White Stork - ciconia ciconia A mixed bag this week with the White Stork being something of a surprise at the Rio Velez. I don´t remember seeing one of these here before, a Black Stork overhead last year, but this one is another to add to a long list of species seen at this site.
Red Avadavat - amandava amandava Turtle Dove Alley in Motril was productive on Sunday with Grey Wagtails, Bluethroat, Marsh Harrier and lots of Red Avadavats to be seen.
Moustached Warbler - acrocephalus melanopogon Inside the Charca de Suarez Reserve we were fortunate enough to have excellent views of the Moustached Warbler that we had seen a week ago. It looks like it has settled in for the Winter.
Gadwall - anas strepera We were also pleased to see a pair of Gadwall on the Laguna del Lirio. This is one of my favourite ducks. It has beautifully understated plumage full of pattern and texture, a white flash on the wings and all nicely framed by the neat black bill, eyes and tail. A lovely bird.
Reed Bunting - emberiza schoeniclus While looking for the Moustached Warbler I was fortunate to catch this Reed Bunting in the same reedbed. We don´t see many of this species here which is strange, given the habitat, so it was a pleasant surprise, as was the Sparrow Hawk that flew past close overhead.
Red Avadavat - amandava amandava On our way to the main hide we met Barbara and Gerry Laycock from Fuengirola who had come over for the morning to aquaint themselves with the Reserve and to hopefully catch sight of the Moustached Warbler. Unfortunately the little bird only showed very briefly while they were watching which was unlucky as they had been here all morning. However I was pleased to show them the track through the marshes that we call "Turtle Dove Alley" where they were treated to close encounters with the Red Avadavats which they had not seen before.
Red Avadavats - amandava amandava
Black Redstart - phoenicurus ochruros There were of course many other birds to be seen, I only mention the less common species. However this Black Redstart insisted on posing quite close-by so I duly obliged with a photograph. Wouldn´t want to offend anyone!
Elena was particularly delighted to see clumps of Wild Narcissi which looked very attractive in the winter sunshine. I close the blog with another look at the little Moustached Warbler who is very adept at clambering around in the reeds without using any wing power at all.
