Birding down the Cacín Valley and then back on the patch.
Ebird List for Contra Embalse de Bermejalis.
Ebird List for GR-4304, Cacín Valley.
Ebird List for
Río Genil West. Ebird List for Huétor Fields.
 |
| Some more weather coming down the Valley, it did brighten up later. |
I drove down to the Contraembalse de Bermejalis getting some coffee and breakfast at bar El Cruce in Loreto near Moraleda, I parked at 08:30 and spent almost 4 hours around the area and saw 58 species during the walk.
 |
| Looking across the reed beds looking North. |
 |
| Northern Goshawk (Azor Común / Accipitor gentillis). |
 |
| Northern Goshawk (Azor Común / Accipitor gentillis). |
 |
| Northern Goshawk (Azor Común / Accipitor gentillis). |
 |
| Northern Goshawk (Azor Común / Accipitor gentillis). |
I started at the parking spot which looks over the dry lake seeing several
Western Marsh Harriers (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), a couple of
Grey Herons (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) x3, an immature
Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo),
Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica),
Western Jackdaw (Grajilla occidental / Corvus monedula),
Eurasian Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis) and Thekla's Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae),
Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris),
Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica),
Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti),
Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada),
Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala),
European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), plenty of
White (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and a single
Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae),
Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis),
Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs),
European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis),
European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and
Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).
 |
| Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo). |
 |
| Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo). |
 |
| Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) ♀. |
 |
| Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) ♂. |
I walked down the road towards Cacín a short way and picked up a singing
Iberian Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Ibérico / Phylloscopus ibericus) which was a year tick, a very smart
Northern Goshawk (Azor Común / Accipitor gentillis),
Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), a ♂
Merlin (Esmerejón / Falco columbarius) which passed through the site like a bullet heading North, Western House Martins (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum) and
Eurasian Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus). |
| Iberian Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Ibérico / Phylloscopus ibericus). |
 |
| Iberian Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Ibérico / Phylloscopus ibericus). |
Other species seen included Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) x2,
Small White (
Pieris rapae) x1,
Somber Bee Orchid (Ophrys
lupercalis),
Common Mallow (Malva sylvestris), Common Fumitory (Fumaria officinalis), Eruca (Eruca sativa),
Field Marigold (Calendula arvensis),
Henbit Deadnettle (Lamium amplexicaule), Southern Knapweed (Centaurea pullata),
Wild Grape Hyacinth (
Muscari neglectum), Wild Clary (Salvia verbenaca),
Moricandia moricandioides and
White Wallrocket (Diplotaxis erucoides). |
| Bonelli's Eagle (Aguila Perdicera / Aquila faciatus). |
 |
| Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus). |
I walked back to the car where dropped a layer of clothing as it was starting to get slightly warmer before walking North to the bridge over the Rio Cacín, on the way I picked up Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos),
Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa),
Feral Pigeon (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia),
Short-toed Snake (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus) and Bonelli's Eagle (Aguila Perdicera / Aquila faciatus), Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus),
Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), a Eurasian Eagle Owl (Búho Real / Bubo bubo) which was sat in the back of a cave,
Mistle (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus) and Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos),
Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula),
European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula),
Eurasian Wren (Chochin paleártico / Troglodytes troglodytes),
Large (Pieris brassicae) x1 and Western Dappled White (Euchloe crameri) x2,
Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi), Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus), Hummingbird Hawkmoth (Macroglossum stellatarum),
Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) and
Ramping Fumitory (Fumaria capreolata). |
| Immature Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti). |
 |
| Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major). |
From the bridge I followed the road for a while adding an immature
Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti),
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major),
Coal Tit (Carbonero Garrapinos / Periparus ater),
Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Europeo / Certhia brachydactyla),
Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea),
Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), and then on my way back walked through the Pine woods finding 4 very nice spikes of
Giant Orchid (Himanthoglossum Robertiana) and many spikes of both
Sawfly (Ophrys tenthredinifera) and
Somber Bee.
 |
| Giant Orchid (Himanthoglossum Robertiana). |
 |
| Sawfly Orchid (Ophrys tenthredinifera). |
I walked back up to the car and had the last hour or so there, as I scanned the lake and surroundings I found
Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus),
Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Thinornis dubius),
Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito ibérico / Picus sharpei) and Just as I was about to leave I picked up a bird coming in from the North which turned out to be a
Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus) but when it saw that the lake was empty I guess it decided to head back off North again.
 |
| Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus). |
I headed back to the North as well but made a quick stop near an old substation in amongst the Pines where I added a couple of
Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) and another Short-toed Snake Eagle before continuing onto Huétor where I did a short walk along the Rio Genil to the West of the Bridge, the only new species seen here was a calling ♂
Eurasian Penduline Tit (Pájaro Moscón / Remiz pendulinus) which took some finding amongst the newly opening leaves on the
White Poplar (Populus alba) trees. |
| Mustard growing along the Arroyo Vilano. |
From here I went up through town and out to the Lucerne Fields where I did a walk from the Walnut Trees to the Gate and back again adding Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus), Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki) and
Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina) as well as Clouded Yellow x8,
Small White x1,
Persian Speedwell (Veronica persica) and
Nonea vesicaria.
 |
| Sierra Nevada off to the East. |
