14/06 : Guadalhorce in the sun

Late writing up but again have been busy, in part watching the British Lions in Australia against NSW and England in Argentina in the test match against the the Pumas. Both won and the Pumas aren't what they were back in the 1970s.  Add preparing material for the forthcoming edition zero of the SEO English birdy magazine Birds of a Feather and amusing my daughter's baby golden retriever puppy (a real little charmer and very bright) and I've had a full time weekend.
So, back to Friday morning. With the coming of the hot weather, Federico and I met at 08.00 and were into the Guadalhorce by 08.15. First stop was down the eastern bank at the first hide which overlooks the laguna de la Casilla. Not a lot there apart from a Reed Warbler singing, so on to the second hide overlooking the wader pool, now in the process of drying out very rapidly. Not  a lot there either until a flock of 9 Slender-billed Gulls arrived, rather distant but their jizz is distinctive, especially the long neck, shape of bill and ong forehead, plus larger than Black-headed Gull. We did see three fairly young Stilts and Mum and Dad, amazingly without having hysterics but giving a lot of flak to the Little Ringed Plover on the pool.
Further down, on the río Viejo, there were a few Stilts, Little Ringed and Kentish Plover, a couple of Avocets and a single Dunlin. Nothing to be seen either from the seawatch mirador so we plodded along the beach and in to end up at the laguna Grande. Not much of interest there either except 3 Yellow Wagtails, 2 males of the iberiae race and a juvenile. It was there that we met José MIguel Ramírez of Medio Ambiente and he told us of the good things to be seen at the Campillos lakes, so we're off there tomorrow and there will no doubt be a blog.
On we plodded in the growing heat to the laguna Escondida and apart from a few White-headed Ducks, including two with very dark heads and downy juvenile, stopping on the way to photograph this very attractive flower of the Caper Bush, also known as the Flinder's Rose.
 Also on the Escondida was perhaps the other good record of the day, a female Red-crested Pochard with 7 chicks of some 3.4 days old. Nice and the first time that I vere seen one breeding there, although one did at one of the 'no entry' ponds some three years since. There too we saw a female Black-headed Weaver stripping reed heads for nesting material and a couple of Reed Warblers were still singing. A male Little Bittern flew lazily across from one side to the other, disappearing quiuckly in to the reeds but its slowness allowed half way decent views..
I didn't log everything à la Bob, butd can safely say that there was not a lot for efforts, not that we had expected much in this slack period.
We shall see what we can find tomorow.