Padul Area, Granada Province.

From wetlands to Moorlands.

Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti).

Andy Mounteford and myself made our way to the Padul Nature Reserve just to the south of Granada City for a few hour birding. As we arrived we met a Spanish chap doing some Ringing/Banding in the reed beds. The birds we saw in the hand whilst we were watching him included Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla).

The Ringer.

We then walked along the track through the reeds as far as a wooden hide (which always seems to be lock) seeing 6+ Reed Bunting (Escribano Palustre / Emberiza schoeniclus), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scirpaceus), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Meadow Pipit (Bistita Común / Anthus pratensis), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Miliaria calandra), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinula Chloropus) and Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).

Desert Darter (Sympetrum sinaiticum tarraconesis).

Next we drove a circular route around the reserve picking up Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), House (Gorrión Común), Spanish (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis) x2 and Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer Montanus) 15+, Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Robin (Petirrrojo / Erithacus rubecula), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus) and Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina).

Andy.

A single Migrant Hawker (Aeshna mixta) and Desert Darter (Sympetrum sinaiticum tarraconesis) along with several Clouded Yellow (Colias crocea).

Later we went to an area of scrubby hillside looking for Larks, we picked up just Crested (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata) and Thekla Larks (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) along with several Dartford Warblers (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Miliaria calandra), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), a dark phase Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus), Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulga / Falcotinnunculus), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis) and Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica).

White Rockrose (Helianthemum apenninum).

A few species of butterfly were still on the wing including Bath White (Pontia daplidice), Brown Argus (Aricia agestis), Clouded Yellow (Colias crocea), Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus), Lang's Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) and Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanto). Whilst were walked around the area a few plants of White Rockrose (Helianthemum apenninum) were seen.