I arrived in Malaga on Tuesday evening and was again met with torrential downpours, similar to my last visit in November, which had followed the floods in Valencia. Dave picked me up from the airport at around 7:30pm local time, and the drive back to the villa in Mijas took about 25 minutes.
There was a severe thunderstorm overnight, and for the first few days, my birding was mostly confined to the terrace window with occasional sorties between the heavy downpours. Nevertheless, birding at the villa can be quite rewarding. Crested Tits & Firecrests are regular visitors around the grounds and Sardinian Warblers can be found skulking in amongst the brush. I dropped Dave off at the airport early Thursday morning for his trip to Sicily and spent the remainder of the day at the villa preparing for the next 10 days.
Friday 14th March 2025 🌤️ 17C ~ WNW @ 11MPH ~ Around mid-morning, the weather finally cleared, and I decided to head off to Guadalhorce. Site details can be found on my blog HERE.
 |
| Rio Guadalhorce from the access bridge |
The river was quite swollen but not as bad as I'd imagined after the rains. While walking to the Laguna de la Casilla hide, a couple of
Zitting Cisticolas (Fantail Warblers) were zitting overhead, and a small group of
Spanish Sparrows appeared to be having a disagreement in a large tamarisk. My first impression was that there were a lot of
Chiffchaffs on site, busily flitting around in the undergrowth. As I settled into the hide, I immediately noticed a very smart-looking male
Common Redstart foraging on one of the small islands. Then I noticed a distant
Osprey, either the regular bird that winters here or a passage bird on its way north.
 |
| Spanish Sparrow. |
The pool was quite full, leaving little space for waders; however, a couple of
Black-winged Stilts coped easily. The pool was pretty quiet, except for six
Marbled Ducks in a small pool at the back. It was good to see these birds thriving after 25 birds were reintroduced here in 2022. I also noted a couple of
Little Grebes and a male
Pochard.
 |
| Marbled Duck - a sucessful re-introduction at Guadalhorce. |
My next stop was the del Rio Viejo hide, and the short walk down led to sightings of
Blackcap,
Sardinian Warbler,
Serin,
Chiffchaff, more
Spanish Sparrow, and a few
Greenfinch in full song. At one stage, some noisy fly-by
Monk Parakeets flew by, and in the background, I could hear a
Corn Bunting but didn't manage to connect.
 |
| Sardinian Warbler - Less elusive at this time of year. |
On the water, which was high like the previous hide, there were several more
Black-winged Stilts, many
Northern Shovelers,
Marbled Duck,
Coot and
Moorhen. From there, I walked down towards the beach and on to the Observatorio de Aves Marinas lookout point. As I passed the old river, there were five
Greater Flamingo, a couple of
Shelduck,
Redshank and
Common Sandpiper.
As I approached the shoreline, I spotted four Kentish Plovers and five Sanderlings scurrying along. Out at sea, there was a huge array of gulls, which included various numbers of Black-headed Gulls, Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Slender-billed Gulls, and Mediterranean Gulls.
 |
| Kentish Plover, a regular breeder at Guadalhorce. |
Just below the lookout point, I took a short walk along the beach and came across a
Black-eared Wheatear, which I don't recall ever seeing at Guadalhorce before, and so I spent a good half hour just watching this striking-looking old world flycatcher. A couple of
Woodchat Shrike were also foraging in the array of broken and knarled bamboo, and just over the perimeter fence, there were several
Spotless Starlings, a couple of
Crested Larks and a
Black Redstart.
 |
| Western Black-eared Wheatear |
 |
| One of the two Woodshrike Shrike. |
Just before I headed back along the track, I spotted a lone gull on the opposite side of the river, which I suspected might be an
Audouin's Gull. I managed to take a few distant shots, and my suspicion was confirmed. They feed on pelagic fish, mainly sardines and anchovies. In winter, they move to sheltered sandy beaches. Scarce and rare species. It can be found especially in the mouth of the Guadalhorce and in the port of Malaga.
 |
| Audouin's Gull |
By now, the sun was shining brightly, causing a flurry of butterflies to take flight. I paused for a moment to capture a few images of a
Swallowtail, plus
Painted Lady, and
Clouded Yellow before heading on to my next stop, Laguna Escondida.
 |
| Swallowtail Butterfly. |
Just before I moved on, I was thrilled to see at least thirty
Common Swifts flying in over the sea. By the time I left, there were over a hundred, accompanied by
Sand Martins,
Barn Swallows, and a few
Red-rumped Swallows. It was a beautiful sight of spring migration in action, and I suspect it was caused by the break in the weather!
The Escondida is a good place to find the endangered White-headed Duck, although their numbers seemed to have dropped since I first starting coming here nearly 12 years ago. Today I noted three at the top end of the laguna, where there were also a few Pochards, Little Grebe and more Shoveler.
 |
| White-headed Duck |
My final stop was at Laguna Grande, where I spent an enjoyable 45 minutes. Typically the best place for close-in waders like the other lagunas, it was also filled to the brim. Notable species while here included: Black-necked Grebe, Glossy Ibis, Marbled Duck, Black-winged Stilt, thirty-five Avocet and Slender-billed Gull. On the walk back to the car, a Booted Eagle drifted west, and I closed on 59 species for the visit.
Guadalhorce 14/03/25
