I have been regularly visiting there and sometimes living there for the last 9 years I have decided to keep notes about wildlife and fishing at different times of the year.
Great Crested Grebes on Conde del Guadalhorce 5th April 2019 10:30ish
These Grebes were doing their courtship display ... Shame I didn't get longer footage I think the battery ran out.
16 April 2019 - Hundreds of carp spawning Guadalteba reservoir.
From my viewpoint on the dam I could see three separate congregations of carp spawning near the surface on different parts of the reservoir.
Carp spawn when the water temperature is between 18 and 24 degrees c (or 73 Fahrenheit). Large females can produce over 1 million eggs and spawning can occur several times in a season. Males develop white spawning tubercles on their head , as it's the case in many fish species.
28 August 2019 - Cicadas.
Cicadas out in force , I found this couple mating.
Cicada orni 28 Aug 2019 Guadalteba Reservoir
Narcissi
Spotted a large patch of beautiful tiny white narcissi growing in the pine woods between the old dam and the new dams . They were in full flower and had trumpet shaped nodding white flower heads about two or three inches above the ground and fine bootlace like upright leaves but half the thickness of a bootlace.
Largemouth Bass and Carp near surface
Two or three days previously I was at Parque Ardales with my parents and I noticed below the "Conde"dam four or five very large Bass near the surface . This was interesting to see as I had previously thought the bass went much deeper in winter in these lakes but obviously not the case . Perhaps in very cold prolonged spells they head deeper. Also I didn't spot any smaller bass so perhaps they feel the cold more and head deeper. Neither did I see any pumpkinseeds.
There were plenty of big Carp cruising at the surface and taking bread. Therefore water temperatures in Andalusia in February must be similar to summer lake temperatures in the UK as that's the only time we regularly see carp at the surface.
March 2020 coronovirus time
Adult Bass averaging two pounds are forming large shouls by the dam . The bleak are in the very shallow water when it's sunny and the bass are patrolling around them ready to round the bleak up for a meal.
Large carp are also patrolling the dam near the surface taking bread.
Saw a pike maybe 4 lb again near the surface lurking amongst these other fish, waiting for a bleak no doubt.
Saw a tiny baby crayfish in the shallows at night whilst I was fishing for bleak.
A grey heronr regularly sits at the dam in the shallows again waiting for bleak .
No sign yet of any percasol (pumkinseeds ) or young bass. Perhaps they stay in the warmer deeper water as we're still in march .big bass probably have more cold resistance with greater body mass.
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