Laguna Dulce, Laguna del Cerero, Laguna Salada, Laguna Capacete and Campillos, Malaga Province, Spain.

A morning out with Paqui, Barbara and Derek.

Ebird List for Laguna Dulce.

Ebird List for Laguna del Cerero.

Ebird List for Laguna Salada.

Ebird List for Laguna de Capacete.

Ebird List for Campillos.

Paqui and I headed off early to meet Barbara and Derek Etherton in Campillos for a mornings birding, we were all at the meeting point on time but it was still quite dark so after putting all our stuff in the Derek and Barbara's car we headed off for some breakfast in the town.

Laguna Dulce.

After a coffee and a tostarda we went to Laguna Dulce but took the back track first as Derek and Barbara had done this route a few days earlier and had seen a good number of waders on the small areas of water behind the reeds which can't be seen from the hide, we found Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Thinornis dubius), Common (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) and Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Ruff (Combatiente / Calidris pugnax), Curlew Sandpiper (Correlimos Zarapitin / Calidris ferruginea) and Little Stint (Correlimos Menudo / Calidris minuta).

The back pools.

Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) ♂.

Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathinerum) ♂.

As well as the waders we saw Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathinerum) x20+, Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) x150+, 2x Egyptian Geese (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), European Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), big numbers of Eurasian Coots (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Whiskered Tern (Fumarel Cariblanca / Chilidonias hybridus), Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus), Black-crowned Night Heron (Marinete Común / Nycticorax nycticorax), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Calandra (Calandria Común / Melanocorypha calandra), Crested (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata) and Greater Short-toed Lark (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Barn (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Cecropis daurica), Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae) and lots of Corn Buntings (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

We continued on around the back track to the road on the way we added Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), a distant Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus), a couple of passage European Honey Buzzards (Aberjero Europeo / Pernis apivorus) and 3 Black Kites (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans) which were also heading west, Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and just before we reached the road we had a big flock of Spanish Sparrows (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis). 

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

Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

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

Wood Sandpiper (Andarrios Bastardo / Tringa glareola).

Wood Sandpiper (Andarrios Bastardo / Tringa glareola).

Wood Sandpiper (Andarrios Bastardo / Tringa glareola).

Spotted Redshank (Archibebe Oscuro / Tringa erythropus).

Spotted Redshanks (Archibebe Oscuro / Tringa erythropus).

Around at the hide we spent a while scanning the pool finding Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Mareca strepera), Marbled Duck (Cerceta pardilla / Marmaronetta angustirostris), Red-crested (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina) and Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), Pied Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Common Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Wood Sandpiper (Andarrios Bastardo / Tringa glareola), 4x Spotted Redshank (Archibebe Oscuro / Tringa erythropus), Little (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Black-necked (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis) and Great Crested Grebe (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus), 8x Purple Herons (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea), a ♀ Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), Northern Raven (Cuervo grande / Corvus corax), Melodious Warbler (Zarcero políglota / Hippolais polyglotta), Common Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope), Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata), Oriental Hornet (Vespa orientalis), Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus), Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa) and Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi).

Marbled Duck (Cerceta pardilla / Marmaronetta angustirostris).

Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra).

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

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

Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) ♀.

Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator) juvenile.

Our next stop was on the other side of the main road at Laguna del Cerero, it was quieter but we did add Western Olivaceous Warbler (Zarcero bereber / Iduna opaca), Sand Martin (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) along with another Purple Heron, Western Marsh Harrier, Greater Flamingo's, Red-veined Darters and Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea).

Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) ♀.

Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) ♀.

We moved on again to the Laguna Salada where there were more Greater Flamingo's and at least 3x Common Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), 3x Spotted Redshank, 2x Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), a ♀ Montagu's Harrier and ♀ Banded Groundling (Brachythemis leucosticta).

Laguna Salada.

♀ Banded Groundling (Brachythemis leucosticta).

♀ Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus).

A bit further along the road we stopped at the Laguna Capacete and took a track to check some waders, here we found Common Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula) and a Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina) which were new for the day list along side more Black-winged Stilt, Little Ringed Plover, Common, Green Sandpiper and Curlew Sandpiper.

Other species were Eurasian Coot, Greater Flamingo, Little Grebe, Griffon Vulture, European Bee-eater, Common Kestrel, Crested Lark, Barn and Red-rumped Swallow, Spotless Starling, European Stonechat,House Sparrow, Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae) and European Goldfinch.

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

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

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

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

Our final stop of the morning was around Campillos where we had brilliant views of a stunning Long-eared Owl (Búho Chico / Asio otus) which sat very nicely for us, a nice way to end the mornings birding.