Rio Velez, Torre del Mar

Corn Bunting  Triguero  Emberiza calandra

Down at the local river in Torre del Mar by just after 9 o'clock to accompany Alex and Charlotte, plus their four-month old baby daughter, the local birding site.  As usual greeted by the resident Rock Doves and a cacophony of singing Nightingales, Cetti's Warblers and Reed Warblers with a "hooping" Hoopoe in the distance.  Obviously a wader passage underway as, in addition to the Ringed Plovers, their were at least 40 Dunlins.  A couple of Sanderling still present and a half-dozen Mallards on the water itself.  Above the river there were feeding Barn Swallows, House Martins and Common Swifts. 

As we made our way down the track to the beach we had our first Serins plus a single Greenfinch, the first of the Blackbirds and many House Sparrows.  A rather lovely Corn Bunting rested on the top of a bamboo flower to give us a good view and then we had a handful of Cattle Egrets.  This was very convenient as we had just seen a pair of Little Egrets, now resting in a tree above the former, so giving a good comparison re size and coloration.  No sooner had we rejoined the track beyond the muddy, water-logged section than we looked behind us to see a male Sardinian Warbler.

Camourflaged Squacco Heron Garcilla Cangrejera Ardeola ralloides and in flight (below)

The beach itself was very quiet with just a few immature Lesser Black-backed Gulls but, on the lagoon, we could see a handful of Coots, a few more Moorhens and a count of 18 Little Egrets, including some smaller young birds.  Further upstream a group of five Black-winged Stilts were seen.  A very white Squacco Heron flew over and back to settle at the reed edge so giving a better impression of his dark and well-camouflaged flanks and wings.  Swifts and both Barn Swallow and House Martins continued to feed over the water but we did manage to also find a couple of Pallid Swifts.

A handful of the 18 Little Egrets Garceta Comun Egretta garzetta gathered in the main lagoon.

Walking back via the eastern growing fields we managed to record Crested Lark and had a splendid display flight from that lovely little warbler, the Zitting Cisticola.  A pair of screaming and screeching Monk Parakeets made themselves known (did they wake the baby?) and, almost back to the car accompanied by the songs of both Cetti's Warblers and Nightingales, we found our Dunlins plus the Sanderling and Ringed Plovers.  However, no sooner had a Common Sandpiper beat a hasty retreat downstream than we had a lovely view of a feeding Wood Sandpiper in its summer finery.

A rather lovely, if lonely, Wood Sandpiper Andarrios Bastardo Tringa glareola

All done within a couple of hours and a final total, excluding the distant Hoopoe, of 29 species.

Birds seen:

Mallard, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Squacco Heron, Black-winged Stilt, Ringed Plover, Sanderling, Dunlin, Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Rock Dove, Common Swift, pallid Swift, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Nightingale, Blackbird, Zitting Cisticola, Cetti's Warbler, Reed Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, House Sparrow, Serin, Greenfinch and Corn Bunting.


Returning up the mountain I had first both Collared Dove before the track and then a Turtle Dove as I left Los Romanes followed by a number of Thekla Larks.  No sooner had I got out of the car and I was welcomed by the sound, then sight, of a lovely male Blue Rock Thrush.  That's what I call a welcome home!