Out on the Hill with Derek Etherton.
Ebird List for Sierra de Laja.
Ebird List for Huétor Fields.
I met Derek down at Café bar Zole where we had coffee and some breakfast before heading up down to the Rio Genil where I dropped Derek off for a while as I had to meet friends Jan and Garry who were dropping off their car to the Mechanic's in Huétor and I was running them back up to their house in Realenga.
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| Thekla's Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae). |
I returned to Derek and we headed off up Sierra de Loja, we made our way steadily out to the far crags, on the way we had views of
Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa),
Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus),
Western Jackdaw (Grajilla occidental / Corvus monedula),
Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica),
Thekla's Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae),
Spectacled Warbler (Curruca Tomillera / Curruca conspicillata),
European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola),
Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris),
European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis) and
Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).
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| Thekla's Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae). |
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| Western Black-eared Wheatear (Collalba Rubia Occidental / Oenanthe hispanica) ♂. |
As we worked our way along the crags we had
Mallards (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) on the pools below us,
Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris),
Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros),
Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula),
Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), Black (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura) and Western Black-eared Wheatear (Collalba Rubia Occidental / Oenanthe hispanica), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Melodious (Zarcero políglota / Hippolais polyglotta), Western Orphean (Curruca Mirlona Occidental / Curruca hortensis) and
Western Subalpine Warbler (Curruca Carrasqueña Occidental / Curruca iberiae),
Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator),
Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia),
Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia),
Small White (
Pieris rapae),
Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui),
Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus) and the first of several
Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica).
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| Looking out to the West, one of my favourite views. |
At the far end of the section we stopped again and after quite a wait I was pretty sure I saw a
♀ Common Rock Thrush (Roquero Roja / Monticola saxatilis) being chased by a
Black Redstart but it disappeared too quickly to be positive, however a little while later we had a very smart ♂ do several display flights of the very tops of the cliffs.
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| The row of Crags. |
After watching the Common Rock Thrush, we continued on out to a high point a KM or so further on where we spent an hour or so looking for raptors and picked up Booted (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas) x2 and Short-toed Snake Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus) x3, Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus) x2, Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) and Spanish Ibex.
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| Common Rock Thrush (Roquero Roja / Monticola saxatilis) ♀. |
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| Common Rock Thrush (Roquero Roja / Monticola saxatilis) ♀. |
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| Common Rock Thrush (Roquero Roja / Monticola saxatilis) ♀. |
On our way back along the crags I picked up a nice ♀
Common Rock Thrush and then a few minutes later a second ♂
bird which showed very nicely for around 15 minutes. On the way back down the hill we stopped at the Charca del Negro where Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe) and an Ocellated Lizard (Timon lepidus).
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| Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe). |
Just a little further down we spent a while in a small roadside dell as I wanted to see if there were any Butterflies around, species found included Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenoides), Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina), Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi), Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera), Southern Gatekeeper (Pyronia cecilia) and Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina).
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| Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina). |
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| Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera). |
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| Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui). |
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| Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi). |
We left the mountain and headed out onto the Lucerne fields were we watched the Montagu's Harriers (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus) from the road and then drove out to the gate, on the way we added European Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Thinornis dubius), Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus), Short-toed Snake Eagle, Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Cecropis daurica), Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Spanish (Yellow) (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi).
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| Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus). |
Later in the evening Derek and I were heading down to Huétor for something to eat, on the way we returned to the Lucerne Fields to meet up with Paqui as Derek wanted to say hello.
We went down to Huétor and then later returned to the house where we could hear the local Red-necked Nightjar (Chotacabras Cuellirrojo / Caprimulgus ruficollis) calling before we turned in after a successful day.
