An Evening of Live Music with “One For My Baby”

An Evening of Live Music!

Stop the presses folks we have a great evening of live entertainment coming up on the 16th of March in Motril.

Local favorite  ‘One For My Baby’,  will be performing at Restaurant Gudane, and it promises to be a thoroughly entertaining night out for all.   ‘One for My Baby’ will be performing all of your Jazz, Pop and Latin favorites, all with their own twist.  Don’t miss this opportunity for a great night out.   Reservations are recommended!

Here are a couple of videos for you to enjoy.

http://vimeo.com/59420036

One For My Baby Live

This is the PDF file with all of the information needed to make a reservation.

Read Full Post »

Bird Watching at La Charca de Suárez, Playa Poniente Motril.

It’s been a blustery weekend, lots of sun, but a cold wind blows to remind us that it is winter in southern Spain.  I got all wrapped up and headed off to La Charca both today and yesterday.   All of the usual suspects are there, but I did manage to spy a couple of birds that I had not seen up close before.  The place was relatively busy too, there were lots of people quietly creeping around with smiles, while pointing fingers, binoculars and cameras in every direction.

Today I get to post my very first ever photos of these 3 birds.  Enjoy!

Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus).

 

Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)

Common Snipe

Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio porphyrio).

Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio porphyrio).

Read Full Post »

On a Clear Day & From the Mail Bag

click for full image

I know I post this view a lot, but I just never get tired of it.

From the mailbox

A Big Thanks to Steve Powell for emailing these 2 photos that he took at La Charca Bird Conservation in Motril.  Stunning photos!

Kingfisher photo taken by Steve Powell.

Pied Wagtail photo by Steve Powell

Read Full Post »

Wild Poppies, Frogs and other Interesting finds.

It was such a lovely day today that I took myself over to La Charca de Suarez in Motril this morning.   The drive through the back roads was relaxing and full of  nice surprises and some good photo ops.  For those interested in visiting La Charca, the visiting hours have changed.  The schedule is now as follows.

Monday through Friday 18:30 pm – At 18:30 a Spanish speaking guide will take visitors through the park.  You can opt out of the group and go counter clockwise through it, but you must be sure to be at the gate at the closing hour.  It’s best to check with the guide to ensure you get the right information.  This is what I did.

Saturdays and Sundays, there will be 3 guided visits- 10:00, 11:30, and 18:30.

Here are a few of the things I was fortunate enough to find on my walk today.

Wild Poppy

Wild Rose

Miniature white rose

Cheerful little trumpet

Turtle sunning in the reeds

I'm no expert, but judging by the large numbers of frogs that I encountered today, it's got to be frog breeding time.

You can hop, but you cannot hide.

Wild Iris

I did see lots of birds, but the frogs and turtles were everywhere, hard to ignore.

Some of the lovely marsh grasses you will encounter.

Look out behind you.

Soaking up the rays

Lost

Read Full Post »

Traveling the Back Road to La Gorgaracha

Another strange and wonderful find for me.  Ten years here on the coast, and I am still finding new things.  After visiting a friend in hospital in Motril, I decided to take a route I had never taken before.  I headed north from the hospital, and found myself on a beautiful scenic drive through a pine forest, and out the other side to a small area of ruins and homesteads.  This is also the road to take to get to the Fabrica Del Rey rural route.  I will be going again and following that route one day soon, but I think in a car the next time instead of the scooter, a breakdown out there would be disastrous, as the bat cycle isn’t exactly the bat mobile.  On part of the journey, you cross over the new highway that is being built, but at the moment, it actually has stopped progression right here, as you can see by the photo it is quite ugly, rather ground zero-ish in appearance.  Other sites were lovely, and I have tried to show you both.

Motril in the background with old highway marker in the foreground.

Bat Cycle

Pine Barrens

Right out of the rock.

Along the route you will see this sign for the old mine shaft which you can visit.

The new Autovia de Mediterranea stops here.

On the same bridge, pedestrian foot path is secured by wooden fence, my guess is livestock use this too for safe passage

Honk if you love geese!

Start of the Fabrica Del Rey Rural Route which travels up off this road.

Following the road to La Gorgaracha, lots of ruins.

I think this is an old smoke house, but if anyone can confirm this please do.

Good news, it’s for sale!

Just in case there is interest.

Open plan

A not so old ruin, but a ruin just the same

The time required to see all of this was under a couple of hours, and I was traveling via the bat cycle.

Read Full Post »

Sugar Cane Factory Motril.

Every time I get on my scooter I find something interesting to photograph.

Tthis past week it was the old sugar cane factory in Motril on the road to the Hospital Santa Ana.  Currently they are  remodeling one  of the buildings to be used as an exhibition house.  There will be permanent photographic displays, as well as the occasional feature display.  At the moment, it looks a bit derelict, but the fellow there advised me that it should be open to the public in May of this year.  To find it, go north at the round about located in front of Al Campo, follow the signs for the hospital.   I managed to slip inside and take some photos of some of the  old buildings, I was advised that in it’s glory days, upwards of 500 people worked here.

Weigh Station just inside the gates. Huge trucks carried the cane to be milled.

 

Named after Motril's Patron Saint Pilar

Keep out

 

Read Full Post »

Bird Watching at Charca de Suarez Playa Poniente

If you are into bird watching, and you are coming to the area, be sure to check out the marshes park located in the Motril Beach region called La Charca de Suárez.  The park is open year round, and covers about 20 hectares in total.    It was a very chilly day with not much sun, but just look what I saw today!

Garza Real- Great Heron

Garza Real- Great Heron

Garza Real

Garza Real

Great Heron & Common Egret

Common Egret

Mosquitero- Flycatcher

Mosquiteros- Fly Catchers

Mosquitero- Fly Catcher

Lovely flora

Lovely Flora

That’s it for La Charca this week, I go there every Saturday, so if anything strange or wonderful pops up you will see it here.

Read Full Post »

Just Around the Corner

At least once a week I go for a drive in the countryside or over to the nearby town of Motril, or to it’s port area.  On this particular day I was driving by and this vision caught my eye.  I never cease to be cheered up  by seeing something so unexpected.

Zoomed in.

Against the wall.

From the road.

Read Full Post »

La Charca de Suárez

I received an email from a Mr Gerry Collins, a fellow bird watcher, and he has sent some really good photos of some of the birds that he  spotted recently at the sanctuary in Playa Poiniente in Motril… If you have not taken the time to visit, then I really recommend it.  Even if  all you want to do is go for a nice walk, this place is perfect for you.  The paths are nice and level, and it’s lovely and quiet.  WC’s are open to the public as well. Thanks Gerry!

Read Full Post »

Car Boot Sale in Salobreña!

Great news, the Car Boot Sale is not only back once a month, but it is now being held in SALOBRENA! For those of us that love a good mooch around a flea market, our day has come.   The International Club of Salobrena (ICOS) is organizing the once monthly event held on the first Saturday of each month. Not only are they organizing it, but they have a table as well with proceeds going to replenish and repair the childrens swing sets, slides and jungle gyms in the parks, a worthy cause indeed.   This past Saturday was the first day that the event, and even though the weather was not great, there was a very good turn out, not only by the bargain hunters, but by the vendors as well.  As the weather improves, I am sure the number of stalls will increase expedentially with the weather.

The charity Paws for Thought was also present, and the word is that they did a very impressive amount all things considered.  The rain was the enemy once again.  The Paws for Thought people have  a table and all proceeds are going to help the sick and homeless cats and dogs in the town and around the immediate area.  Joanne and Linda were there with smiles on and managed to sell an impressive number of  items to aid their cause.  For those interested in seeing more of Joanne and Linda, they also attend the car boot twice monthly in Motril.  Help if you can lots of tiny mouths depend on it.

And last but not least, a look to remind us what September looks like here. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »