Birdwatch Gaucin: Saturday 12 December 2015, Gaucin, partly cloudy, light-fresh SE wind, 15C

A check of the west slope of El Hacho from 08:15-10:00hrs produced few species but some good ones; Griffon Vulture, Common Kestrel, Southern Grey Shrike, 5+ Song Thrush, Blue Rock Thrush, Black Redstart, Meadow Pipit, Sardinian Warbler, Blackcap, Common Chiffchaff, at least 2, possibly 3 Dartford Warbler, Corn Bunting, Cirl Bunting and Rock Bunting.

An early afternoon trip to the coast at San Luis de Sabinillas gave me a chance to do some birding on the beach and in warm winter sun, very pleasant it was, too. The 'gull flock' consisted of just a single 3rd winter Yellow-legged Gull, though there were more off-shore along with several Northern Gannet, a handful of Black-headed Gull and a couple of Great Cormorant. Along the shoreline there were 6 Sanderling and around the western breakwater there were between 4 and 6 Common Chiffchaff, a Common Kingfisher, a female Black Redstart, a White Wagtail and a Crested Lark. Where the small Arroyo de Peñuela stream enters the sea there was a pair of Moorhen, a couple more Common Chiffchaff and a Cetti's Warbler and flying around the promenade area the whole time were half-a-dozen noisy Monk Parakeet.