Spanish Travels 25/ 4 - 3/5/19. Fuengirola and Torremuelle.

Just returned from a visit to Spain (very early this morning) where although it wasn't a wildlife watching sort of affair I did manage to catch up with some of the local beasties. I'm going to break up the reports into little segments as I usually do just to make it a little more manageable.

Turtle Dove and Sardinian Warbler.

My wife and I stayed in a hotel in Torremuelle, a suburb of Benalmadena which is, like much of Spain, over developed but with just enough green left to make it interesting. While the sound of chirping sparrows (House) or cooing of Collared Doves made up most of the local dawn chorus a few other voices could be heard from around our hotel. Best of these were several Turtle Doves which seemed to have set up territories in a neighbouring green site. I was pleased to see them here and in several other spots given how rare they've become here in recent years. Other local birds included Sardinian Warblers, Red-rumped Swallows and on one morning a singing Bonelli's Warbler.

Common but attractive, Swallow and Serin.

Further explorations in the area a little further from our accommodation resulted in sightings of several Melodious Warblers, one of which was not remotely shy as it sang from the top of a bush. Amongst the other highlights was a flypast from a dark phase Booted Eagle which annoyed the local Kestrels and many Bee-eaters.

Little Ringed Plover and Little Egret.

On several trips over to Fuengirola I spent a little time walking up the rapidly drying rio of the same name. The poplars around here always seem to be popular with Isabelline Warblers and I heard several and even managed a half decent photo. Nightingales are common here too while both Blackcaps and Reed Warblers as well as a few Cetti's joined in with the chorus. The rio proved to be attractive to two or three Little Ringed Plovers and at least one Little Egret but not that much else.

Singing hippos, Melodious and Isabelline Warblers.

One feature of these southern Spanish towns is the number of swifts that make them their homes and Fuengirola in particular seem to have good numbers of both Common and Pallid, their noisy evening flypasts providing one of the more memorable spectacles.

Nightingale.