30 January, Friday at the Guadalhorce

Friday I had planned to go to Tarifa but the car decided to spring a leak in a line that ferried fluid to the power assist steering pump and I was carless and fedup when Federico rang Thursday evening and we decided to go to the ponds (what a surprise, I can hear you all muttering), especially as the weather for the weekend was forecast to be total rubbish on Sunday, and as I am writing this on Sunday evening the rain is bucketing down and there are occasional flashes and bangs from outside and I am hoping to finish this before the dog decides that she needs to go add and water in the rain - please no, Luna!

It was a very bonny morning on Friday, cool and sunny when we ambled in just after 0915 and it warmed up delightfully later. First the big pond, a Redshank - I've not seen one for ages! - an assortment of ducks with some of the male Shovelers looking splendid in breeding plumage, as do the male Mallards, and one of the male White-headed Ducks had got a nice blue bill.

From there a gentle walk to the Laguna Escondida - hidden lake- and not a lot to be seen, not even an early hirundine which I had hoped for in the warm sunshine. This, onwards around to the eastern arm where we came upon a smashing Southern Grey Shrike which let itself be admired whilst it sort of sang and also let itself be photographed by Federico - the photo here is his, of course. A couple of Stilts at the first lake and a very obliging Purple Boghen until it realised we were watching it when it scuttered off across the water (bog and swamp are synonymous as far as I am concerned and calling it a swamphen sounds a bit prissy to me.

The next lake along provided a very nice Greenshank - not the ringed bird of last week unfortunately- and a Little Ringed Plover (LRP from here on). On the way down to the seawatch mirador we turned up 2 Dartford Warblers, a rather uncommon bird at the reserve. There wasn't a lot anyhting exceptional on the sea apart from several hundred gulls, although I counted some 14 Black-necked Grebes on the sea. On the way back, the Greenshank had either gone or metamorphosed but in its stead there was a very nice winter plumage Spotted Redshank -a jolly good bird to see.

By that time it was off home, stopping first at the garage to pick up the car and pay the bill (hell's teeth!) and I now have wheels again, although who the devil wants to go out when it's pelting down with rain? I had enough rain and worse in my youth on the East coast of England. Now it only makes one wet and the joints are sufficiently stiff on a good day.