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A Report from birdtours.co.uk

Andalucia - 5th to 13th Oct 2002,

Ian Kinley

Participants: Ronnie Irving, Ian Kinley and Dave Thexton

General Comments

A chance remark by RI, during the course of an unsuccessful Cumbrian Rose-coloured Starling twitch, that he had a week off in October and fancied going somewhere resulted in this October visit to Andalucia. We were uncertain what to expect from a late autumn trip to this region; IK was the only member of the party to have birded in the area before and that had been in the breeding season some 20 years previously. Moreover, few of the trip reports we unearthed related to this time of year. Nevertheless, we felt sure there would be plenty of good birds to be had and we were not disappointed! There were many highlights - including Andalucian specialities such as Marbled Duck, White-headed Duck and Crested Coot; flocks of Audouin's and Slender-billed Gulls; stunning views of Bluethroats and Penduline Tits as well as finding our own rarities in the form of Western Reef Heron, African Spoonbill, Long-legged Buzzard and Temminck's Stint but perhaps the abiding memory will be of a superb morning's raptor passage at Tarifa which included 400 Short-toed Eagles in two hours, many of them at point blank range. Disappointments were few but included failure to find any bustards or sandgrouse, albeit at somewhat marginal sites, and the absence of Azure-winged Magpies in the Algaida pinewoods (yes, we know they're easy to find elsewhere). We had also hoped to find White-rumped and perhaps even Little Swift still present but drew a blank. Though many of the classic summer species had already departed, the abundance of passage migrants provided more than adequate compensation.

We had no fixed itinerary before setting off, intending to play it by ear. It soon became apparent that we were not going to be short of birds and we decided to spend as much time birding and as little time travelling as possible. Hence we did not visit the Coto Donana; we were happy with what we were finding on the east bank of the Guadalquivir. We'd have no hesitation in repeating this trip and, indeed, could happily spend a week based at Tarifa; it's bound to produce something different every time.

Weather

Quite mixed with some cool days but virtually no rain apart from the odd shower mostly at night. Predominantly sunny and sometimes windy. About half the time, conditions were ideal; dry, sunny, calm and warm but never too hot to bird. Birding light lasted from about 08.15 (no need for early starts!) to about 20.00

Travel

We flew from Liverpool to Malaga with EasyJet (£163 return, booked over the internet, very efficient and virtually hassle-free). At Malaga airport, we picked up a hired Ford Focus Diesel from Crown Cars (198 euros, booked over the internet with Carjet and again very smooth and efficient). Our sole complaint regarding the car hire came at the end of the holiday and took the gloss off an otherwise very enjoyable trip. RI left his digital video camera in the car when we dropped it off. Realizing his mistake within 15 minutes, we returned immediately but the car had already been moved to the depot and by the time it had been located the camera had vanished - we knew who'd taken it as, we suspect, did the car hire firm and the police but it was not recovered. Insurance payouts failed to compensate for all the lost images of the trip.

Accommodation

We had not pre-booked any accommodation and had no problems finding any; there was room in every place we tried.

We stayed at the following: -

Hostal Medina at Tarifa - three nights, 40 euros per night for a three-bedded room. Rather basic but comfortable enough and with a view of a large Cattle Egret roost in a nearby tree. Lots of available accommodation here - with hindsight there were several attractive looking hostals on the road northwest out of the town that would have been better located though maybe not as cheap.

Hostal at roadside between Sanlucar de Barrameda and Chipiona - Can't remember the name but it was easy to find on the right hand side of the road as you approach Chipiona. One night; 50 euros a night for three of us sharing two twin-bedded rooms; Very comfortable and excellent value but no restaurant. Much better than outward appearances suggested. NB avoid Sanlucar de Barrameda at all costs, it is a maze of unsigned roads and narrow one-way streets, guaranteed to get you lost and cost you lots of time.

Hotel Manolo Mayo at Los Palacios y Villafranca - tel. 955 811 086 www.manolomayo.com - three nights; 70 euros per night for three sharing two twin-bedded rooms. Very comfortable and excellent value for a fairly upmarket establishment. Rather overpriced restaurant though. Probably the best hotel in town but there were several other more modest establishments available if price were a consideration.

Hotel Villa Turistico at Grazalema - www.cadiz.org/tugasa - one night; 80 euros a night for three sharing two twin-bedded rooms. Luxurious with a swimming pool and excellent restaurant. Highly recommended and by no means expensive given the quality of accommodation. Limited choice of alternative accommodation in Grazalzema, most of it fairly upmarket.

October 6th-7th: Based at Tarifa with birding done in Tarifa area, La Janda and Sierra de la Plata.

October 8th: Tarifa - Bonanza. Morning birding at Tarifa beach then visiting Laguna de Taraje and Laguna Salada (bone dry, no birds) en route to Bonanza area. Evening birding at Bonanza Salinas. Overnight at Hostal near Chipiona.

October 9th-11th:Based at Los Palacios y Villafranca birding sites on the east bank of the Guadalquivir. (Brazo del Este).

October 12th: Los Palacios y Villafranca - Grazalema. Most of day birding in Sierra de Grazalema. Overnight at Grazalema

October 13th: Grazalema - Malaga. Morning birding in Sierra de Grazalema.

Sites Visited

Tarifa Beach (also referred to as Los Lances). Superb site that we accessed from several points between the harbour and the campsite c2km to the north. Different birds every day and well worth repeated visits. We found seawatching better from the beach near the football stadium than from Tarifa seawall, with birds closer and more numerous (though you do lose the advantage of height). Lots of potential for a major "find" here.

Tarifa "Observatory".
We did our raptor watching from the first viewpoint east of Tarifa (take the first minor track left off the main road at the top of the hill going east out of Tarifa). Observatory is something of an exaggeration; in reality, it amounts to no more than a small concrete structure situated on a low foothill overlooking the town and coastal strip and affording some protection from the sun and wind, manned at times by locals monitoring the raptor and stork migration. Having read of the vagaries of the autumn migration and realising we were too late in the year for large numbers of some species, we were amazed at the spectacle we witnessed, especially on the morning of 6th, both in terms of numbers and views (we'd read that birds were likely to be high on this side of the straits in autumn but many provided stunning views at eye-level). It was, however, disappointing to find the Spanish raptor monitors becoming very excited as they logged an Imperial Eagle that was, in fact, a dark-phase Booted.

La Janda: Excellent plains area, with reedy drainage ditches and rice fields, plenty of potential.

Sierra de la Plata: Area of low coastal limestone hills, not brilliant overall though did produce a Long-legged Buzzard.

Laguna de Taraje. Nice site with plenty of White-headed Ducks, but in effect, an unnecessary diversion as we saw nothing here that we didn't find elsewhere. Navigation of Puerto Real proved to be a nightmare and wasted lots of time. Avoid this town; access to the road to Taraje can be achieved directly from the eastern bypass without entering the town.

Laguna Salada. Completely dry and no birds.

Bonanza Salinas. Excellent site worth much more than the evening we spent there. No access problems (see Gosney). Large concentrations of birds with a network of drivable tracks allowing very close views.

Algaida Salinas. Another excellent area worth more time than we were able to give it. Again there are now no access problems (see Gosney). An extension of the above site with similar birds though the generally deeper water resulted in a subtle difference in the species using the area.

Trebujena Marismas. An interesting area of farmland, marismas and lagoons situated between Trebujena and the Guadalquivir north of Algaida. 

Laguna de Tarelo: Good access and viewing, the nearest thing to "guaranteed" White-headed Ducks you are going to get.

Algaida Pinewoods: We failed to see the promised Azure-winged Magpies here despite spending a couple of hours looking.

Brazo del Este (including Pinzon Marshes as referred to by Gosney). Superb area. Close range viewing mostly from a road level higher than the surrounding habitat gives wonderful views of the full range of marisma species. A must visit site. This area was so good we felt it unnecessary to spend travelling time driving round to the Coto.

Sierra de Grazalema. Stunning scenery and excellent mountain birding. We preferred this site to Ronda for mountain birding because of smaller numbers of tourists.

For details and directions to all the sites we visited we used: -

Gosney's Finding Birds in Southern Spain. Though in most cases the directions and maps were up to the usual high standard, woefully out of date in places, especially re Bonanza and Algaida Salinas.

Where to watch birds in Southern and Western Spain by Garcia and Patterson. Excellent and up to date, with much useful background information.

Birdwatching on Spain's Southern Coast by John R. Butler

Useful extra information was gleaned from trip reports available on the Birdtours website www.birdtours.co.uk and we also looked at the Rare Birds in Spain website www.rarebirdspain.net prior to our trip for info on latest rarities.

We used the Michelin map 446 Espagne Sud

Species List

We recorded a total of 170 species, listed below. The figures in brackets represent the number of days each species was recorded e.g. (4/9) means that a species was seen on four days during our 9 day trip (bearing in mind that the first and last days were really only half-days of birding) and gives a crude indication of how easy each species was to see. More details are given of the rarer or more interesting species.

Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis, (4/9)

Great Crested Grebe  Podiceps cristatus (1/9)

Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis - 6 at Laguna de Taraje on 8th; 2 at Bonanza Salinas on 8th; 1 at Laguna de Tarelo on 9th (2/9)

Cory's Shearwater Calonectris diomedea - Up to 10 regularly off Tarifa Beach, (3/9)

Balearic Shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus - Ever present off Tarifa Beach, max 150 on 8th; several seen from beach car-park on Costa del Sol during brief "pit stop" en route to Malaga airport on 13th, (5/9)

Gannet Morus bassanus - Recorded in small numbers off Tarifa Beach; several seen from beach car-park on Costa del Sol during brief "pit stop" en route to Malaga airport on 13th (5/9)

Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo (2/9)

Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax - Daytime roost of 171 in low bushes at Brazo del Este on 10th; roost occupied again on 11th but birds not counted (2/9)

Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides - 1 at Laguna de Tarelo on 9th; at least 3 at Brazo del Este on 10th and 11th (3/9)

Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis - Widespread. Noteworthy records included 160 roosting in tree visible from Hostal Medina in Tarifa, (8/9)

Little Egret Egretta garzetta - Widespread. Especially numerous at Brazo del Este (8/9)

Western Reef Heron Egretta gularis - 1 dark morph seen in flight only at Brazo del Este on 10th. We failed to relocate it that day or the next. Description submitted to the Spanish Rarities Committee (1/9)

Great White Egret Ardea alba - 1 at Trebujena Marismas on 9th with what was presumed to be the same bird seen later in day at Algaida Salinas; 1 at Brazo del Este on 11th (2/9)

Grey Heron Ardea cinerea (7/9)

Black Stork Ciconia nigra - 5 (1+4) over Tarifa Raptor Watchpoint on 6th; at least 2 (ad + juv) at La Janda on 6th; 1 at Trebujena Marismas on 9th; 10+ at Brazo del Este on 10th; 15+ (inc 9 together) at Brazo del Este on 11th (4/9)

White Stork Ciconia ciconia - Widespread. Most notable records comprised huge migrating flock of c1000 near La Linea on 5th; a flock of 75 migrating over Sierra de la Plata on 7th; a flock of several hundred in fields just outside Los Palacios y Villafranca on 10th (6/9)

Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus - At least 38 in area of Night Heron roost at Brazo del Este on 11th (1/9)

Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia - 50+ at Algaida Salinas on 9th; c50 (nearly all imms) at Brazo del Este on 10th; c10 at Brazo del Este on 11th (3/9)

African Spoonbill Platalea alba - 1 adult at Brazo del Este on 10th. Might well be regarded as an escape but, as requested, a description has been submitted to the Spanish Rarities Committee (1/9)

Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber - 6 at Laguna de Taraje on 8th; 500+ at Bonanza Salinas on 8th; numerous at Algaida Salinas on 9th; several hundred at Brazo del Este on 10th; 200+ at Brazo del Este on 11th (4/9)

Wigeon Anas Penelope (2/9)

Gadwall Anas strepera (3/9)

Teal Anas crecca (3/9)

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos (5/9)

Pintail Anas acuta (4/9)

Shoveler Anas clypeata (4/9)

Marbled Duck Marmaronetta angustirostris - Slightly disappointingly, 9 at Trebujena Marismas on 9th were the only ones we saw (1/9)

Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina - 2 at Trebujena Marismas on 9th; 2 at Brazo del Este on 11th (2/9)

Pochard Aythea farina (2/9)

White-headed Duck Oxyura leucocephala - c25 at Laguna de Taraje on 8th; 18 at Trebujena Marismas on 9th; 65 at Laguna de Tarelo on 9th (2/9)

Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus - A flock of 12 at Tarifa on 5th (1/9)

Black Kite Milvus migrans - 2-3 at Tarifa on 5th; 1 at La Janda on 6th, 1 at Tarifa on 7th (3/9)

Red Kite Milvus milvus - c6 at Trebujena Marismas/Algaida Salinas on 9th; 3 at Brazo del Este on 11th (2/9)

Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus - 6 past Tarifa Raptor Watchpoint on 6th (Spanish raptor monitors were radio tracking birds that had been tagged in Los Monegros); 1 juv at La Janda on 6th; 1 at Tarifa Raptor Watchpoint on 7th (2/9)

Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus - Recorded, usually in small numbers, at several sites, most notably 50+ at Tarifa Raptor Watchpoint on 6th (birds did not seem to be migrating across the Straits) (6/9)

Short-toed Eagle Circaetus gallicus - Several small groups at Tarifa on afternoon of 5th; 400 in 2 hours  at Tarifa Raptor Watchpoint on 6th (many of them giving stunning close views); 25-30 at Tarifa Raptor Watchpoint on morning of 7th; 1 at Brazo del Este on 11th (5/9)

Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus - Particularly numerous at La Janda (20+) and Brazo del Este (5/9)

Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus - 1 ringtail at La Janda on 6th (1/9)

Montagu's Harrier Circus pygargus - Small numbers seen at Tarifa, La Janda, and Trebujena Marismas (2/9)

Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus - Records included 6 low over the sea off Tarifa on early morning of 6th; 10+ at Tarifa Raptor Watchpoint on 6th (3/9)

Common Buzzard Buteo buteo (6/9)

Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus - A juv of the North African race cirtensis seen in the Sierra de la Plata on 7th, initially for 3-4 minutes from the Bolonia side and then again a couple of hours later for 1 minute from the Zahara side. Description submitted to the Spanish Rarities Committee (1/9)

Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus - Several small groups at Tarifa on afternoon of 5th; 50+ at Tarifa Raptor Watchpoint on 6th; 25-30 at Tarifa Raptor Watchpoint on morning of 7th (these included a dark phase bird identified by the Spanish raptor monitors as an Imperial Eagle); 1 dark-phase at Laguna de Taraje on 8th; 1 light-phase at Brazo del Este on 10th; 3 (2 light 1 dark) at Brazo del Este on 11th (6/9)

Bonellis Eagle Hieraaetus fasciatus - 1 juv in Sierra de Grazalema on 12th (1/9)

Osprey Pandion haliaetus - 2 atLaguna de Taraje on 8th; 1 at Trebujena Marismas on 9th; 1 at Brazo del Este on 10th; 2 at Brazo del Este on 11th (4/9)

Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni - 6+ at La Janda on 6th; at least 4 just outside Grazalema on 12th, with at least 2 there next morning (3/9)

Kestrel Falco tinnunculus (8/9)

Hobby Falco subbuteo - 1 at Laguna de Taraje on 8th (1/9)

Peregrine Falco peregrinus (4/9)

Red-legged Partridge Alectoris rufa (4/9)

Pheasant Phasianus colchicus (1/9)

Moorhen Gallinula chloropus (4/9)

Purple Gallinule Porphyrio porphyrio - 1 at Laguna de Tarelo on 9th; very common at Brazo del Este, including 38 in one field on 11th. We probably saw 100+ on both days here, favouring cut rice fields as well as reed swamp (3/9)

Coot Fulica atra (4/9)

Crested Coot Fulica cristata - 1 with a neck collar (white with letter P) at Brazo del Este on 10th. Thank God for the neck collar! We gave up looking at any Coots more than 50m away after this. (1/9)

Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus (1/9)

Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus - Present in fair numbers at Bonanza Salinas, Algaida Salinas and Brazo del Este (4/9)

Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta - Present in fair numbers at Bonanza Salinas and Algaida Salinas; just 2 at  Brazo del Este on 11th (3/9)

Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius (2/9)

Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula (6/9)

Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus (4/9)

Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola (1/9)

Lapwing Vanellus vanellus (3/9)

Knot Calidris canutus (2/9)

Sanderling Calidris alba (3/9)

Little Stint Calidris minuta - Good numbers at Bonanza Salinas on 8th; 100+ at Brazo del Este on 10th, (3/9)

Temminck's Stint Calidris temminckii - 1 with 6 Little Stints at Brazo del Este on 11th (1/9)

Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea - 1 at Tarifa Beach on 7th; good numbers at Bonanza Salinas on 8th (2/9)

Dunlin Calidris alpina (4/9)

Ruff Philomachus pugnax - 2 or 3 at Brazo del Este on 10th; 5 there on 11th (2/9)

Snipe Gallinago gallinago (5/9)

Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa (1/9)

Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica (3/9)

Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus (3/9)

Curlew Numenius arquata (1/9)

Spotted Redshank Tringa erythopus -Records included 12 at Brazo del Este on 11th (3/9)

Redshank Tringa tetanus (4/9)

Greenshank Tringa nebularia - Records included c50 at Brazo del Este on 10th (4/9)

Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus - 6 at La Janda on 6th; 20+ at Brazo del Este on 10th & 11th (3/9)

Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola - c20 at Brazo del Este on 10th & 11th (2/9)

Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos (3/9)

Turnstone Arenaria interpres (1/9)

Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus - 1 chasing gulls off Tarifa Beach on 8th (1/9)

Mediterranean Gull Larus melanocephalus - 1 adult from Tarifa seawall on 6th; 1 2nd-winter at Bonanza Salinas on 8th (2/9)

Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus (7/9)

Slender-billed Gull Larus genei - 1 1st-winter onTarifa Beach on 5th; 60+ at Bonanza Salinas on 8th (2/9)

Audouin's Gull Larus audouinii - Ever present on Tarifa Beach including a flock of 103 in afternoon of 5th and at least as many next day (impossible to count due to light conditions); 30+ at Bonanza Salinas on 8th (3/9)

Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus (6/9)

Yellow-legged Gull Larus cachinnans (7/9)

Caspian Tern Sterna caspia - 2 ads at Bonanza Salinas on 8th (1/9)

Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis - Ever present in small numbers at Tarifa Beach, with small numbers also seen at Bonanza Salinas (4/9)

Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybridus - c6 at Trebujena Marismas/Algaida Salinas on 9th; 2 at Brazo del Este on 10th & 11th (3/9)

Black Tern Chlidonias niger - 1 ad at Brazo del Este on 11th (1/9)

Feral Pigeon Columba livia (9/9)

Stock Dove Columba oenas (2/9)

Woodpigeon Columba palumbus (4/9)

Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto (4/9)

Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur (2/9)

Little Owl Athene noctua (4/9)

Alpine Swift Apus melba - 3 just outside Grazalema on 13th (1/9)

Kingfisher Alcedo atthis (4/9)

Green Woodpecker Picus viridis (3/9)

Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopus major (1/9)

Calandra Lark Melanocorypha calandra - Flocks of 50, 15 and 10 at La Janda on 6th; 150+ in the Trebujena Marismas area on 9th (2/9)

Lesser Short-toed Lark Calandrella rufescens - Common in the Trebujena Marismas area on 9th (1/9)

Crested Lark Galerida cristata (7/9)

Thekla Lark Galerida theklae (3/9)

Woodlark Lullula arborea - Recorded at several sites and quite common in Sierra de Grazalema  Plenty of song (4/9)

Skylark Alauda arvensis (2/9)

Sand Martin Riparia riparia (5/9)

Crag Martin Hirundo rupestris - Records included 30 in Zahara de los Atunes on 7th; quite common in Sierra de Grazalema (3/9)

Swallow Hirundo rustica (9/9)

Red-rumped Swallow Hirundo daurica - Small numbers at several sites, most notably 50+ moving through Tarifa Raptor Watchpoint on afternoon of 5th, still present in Sierra de Grazalema (4/9)

House Martin Delichon urbica (8/9)

Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis (1/9)

Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis (3/9)

Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava (6/9)

Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea (4/9)

White Wagtail Motacilla alba alba (5/9)

Wren Troglodytes troglodytes (2/9)

Robin Erithacus rubecula (4/9)

Bluethroat Luscinia svecica - A male and female at Tarifa Beach (southern end) on 7th with two males in same spot next morning; at least 4 at Brazo del Este on 10th (3/9)

Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros - 1 in Sierra de la Plata on 7th; common in Sierra de Grazalema, (3/9)

Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus (3/9)

Whinchat Saxicola rubetra (2/9)

Stonechat Saxicola torquata (9/9)

Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe (5/9)

Black Wheatear Oenanthe leucura - Easy to see in Sierra de Grazalema including at least 5 on outskirts of Grazalema itself on 12th (2/9)

Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius - 1 at Tarifa Raptor Watchpoint on 6th; 2 there on 7th; several in Sierra de la Plata on 7th; 6+ in Sierra de Grazalema on 12th (4/9)

Ring Ouzel Turdus torquatus - 3 at Puerto de los Palomas in the Sierra de Grazalema on 13th (1/9)

Blackbird Turdus merula (5/9)

Cetti's Warbler Cettia cetti (6/9)

Fan-tailed Warbler Cisticola juncidis (8/9)

Savi's Warbler Locustella lusciniodes - 1 singing at Brazo del Este on 10th and 2-3 singing there on 11th (2/9)

Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus (2/9)

Dartford Warbler Sylvia undata - 1 in Sierra de Grazalema on 13th (1/9)

Subalpine Warbler Sylvia cantillans - 1 in Sierra de la Plata on 7th; 1 in Sierra de Grazalema on 12th (2/9)

Sardinian Warbler Sylvia melanocephala (8/9)

Garden Warbler Sylvia borin (1/9)

Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla (2/9)

Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita - All the birds we saw and heard appeared to be collybita, (7/9)

Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus (3/9)

Firecrest Regulus ignicapillus - Several in Sierra de Grazalema on 13th (1/9)

Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa sriata (2/9)

Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca - 1 in Sierra de la Plata on 7th; 1 in Algaida Pinewoods on 9th; 2 at Brazo del Este on 11th (3/9)

Blue Tit Parus caeruleus (2/9)

Great Tit Parus major (4/9)

Short-toed Treecreeper Certhia brachydactyla - At least 3 in Algaida Pinewoods on 9th; 1 in Sierra de Grazalema on 13th (2/9)

Penduline Tit Remiz pendulinus - Stunning views of 5 at Brazo del Este on 11th, with 3 nearby and others heard the same day (1/9)

Southern Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis - Surprisingly scarce. Just 1 at La Janda on 6th; 1 at Brazo del Este on 11th; 2 in Sierra de Grazalema on 12th (3/9)

Jay Garrulus glandarius (2/9)

Magpie Pica pica (1/9)

Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax - Common in Sierra de Grazalema (2/9)

Jackdaw Corvus monedula (3/9)

Carrion Crow Corvus corone (1/9)

Raven Corvus corax (3/9)

Spotless Starling Sturnus unicolor (9/9)

House Sparrow Passer domesticus (9/9)

Spanish Sparrow Passer hispaniolensis - Several large flocks at Brazo del Este (2/9)

Rock Sparrow Petronia petronia - c12 just outside Grazalemaon 13th; huge flock (100+) by road between Grazalema and Ronda on 13th (1/9)

Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs (3/9)

Serin Serinus serinus (6/9)

Greenfinch Carduelis chloris (3/9)

Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis (9/9)

Linnet Carduelis cannabina (8/9)

Common Crossbill Loxia curvirostra - Small numbers in Sierra de Grazalema (1/9)

Cirl Bunting Emberiza cirlus - Quite common in Sierra de Grazalema, with plenty of song (2/9)

Rock Bunting Emberiza cia - 2 just outside Grazalemaon 13th (1/9)

Corn Bunting Miliaria (9/9)

Common Waxbill Estrilda astrild - 20+ at Brazo del Este on 10th with several there next day (2/9)

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