Trip Report: The Rio Guadalhorce, Malaga

Located just outside Malaga, the mouth of the Rio Guadalhorce may at first seem an unlikely site for birdwatching. However, the complex of ponds and scrubland that sits between the two arms of the river – widened and engineered to avoid flooding upstream – is a key stretch of wetland habitat within Andalucia, and with [...]

The Black-winged Stilts of Fuente de Piedra

Always graceful and almost impossibly elegant, the Black-winged Stilt is without a doubt one of Europe’s most beautiful and distinctive birds. Our recent visit to Fuente de Piedra gave us fantastic views of this species, and photographing this remarkable wader was once again one of the highlights of a busy birdwatching day… The Black-winged Stilt [...]

Trip Report: the first days of spring at the Laguna de Fuente de Piedra

It’s the first day of March, and with a couple of birdwatching friends birdwatchalpujarras is off to visit the saltwater lagoon of Fuente de Piedra. This fascinating stretch of wetland habitat can be productive at almost any time of year, and with the spring passage upon us the first of the season’s migrants may just [...]

January at the wetland reserve of Padul

Recent visits to the reedbeds of Padul have proved to be well worthwhile, and with the month drawing to a close we’re off to get another look at this unique stretch of wetland habitat. Despite the chilly wind blowing in across the lake, we managed quite easily to list some thirty species today. We’ve commented [...]

Nuthatch, Firecrests and a Southern Grey Shrike…December on the hillsides of Lanjaron

With a flight booked for Christmas in the UK, I’ve still had time for one last trip up the mountain before the break, and we headed off last week on familiar tracks for Puente Palo. The hillsides had a bleak, exposed feel to them that day… and it has to be said as we wound [...]

The Bluethroat…a brand new species for December!

Every so often, the time and effort we put into this wonderfully addictive hobby pays off…and so it was at Padul last Thursday. I can’t remember how long I’ve wanted to see a Bluethroat, and after talking about this very species the day before, we found this handsome fellow towards the end of a productive [...]

Trip Report: magical winter birdwatching at the Padul wetland reserve

As our birdwatching friend Marianne and I stepped out of the car at Padul this morning, I made a point of suggesting we might be lucky with one of our regular species at this wetland habitat, the Southern Grey Shrike. As it happened, the shrike never made an appearance…but was quickly forgotten as we enjoyed [...]