Villanueva Mesia and El Turro areas, Granada Province

Another morning's Atlas work.

White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

The morning started misty and damp but as I approached the start of the area to be worked the visibility improved and I was able to start. I had 8 fifteen minute itineraries to complete, five in the area around the village of Villanueva Mesia and three near El Turro. Along the Rio Genil where it is joined by the Rio Cacín Several Grey Wagtails (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), 30+ Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), a single Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) and a few Cetti's Warblers (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) were counted. Out on the fields Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Meadow Pipit (Bistita Común / Anthus pratensis), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), European Robin (Petirrrojo / Erithacus rubecula), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), European Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) were the commonest species, they were also joined by a couple of Common Buzzards (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Eurasian Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and a male Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).

European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris).

The next two sections were along the wooded banks of the Rio Cacín, Both Great Spotted (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major) and Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei) were heard the former was drumming regularly. Also picked up here were more Iberian Magpie about 50, European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Hawfinch (Picogordo / Coccotraustes coccotraustes), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinula Chloropus), Great Tit (Carbonero Común / Parus major), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos) and Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor).

Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).

Later I went to complete the three itineraries near El Turro, here I added Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura), Blue Rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), Eurasian Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Miliaria calandra) and Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulga / Falcotinnunculus).