After such a good morning and having seen 66 different species quite easily I expressed an interest in one of Derek's "Birdathons". That is to try to reach 100 species or more in a single day. So about a week later, Derek, Barbara, Bob Wright and I stood in a moonlit glade up in the Montes de Malaga listening to a noisy Tawny Owl calling from a tree right next to us. As dawn slowly crept up we heard and saw more, including Green Woodpecker, Jay, Blackcap, Hawfinch and Crossbill. However Derek made the observation that we were about ten birds short of what he had hoped for and had picked up on past attempts here.
After a very hearty breakfast we moved on to El Torcal where it was already busy with tourist buses. Again we dipped on a number of expected birds here such as Rock and Cirl Buntings but the unexpected Rock Thrush was a bonus. Well done Barbara again for spotting it.
As we entered the reserve the first birds we saw were some noisy Monk Parakeets. Another tick. A Cormorant in the riverside trees and both Common and Pallid Swifts and the deficit was coming down. We were all delighted to see a Pied Flycatcher, the first of the year for all of us. From the main hide we picked up some new birds, Kentish Plover, Greenshank, Black-headed and Mediterranean Gulls and best of all a magnificent Osprey eating its fish in a tree on the far side.
I decided to name this blog The Story of "O"s because we made double O, and three of the best birds of the day were the Olivaceous and Orphean Warblers plus the magnificent Osprey. I have been told The Story of O has other connotations. I wouldn't know.
100+ Day Tally – 12 September 2017-09-14
Montes de Malaga, El Torcal, Fuente de Piedra, Teba Rock, Rio Grande North, Zapata and Guadalhorce
- Bee-eater
- Blackbird
- Blackcap
- Bluetit
- Buzzard -Common
- Chaffinch
- Chiffchaff
- Coot
- Cormorant
- Corn Bunting
- Crossbill
- Dove - Collared
- Dove - Turtle
- Duck - White-headed
- Dunlin
- Eagle -Booted
- Egret - Cattle
- Egret - Little
- Flamingo - Greater
- Flycatcher - Pied
- Flycatcher - Spotted
- Goldfinch
- Grebe - Black-necked
- Grebe - Great Crested
- Grebe - Little
- Greenfinch
- Greenshank
- Gull - Audouin's
- Gull - Black-headed
- Gull - Lesser Black-backed
- Gull - Mediterranean
- Gull - Slender-billed
- Gull - Yellow-legged
- Hawfinch
- Heron - Grey
- Hoopoe
- Jackdaw
- Jay
- Kestrel - Common
- Kingfisher
- Kite - Black
- Lapwing
- Lark - Crested
- Lark - Short-toed
- Lark - Thekla
- Linnet
- Little Stint
- Mallard
- Martin - Crag
- Martin - House
- Moorhen
- Osprey
- Owl - Tawny
- Parakeet - Monk
- Pigeon - Wood
- Plover - Kentish
- Plover - Litte-ringed
- Plover - Ringed
- Pochard
- Raven
- Redstart - Black
- Redstart - Common
- Rockthrush - Blue
- Rockthrush - Rufous Tailed
- Sanderling
- Sandpiper - Common
- Sandpiper - Curlew
- Sandpiper - Green
- Sandpiper - Wood
- Serin
- Shearwater - Balearic
- Shearwater - Yelkouan
- Shoveler
- Shrike - Woodchat
- Snipe
- Sparrow - House
- Starling - Spotless
- Stilt - Black-winged
- Stonechat
- Stork - White
- Swallow - Barn
- Swallow - Red-rumped
- Swift - Common
- Swift - Pallid
- Tern - Caspian
- Vulture - Griffon
- Wagtail - Grey
- Wagtail - White
- Wagtail - Yellow
- Warbler - Cetti's
- Warbler - Olivaceous
- Warbler - Orphean
- Warbler - Sardinian
- Warbler - Spectacled
- Warbler - Subalpine
- Warbler - Willow
- Wheatear - Black
- Wheatear - Northern
- Whitethroat
- Woodpecker - Green
- Zitting Cisticola