Fuente de Piedra and Laguna de Hurrada, Malaga Province, Spain.

Out to Malaga Province with Paqui.

 

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

Paqui and I headed out to Fuente de Piedra for a walk and to see the amazing number of Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), as we arrived we saw several birds on the roadside pool so after parking we walked back along the road and checked the pool.

Pied Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta).

Slender-billed Gull (Gaviota Picofina / Chroicocephalus genei).

Here we had views of adult and immature Greater Flamingo's, Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Pied Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Thinornis dubius), White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), Slender-billed (Gaviota Picofina / Chroicocephalus genei) and Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

Common Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus).

European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola).

We reached the far end of the pool and then took the back track along the field edge to the far end of the boardwalk, as we walked this track we saw Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Gull-billed Tern (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica), Cetti's (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti) and Common Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), Small White (Pieris rapae), Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum), Common Mallow (Malva sylvestris), Purple Bugloss (Echium plantagineum), Yellow flag-iris (Iris pseudacorus), Pitch Trefoil (Bituminaria bituminosa) and Corn Poppy (Papaver rhoeas).  

Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

Dark Spreadwing (Lestes macrostigma) ♀.

Dark Spreadwing (Lestes macrostigma)  ♂♀.

Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus).

From the boardwalk we checked the vegetation and pools find a very good number of Dark Spreadwing (Lestes macrostigma) as well as some very smart adult Marbled Ducks (Cerceta pardilla / Marmaronetta angustirostris) and some very cute ducklings.

Marbled Duck (Cerceta pardilla / Marmaronetta angustirostris).

Marbled Duck (Cerceta pardilla / Marmaronetta angustirostris).

Marbled Duck (Cerceta pardilla / Marmaronetta angustirostris).

Marbled Duck (Cerceta pardilla / Marmaronetta angustirostris).

Marbled Duck (Cerceta pardilla / Marmaronetta angustirostris).

We walked the Tamarisks around to the track to the Mirador seeing Common Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala) and Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata).

The main Laguna with lots of Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

Looking west.

Up at the Mirador we had nice but distant views of the main lagoon where there were a very large number of Greater Flamingo's, we also saw and heard Gadwall (Anade Friso / Mareca strepera), Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra),  Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Sardinian Warbler, Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris), European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis).

Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

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

A soggy Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica).

Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica).

Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica).

We returned to the car but had a quick look at the roadside pool again before we went up into town for some coffee and some breakfast before going towards Antequera and taking the road to the North where we turned off to the left for a look at the Laguna de Herrera area.

Laguna de Herrera.

Laguna de Herrera.

Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus).

Gull-billed Tern (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica).

Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

I used to visit this area many years ago as it was an excellent birding area with breeding White-headed Ducks (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala) but for some reason the farmer was allowed to put a drain across the site and it was lost for some years, however the drain appears to have been blocked and now after this last winters rains the lagoon has life again with lots of insects, amphibians and birds on site again which was absolutely brilliant to see.

Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris).

Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) ♂.

Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) ♂.

Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) ♀.

Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) ♀.

Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathinerum) ♀.

As Paqui and I walked along the track that runs along the side of the laguna we saw good numbers of Black-winged Stilts some of which were sat on nests, Pied Avocet, Gull-billed Terns some of which were carrying food to an area which I could not get views of, Little Ringed Plover, Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), European Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), Zitting Cisticola, European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola) and Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina).

Natterjack Toad (Bufo calamita).

Other species included an Egyptian Mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon), Natterjack Toad (Bufo calamita), Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii), Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Spanish Gatekeeper (Pyronia bathseba), Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina), Red-striped Oil Beetle (Berberomeloe majalis), Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), Crown Daisy (Chrysanthemum carinatum), Corn Poppies and Milk Thistle. 

Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum).

Common Mallow (Malva sylvestris).

Corn Poppy (Papaver rhoeas).

Crown Daisy (Chrysanthemum carinatum).

We returned to the tarmac and then went into the nearby Garden Centre where I bought a couple of plants before we headed off back to Huétor as it was getting quite warm.