A morning looking for birds, butterflies and more, then a swim in the afternoon.
Ebird List for near Playa Motril.
Ebird List for Desembocadura río Guadalfeo.
Ebird List for Playa Maruja García.
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| Monk Parakeets (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus). |
Paqui and I headed down the coast near Motril where we started the morning with a coffee in Estrella del Mar before going just up the road to a spot near the Playa Motril where I was hoping to see or at least hear a
Rose-ringed Parakeet (Cotorra de Kramer / Psittacula krameri) which had been around for a whill but we were unlucky and only found a couple of
Monk Parakeets (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus). |
| Monk Parakeets (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus). |
Other Species included Feral Pigeon (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia),
Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus),
Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto),
Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus),
Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) and
Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus),
Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus),
Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala),
Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor),
Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula),
European Pied Flycatcher (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca), 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).
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| European Honey Buzzard (Aberjero Europeo / Pernis apivorus). |
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| European Honey Buzzard (Aberjero Europeo / Pernis apivorus). |
We moved on along the coast to the Desembocadura Río Guadalfeo where after parking we could hear a singing
Great Reed Warbler (Carricero Tordal / Acrocephalus arundinaceus) and whilst we were trying to see the bird we added 4 migrating European Honey Buzzards (Aberjero Europeo / Pernis apivorus)
, 2♂ and 6♀
Copper Demoiselles (Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis) and a ♀
Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata). |
| Copper Demoiselle (Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis) ♂. |
As we walked along the River to the sea, we saw
Small White (
Pieris rapae),
Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos),
Common Woodpigeon,
Eurasian Collared Dove,
Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus),
Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra),
Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata),
Sardinian and
Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti),
Common Blackbird,
Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Red Avadavat (Bengali Rojo / Amandava amandava),
House Sparrow and
European Serin.
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| Red Avadavat (Bengali Rojo / Amandava amandava) ♂. |
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| Red Avadavat (Bengali Rojo / Amandava amandava) ♂. |
On the beach and out at sea we found 2x
Eurasian Whimbrel (Zarapito Trinador / Numenius phaeopus),
Black-headed,
Audouin's (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii),
Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Yellow-legged and
Lesser Black-backed Gull,
Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Thalasseus sandvicensis),
Scopoli’s (Pardela cenicienta mediterránea / Calonectris diomedea) and Balearic Shearwater (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus) and a nice Common Kingfisher (Martin Pescador Común / Alcedo atthis).
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| Checking the Rocks. |
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| Audouin's Gull (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii). |
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| Common Kingfisher (Martin Pescador Común / Alcedo atthis). |
Again we returned to the car and moved back to the east and to a spot for a couple of butterfly species, we saw several
Plain Tigers (Danaus chrysippus) x12 and a couple of
Monarchs (Danaus plexippus) x2 as well as Lang's Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous) x2,
Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) x3,
Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea) x2♂
, Crimson Speckled (Utetheisa pulchella),
Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas), another singing Great Reed Warbler and
Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis). |
| Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis). |
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| Immature Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild). |
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| Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus alcippus). |
Other species seen in this area included
African Grass Blue (Zizeeria knysna),
Plain Tiger,
Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta),
Eurasian Collared Dove,
Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis),
Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Crested Lark, Zitting Cisticola, Sardinian Warbler,
European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola),
Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), House Sparrow,
Western Yellow (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava) and
White Wagtail and
European Serin.
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| After Tigers. |
We again returned to the car and made our way to Torrenueva Costa where we had some lunch before spending some time on the beach and having a nice swim in some nice clear looking water.
Later we headed back to Huétor after a very nice day, on the way we saw a
Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos) and a second pale morph
Booted.