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Nerja Birding

    There are plenty of birds to be seen in and around Nerja, and without having to go very far at all.

    Rio Chillar

    The rio Chillar does not always have flowing water, in fact it has had hardly any for the past year, but it still attracts the birds. At the mouth of the river, by El Playazo beach, particularly if there is any flowing water, you are liable to see: Swallow, Martins, Goldfinch, Serin, Siskin, Pipits, Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover, Ringed Plover, Black Redstart, Sparrow, Cattle Egret, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail and various warblers.

    Mouth of Rio Chillar, Nerja

    Follow the walkway and from the first small road bridge to the main Puente Viejo (Old Bridge) you can also, depending upon the time of year, add: Greenfinch, Great Tit, Robin, Woodchat Shrike, Blackcap, Greenfinch, Spanish Sparrow, Sardinian Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, Pied Flycatcher, Collared Dove, Turtle Dove, Spotless Starling, Blackbird, Linnet, Kestrel, Booted Eagle, Stonechat.

    Rio Chillar, Nerja

    Continuing past Puente Viejo, you may well come across European Bee-eaters in the spring, often perched on the overhead wires waiting for their lunch to appear. Swallows and Martins also regularly fly up and down the river, dipping into the water. This stretch is more likely to have a bit of water than at the mouth of the river.

    Plenty of dragonflies and damselflies along this stretch, too. This is all on the edge of the urban area, maybe a 15 or 20 minute walk from the centre of town.

    El Playazo beach

    Gulls, of course, but close to the beach and in the farmland just behind the restaurants you may also see Cattle Egrets, Hoopoe and Kentish Plover.

    Hoope at El Playazo, Nerja

    Frigiliana Road

    Opposite the Lidl supermarket is an area of land where it is not uncommon to see Woodpeckers and Bee-eaters. Look down as well as up as the Green Woodpecker feeds on the ground.

    Nerja Birds

    This is an up-to-date list of birds I have (so far) spotted in Nerja itself or just outside. You don’t have to go very far to see a variety of birds, but you may well have to be patient and search through the trees or undergrowth to find them.

    Allen’s Gallinule
    Blackbird
    Bullfinch
    Blackcap
    Black Redstart
    Blue Tit
    Bonelli’s Warbler
    Booted Eagle
    Cattle Egret
    Chiffchaff
    Cockatiel
    Collared Dove
    Common Sandpiper
    Cormorant
    Crag Martin
    Egret
    European Bee-eater
    European Serin
    Flamingo
    Goldfinch
    Great Spotted Woodpecker
    Great Tit
    Greenfinch
    Green Sandpiper
    Grey Wagtail
    Herring Gull
    Hoopoe
    House Martin
    House Sparrow
    Iberian Chiffchaff
    Iberian Green Woodpecker
    Kestrel
    Little Ringed Plover
    Linnet
    Meadow Pipit
    Mediterranean Gull
    Monk Parakeet
    Pied Flycatcher
    Pied Wagtail
    Pigeon
    Red-rumped Swallow
    Ringed Plover
    Robin
    Sardinian Warbler
    Serin
    Siskin
    Song Thrush
    Spanish Sparrow
    Spotless Starling
    Spotted Flycatcher
    Stonechat
    Street Pigeon
    Swallow
    Swift
    Tree Pipit
    Tree Sparrow
    Turtle Dove
    Willow Warbler
    Woodchat Shrike
    Yellow-legged Gull
    Yellow Wagtail

    For ‘pop in the pocket’ but good quality bins at a reasonable price, I’ve found these Steiner Safari binoculars to be pretty good. Great for travelling light.

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