Northern Wheatear - oenanthe oenanthe in Autumn plumage
After dropping Elena at the Airport on her way to visit daughter in London, I made a quick stop at the Guadalhorce to see what was about. The short answer is "not very much", a dearth of waders and interestingly no raptors. I saw no raptors at Fuente or el Torcal either so I don´t know where they have all gone. Perhaps the rain has decimated the small mammal population and they have gone elsewhere?
Wheatear in Spring Plumage
There were however lots of Northern Wheatears in the protected breeding grounds behind the beach. They were reasonably approachable. I post two shots to show the difference between autumn and Spring plumage. Thanks to Bob Wright for pointing this out to me.
Little -Ringed plovers - charadrius dubious
Apart from a few Kentish Plovers and the ubiquitous Black-winged Stilts, the only other waders present were this pair of Little-Ringed Plovers, spotted from the main hide doing what comes naturally in Spring.
That was until the Flamingos arrived.
That was until the Flamingos arrived.
Greater Flamingos - phoenicopterus roseus
This flight of Flamingos, probably just arriving from Africa, wheeled around and around looking for a suitable landing. I am not sure where they eventually settled, not on the main lagoon but probably in the old River area when they would have found some shallows. I doubt that they will stay long and will perhaps add to the relatively small numbers of birds currently at Fuente de Piedra.
