Tamarisks a male Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca).

Looking out from the Mirador over the Main Laguna.

From the Mirador we scanned the main Laguna which was now starting to become visable as the fog was lifting, through the scope we saw a small number Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Common Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Pied Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Black-headed  (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus), Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) and Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris) and European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis).

Female House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus).

Around at Observatorio El Laguneto we found Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus), Northern Shoveler, Gadwall (Anade Friso / Mareca strepera), Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Common Kingfisher (Martin Pescador Común / Alcedo atthis), Dartford (Curruca Rabilarga / Curruca undata) heard only and Sardinian Warbler.

At the Observatorio de las Palomas seeing White Wagtail and we also heard some distant Common Cranes (Grulla Común / Grus grus).

We walked back around to the car and then drove around to another viewing point out onto the main laguna where we scanned the water between the Tamarisk trees adding Common Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Common Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata) and a very smart Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real / Lanius meridionalis). 

Pied Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta) and Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus) in Flight.

Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus) and Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus).

Common Cranes (Grulla Común / Grus grus).

Our next stop was at the hide overlooking Laguna Dulce, there was still a decent amount of water there and we soon picked up Northern Shoveler, Mallard, Greater Flamingo's, Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), 60 or so Common Cranes, Black-winged Stilt, over a 100 Pied Avocet, Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Green Sandpiper, Black-headed Gull and Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus).

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

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

Common Cranes (Grulla Común / Grus grus).

After finishing at the hide we drove a loop track around the back of the laguna adding Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), Crested, Calandra (Calandria Común / Melanocorypha calandra) and Eurasian Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Squirting Cucumber (Ecballium elaterium), a single Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) and several Desert Darters (Sympetrum sinaiticum) x8 some in tandem egg laying in a small pool.

Long-eared Owl (Búho Chico / Asio otus).

Long-eared Owl (Búho Chico / Asio otus).

At a spot not too far away we checked an area of trees and quickly located a very smart Long-eared Owl (Búho Chico / Asio otus) which was sat nicely in a Mulberry Tree. 

We decided to go and have a look at Laguna de Capacete but this turned out to be a bad move, luckily I left my car at the start of one of the tracks and jumped in with Barbara and Derek but we didn't get very far before we hit problems in the mud but we found we couldn't back out so with quite a bit of pushing we struggled down to what we had hoped would be a better take off to the left around to a nearby farm but it had been partly Ploughed and was even more impassable.

Derek managed to turn the car around and we hoped that we could get some momentum up and drive back out but we were soon bogged, I walked back to my car and drove to a nearby farm where I managed to get a very kind farmer to come with his tractor and two the car out, Derek offered him some money for his help but he refused it and said he was just happy to be able to help, a true Gentleman.

After Derek did a drive and dislodged some of the mud but not enough so they headed straight to a local jet wash and I went off home.