Embalse de Cubillas and Loja area, Granada Province.

Great White Egret and more.

Great White Egret (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba).

John Morgan and his parter Lynn had travelled over to see us for a few days, Lynn and Jayne had decided that they wished to have a walk around the Sunday market in Granada. John and myself dropped them off and headed for Cubillas Embalse for a couple of hours birding. We arrived to find that there were already a lot of people there including a group setting up a stage on the shore line for a concert of some sort. We made our way down to the main bay and the first bird seen was a Great White Egret (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba) only the fourth bird of this species I have seen in the Province (following three birds at Balsa de Regidor, Moraleda Granada on the 15th-16th Oct 2006). 

NE end of the Res.

Several Grey Herons (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and two Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta) were also on the shoreline, along with a single Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) the only wader seen during the visit. 

Three Short-toed Eagles (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus) flapped over the site heading south but with the cloudy damp conditions, they were making it look like it was hard going. Out on the water there were 20+ Mallards (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) and a single Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), 20+ Black-headed Gulls (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and two Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus cachinnans). Barn Swallows (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), House (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) and Sand Martins (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia) were all low over the water, no dougt feeding up before the next leg of there journey South. 

Great White Egret (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba).

In the surounding Pine woods Blue (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Great (Carbonero Común / Parus major) and Coal Tits (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater) moved around in a flock, Sardinian (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and Cetti's Warblers (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) were in the marginal Tamarisks along with a single Pied Flyctcher (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca).