rollingthunder
Well-known member
Malaga 6th-9th March…..
72 species recorded all but one during 2x 4-hour visits to the Rio Gualdalhorce/Vieja reserve.
Below is a list of the more notable species that I do not see locally plus early migrants including a couple of singing Garden Warblers which surprised me. In addition were a small party 6+ of Marbled Teal a species that I have not recorded on the ca8 previous visits. I highly recommend the reserve. It is only 25 mins on the bus from Malaga central and the best value birding at 1 euro 40 cents each way. The weather was mixed with one blistering day one overcast and 2 with heavy showers most of both days - the latter were the days I visited the reserve..... We consider ourselves as there was really heavy rain all over Spain from Ronda north as was there in northern Maroc. This presumably was why migration was exceptionally quiet. I last visited a month earlier last year and it was much busier. Hirundines this time were in dozens not hundreds, virtually no waders, warblers thin on the ground and few gulls save for the high-tide roost of Med.
We stopped 5 nights/4 full days in the Soho district of Malaga at around 50 euros per night - prices have increased by about 25% in Spain since last year and still they seem to be cracking on with making life for Brits more difficult to visit. A recent report on Birdguides singles out wintering UK Lesser black-backed Gulls as sources of plastic pollution on the Coto Donana - what are they smoking?
I left a lengthy reply to the article on the BG website.....
If in Malaga I would recommend 2 bars where we languished in-between showers and birding. La Fabrica which is a Cruzcampo establishment and has 8 or so craft beers made by them. Our other choice was La Rincon de Cervizieta (The Corner Of Beer) very much a locals place and had a wide range of excellent craft ales plus many imports.
Yellow-legged Gull
Black Redstart
Spotless Starling
Blackcap
Lesser Kestrel
Serin
Little Ringed Plover
Black-winged Stilt
White Wagtail
Swallow
Cetti’s Warbler
Sardinian Warbler
Crested Lark
Kentish Plover
Woodchat - female
Osprey
Fan-tailed Warbler
Garden Warbler
Raven
Hoopoe
Booted Eagle - 2 birds, a dark-morph adult and a 1s-type pale bird.
Slender-billed Gull
House Martin
Marbled Teal
Avocet
Firecrest
White-headed Duck
Red-rumped Swallow
Crag Martin
Greater Flamingo
Spoonbill
Mediterranean Gull - roost of 500+
Marsh Harrier - male
I will post a few pics.
Good birding -
Laurie -
72 species recorded all but one during 2x 4-hour visits to the Rio Gualdalhorce/Vieja reserve.
Below is a list of the more notable species that I do not see locally plus early migrants including a couple of singing Garden Warblers which surprised me. In addition were a small party 6+ of Marbled Teal a species that I have not recorded on the ca8 previous visits. I highly recommend the reserve. It is only 25 mins on the bus from Malaga central and the best value birding at 1 euro 40 cents each way. The weather was mixed with one blistering day one overcast and 2 with heavy showers most of both days - the latter were the days I visited the reserve..... We consider ourselves as there was really heavy rain all over Spain from Ronda north as was there in northern Maroc. This presumably was why migration was exceptionally quiet. I last visited a month earlier last year and it was much busier. Hirundines this time were in dozens not hundreds, virtually no waders, warblers thin on the ground and few gulls save for the high-tide roost of Med.
We stopped 5 nights/4 full days in the Soho district of Malaga at around 50 euros per night - prices have increased by about 25% in Spain since last year and still they seem to be cracking on with making life for Brits more difficult to visit. A recent report on Birdguides singles out wintering UK Lesser black-backed Gulls as sources of plastic pollution on the Coto Donana - what are they smoking?
I left a lengthy reply to the article on the BG website.....
If in Malaga I would recommend 2 bars where we languished in-between showers and birding. La Fabrica which is a Cruzcampo establishment and has 8 or so craft beers made by them. Our other choice was La Rincon de Cervizieta (The Corner Of Beer) very much a locals place and had a wide range of excellent craft ales plus many imports.
Yellow-legged Gull
Black Redstart
Spotless Starling
Blackcap
Lesser Kestrel
Serin
Little Ringed Plover
Black-winged Stilt
White Wagtail
Swallow
Cetti’s Warbler
Sardinian Warbler
Crested Lark
Kentish Plover
Woodchat - female
Osprey
Fan-tailed Warbler
Garden Warbler
Raven
Hoopoe
Booted Eagle - 2 birds, a dark-morph adult and a 1s-type pale bird.
Slender-billed Gull
House Martin
Marbled Teal
Avocet
Firecrest
White-headed Duck
Red-rumped Swallow
Crag Martin
Greater Flamingo
Spoonbill
Mediterranean Gull - roost of 500+
Marsh Harrier - male
I will post a few pics.
Good birding -
Laurie -
