Mirador Desembocadura del Guadalhorce and Guadalhorce Pools, Malaga Province, Spain.

An early sea watch and then some birding with friend Barbara and Derek.

Ebird List for the Sea Watch.

Ebird List for the Pools.

 

My view from Mirador Desembocadura del Guadalhorce.

I started the day by heading down to the Mirador Desembocadura del Guadalhorce where I set up the scope and did some sea watching for a couple of hours before I was due to meet up with Barbara and Derek Etherton for a walk around the Pools.

Out to sea I picked up 3 ducks flying west to east which I soon got in the scope and identified as female Common Scoters (Negrón Común / Melanitta nigra) which were a year tick, bringing me to within 4 of my 350 target.

As I watched I saw large numbers of Balearic Shearwaters (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus) which were feeding in big groups amongst a frenzy of Gulls and a great many Northern Gannets (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus).

Other species seen out to sea included 3x Cory's (Pardela Cenicienta Canaria / Calonectris diomedea borealis) or Scopoli’s Shearwater (Pardela cenicienta mediterránea / Calonectris diomedea), Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus), Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Thalasseus sandvicensis), Great Skua (Págalo Grande / Stercorarius skua) and Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo).

Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba).

Western Osprey (Águila Pescardora / Pandion haliaetus).

Along the coastline, up the river and in the surrounding bushes, I also saw Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris) and European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis).

Eurasian Oystercatcher (Ostrero Euroasiático / Haematopus ostralegus).

I looked back along the pathway behind me where I saw friend Andy Patterson who was walking Sally his dog, so I popped down and had a chat and then after getting a call from Barbara and Derek I headed around to Café Bar Las Niñas where we met and had a coffee and some breakfast.

Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas).

Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas).

We then went back up to Mirador Desembocadura del Guadalhorce where we scanned the sea again and saw pretty much the same stuff except for the Scoters, we then walked along the beach and into the reserve adding Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Starling (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala) on the way.

Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus).

On the walk to the hide overlooking Laguna Grande we boosted the list with a heard only Bluethroat (Ruiseñor Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica), Common Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Grey (Chorlito Gris / Pluvialis squatarola), Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Anarhynchus alexandrinus) and Common Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina) and Migrant Hawker (Aeshna mixta) x2.

Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta).

Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta).

Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia).

Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis).

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

Common Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia).

From the hide we added a good many new species to the day list including Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Oystercatcher (Ostrero Euroasiático / Haematopus ostralegus), Common Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia), Sanderling, Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Little (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), Little (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta) and Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Grey Heron, Western Osprey (Águila Pescardora / Pandion haliaetus), 4x Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), Common Kingfisher (Martin Pescador Común / Alcedo atthis), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Monk Parakeet, Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Common Chiffchaff, Black Redstart, European Stonechat, White Wagtail and European Goldfinch. 

Western Yellow Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava).

Western Yellow Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava).

Western Yellow Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava).

After quite a while, we walked around towards the hide overlooking Laguna Escondida, on the way we were surprised to find a late Western Yellow Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava) and a Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), from the hide we added White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), Eurasian Blackcap, Common Blackbird, European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), European Greenfinch, and on our way back around towards the beach we found another late migrant a Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata).

Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata).

We returned to our cars along the beach and then headed off home.