A sunny week spent with the extended family (incl. the grandchildren) in a rented villa in Marbella. My son, Alex, who lives in a flat locally was able to join us during a break from his anti-piracy duties in the Indian Ocean/Arabian Sea.
Birds seen in the garden and on the Guadalmina Golf course which we overlooked included :
Hoopoe - frequent in the garden and up to 10 daily on the golf course incl. a family group of 5
Serin - nesting in the garden
Red-rumped Swallow
Bee Eater
spp Warblers - incl. Sardinian and numerous Blackcaps
Pied Flycatcher - disappointingly, no SpotFlys around
Short-toed Treecreeper
Common Buzzard
Common Sandpiper
Turtle Dove
Spotless Starling
Parakeets
Trip to the Tarifa migration hotspot incl. Griffon Vulture and White Stork plus Crested Lark
Trip to the stunning Ronda Gorge incl. seen at eye-level Raven, Red-billed Chough, Alpine Swift and Pallid Swift.
Butterflies included :
Swallowtail, Plain Tiger (Monarch), Clouded Yellow, Cleopatra, Wall, (Spanish) Speckled Wood, Spp Blues (incl. Lang's Short-tailed), Spp Whites, plus Hummingbird Hawkmoth.
Freddy
PS. John Reddisson and Maria (as per 'The Saga') would have really enjoyed the week.
