SEPTEMBER 26TH 7-DAY TOUR DAY - 6

GAUCIN TO MALAGA AIRPORT - GUADALHORCE - SAN PABLO TRACK

A shortened birding day today as we had to drive to Malaga to collect another couple, Noel and Gill who are joining for the rest of the week.

We all spent an hour at the mouth of the rio Guadalhorce, the western arm at Guadalmar. We had a bright sunshine with a nice cooling breeze, temperture was around 25 centigrade.

Several species were near the mouth of the river despite a lot of disturbance from fishermen and sun-bathers. A mixed flock of Black-heded and Mediterranean Gulls was sitting on the sand bar and were close enough for good diagnostic purposes. We also saw Kingfisher, Whimbrel, Kentish and Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper, Sanderling and aLittle Egret all were feeding on the river banks. A flock of some 15 Monk Parakeets flew around us as did Spotless starling, House martin, Goldfinch and Serin. In the scrub on the grassy banks we found Sardinian Warbler and Zitting Cisticola, in the distance wwe found two Booted Eagles soaring on the thermals and out to sea several Gannets joined Balearic Shearwaters and hundreds of Yellow-legged Gulls as they followed a fishing boat.

Later in the afternoon we made a short trip to San pablo, arriving around 3pm, it was very hot and there wasn't much birding activity. We manage to find Crested Lark, Honey Buzzard, Common Buzzard, Short-toed Eagle, Lesser Kestrel, lots of Stonechats, Spotted Flycatcher but not much else.