Another day in the mountains and valleys, Granada Province.

Starting them Young.

Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax).

Bernard again joined me for a day in the countryside around Loja, we were joined today by Kevin and his son a very good little birder called Matthew, who at 10 years old has already learned a lot of good identification skills and field craft and has seen some very good species. 

We started the day near El Turro seeing Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator glandarrius), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Bonelli's Eagle (Aguila Perdicera / Aquila faciatus), Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura) and Blue Rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius) around the embalse.

Kevin, Bernard and Mathew.

On the lake there were several Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Anas clypeata), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius) and Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus) heard only. 

In the reed beds, the year's first Common Reed Warblers (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scirpaceus) were singing alongside the resident Cetti's (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and Sardinian Warblers (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala). 

We then moved up in to the hills and started to see more new species for Matt, including Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata), Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común/ Lanius senator) and a species he had said was at the top of his wanted list a cracking Golden Eagle (Aguila Real / Aquila chrysaetos).

Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia).

Later further up the sierra we picked up 4 Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Western Black-eared Wheatear (Collalba Rubia / Oenanthe hispanica), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) and Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris). 

By the end of the day the list neared 70 species and I think Matt had seen a good few new birds.