After waking up very early for a day trip to Sevilla, we were all on the coach by 6:30am. Much to my grief, I fell asleep for the journey through the mountains so saw nothing on the way bar a Peregrine nearer arrival.
When we arrived, there were lots of Sparrows, Goldfinches, Collared Doves and Swifts - this time the Swifts included both Common and a few White-rumped Swift.
While walking towards the Spanish cathedral - where there were Lesser Kestrels nesting last year - and the 'Alcazar' I spotted a Short-Toed Treecreeper sidling up a tree. Since we were sightseeing not birdwatching I couldn't stop for pictures :(
After walking around all the normal birds had been seen with the bonus of a Sandpiper sp. on the River Guadalquivir, and a Spotted flycatcher in the park Maria Luisa.
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| Collared Dove |
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| Spotted Flycatcher |
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| Sparrow on lamp |
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| Damselfly |
In the Alcazar gardens, there was another Spotted Flycatcher and lots of Parakeets. A warbler species flew across, but I couldn't identify it from the fly-through.
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| Spotted Flycatcher |
Soon after, with no sign of the Lesser Kestrels, we set off back towards Malaga.
What an incredible journey. The only downfall was that I couldn't take a single good flipping picture as the coach continually bumped along. On the way, it started with one bird of prey. Golden eagle. No pictures 😒. Within an hour, Black kite, Common Buzzard, Griffon Vulture, Booted eagle and Short-Toed Eagle had all made the list. With a rubbish tip on the way, around 30 Black Kites circled as did many more White Storks and a few Black. Another bird of prey arrived, but only a silhouette. . As did another. Not sure which species for either.
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| White Storks |
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| ? |
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| ?? |
In the evening, I thought I heard a Common Bulbul, but might have been mistaken for another bird.
The next day was a day where the plan was to go to Ronda in the mountains - a day I had been looking forward to for a long time!
Chances are your gulls were yellow legged, and starlings in Malaga tend to be spotless.Eleonoras Falcon only breeds in the Balearics so is unlikely. Identifying raptors from a moving bus is a challenge, always assume it's a common species unless it's unmistakable. Nice to get something different from the ordinary which is why 🇪🇸 is fun and challenging especially small warblers.
ReplyDeleteThanks.
DeleteThe diversity in Spain is definitely more than the UK!
Long legged buzzard is also a long shot if you look at distribution maps 😀
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