Temp - 27C - Clear - Wind E @ 8 mph
Having finally shaken off my heavy cold it was time to venture out and so in the late afternoon Wednesday, after the main heat of the day had passed, Dee, Dave and I took the relatively short drive down towards Guadalhorce. This reserve is quite close to Malaga airport and begins at the mouth of the river Guadalhorce, it consists of old gravel pit workings and ponds make up a wetland habitat with coastal access.
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| Audouin's Gull |
After parking at the local church we began our walk by accessing the site at the footbridge which takes you easily across the river. The first birds of note were a
Kingfisher on the river, a single
Kestrel and a couple of
Monk Parakeet, in fact during our walk there were a number of these noisy marauders. Several
Little Egrets were entrenched along the river bank and the familiar sound of
Cetti's Warbler from within the reeds, but as per usual not seen. A couple of
Sardinian Warblers, a bird that seems to enjoy giving me the runaround, and a number of
Zitting Cisticola before arriving at the hide which overlooks the
Laguna Escondida.
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| ♀Marsh Harrier - Golden head glistening in the evening sunshine! |
Just prior to entering a
♀Marsh Harrier was giving the surrounding pools a good old scare. However, a couple of
Cormorant perched on a large dead tree just seemed to look on in amusement. A large raptor appeared from the south-east and although we only managed a brief glimpse, could well have been the tagged
Osprey from Germany, which I'm told regularly winters here. From the hide a collection of
Coots and
Little Grebe and a pleasant surprise with a quartet of
White-headed Duck, including juvenile
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| White-headed Duck on Laguna Escondida |
From here we took the path that leads around to the hide at
Laguna Grande, bypassing the eastern arm. The walk to the hide produced a flock of around twenty or so
Greenfinch and a couple of
Crested Lark also took flight from the scrub area.
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| Black-winged Stilt - Laguna Grande |
The hide which overlooks the
Laguna Grande provided a nice selection of waders and these included a good number of
Black-winged Stilt, several
Common Sandpiper, a selection of both juvenile and adult
Ringed Plover, a lone
Little-Ringed Plover, a single
Turnstone and a late arrival, when a gorgeous looking
Greenshank dropped in. On the water a handful of
Shoveler, a couple of
Little Grebe, a mixture of
Grey Heron and
Little Egret, plus a pair of
Greater Flamingos, what seemed to be a mother and juvenile.
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| Mediterranean Gull - Laguna Grande |
The Gulls, which were plentiful offered many
Black-Headed, but a good scan provided a single
Audouin's, a single
Mediterranean and
Yellow-legged, of which there were several, including a good few juvenile. During our stay at the hide there seemed to be a constant passage of
Collared Doves and over in the distance, where the
♀Marsh Harrier was performing once more, some large groups of
Spotless Starling. An excellent first visit, even more enhanced by a constant passage of
Red-rumped Swallows and
Common Swifts.
Temp - 27C - Clear - Wind E @ 8 mph
