6 June at Guadalhorce

I think that I can safely say that birding is addictive after going on for 58 years watching our little (and not so little) feathered friends and when someone, Federico in this case, rings and asks me if I fancy a turn around the ponds at the mouth of the Río Guadalhorce I find it exceedingly difficult to say no. And so this morning we met at just after 9 and had a very pleasant and remarkably satisfactory three hours along with a couple of lads whose names I can never remember (they're not birds, are they?).
Yes, there are still a few waders, 8 Dunlin for example, the singles of Knot and Bar-tailed Godwit, a few Sanderling, including one bird still in winter plumage with apparently less than a quarter of its median coverts still present and those in a parlous state. There were at least 8 Slender-billed Gulls but they do not want their colour rings to be read and steadfastly sit on them or swim, while the Audouin's are very cooperative and very smart.
The Osprey came in with its breakast, which is pretty normal, and I managed to locate the big female Peregrine that I've mentioned before and which none of the others had seen. They were suitably impressed with her size. She sits a long way off and with the heat haze viewing could be better, but I rather think that she must be an immature of one of the northern races and even by those standards she is BIG. Federico has christened her La Maciza, which is a Spanish equivalent of a buxom wench!
And I've more or less promised to go on Sunday and meet the others of the Sunday prayer group - Dear Lord, please send us some decent birds to watch! Life is so hard.