Moraleda de Zafayona, Granada Province.

A morning’s winter bird Atlas recording.

To start with HAPPY NEW YEAR to any one who takes the time to read and I hope enjoy this blog, Thank You.

Badger (Meles meles) Tracks.

After the wet weather of the last two weeks it was a pleasure to get out with the bins. Today’s route was in the fields to the west of the town of Moraleda, 15 itineraries were planed and completed. The start of the walk was amongst broom and herb scrub where I picked up the only Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata) of the day and several Thekla Larks (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae). Serins (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and Jackdaws (Grajilla / Corvus monedula) were the commonest birds with 100+ of the former and about 75 of the latter. It was nice to hear the yaffling calls of several Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei) during the walk and the distant drumming of a couple of Great Spotted Woodpeckers (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major) made me think that spring is not so far away. A small flock of Long-tailed (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Great (Carbonero Común / Parus major) and Blue Tits (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) passed through a small area of Poplar woodland accompanied by large numbers of Blackcaps (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla) and Common Chiffchaffs (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) and a couple of Short-toed Treecreepers (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla). Further along the tracks a small flock of Corn (Triguero / Miliaria calandra), Cirl (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus) X5 and Reed Buntings (Escribano Palustre / Emberiza schoeniclus) X3 were feeding with large numbers of House Sparrows (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and White Wagtails (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) out on a winter cereal crop field.

Violet Cabbage (Moricandia moricandioides).

Other birds recorded included Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Coal Tit (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulga / Falcotinnunculus), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Meadow Pipit (Bistita Común / Anthus pratensis), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Robin (Petirrrojo / Erithacus rubecula), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) and Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis).

In the mud along one of the streams several Badger (Meles meles) tracks were found, a mammal I have only seen as a road casualty so far. Several plant species were in flower, Violet Cabbage (Moricandia moricandioides) was by far the commonest.

Huetor Tajar, Granada Province.

Dodging the showers.

Stone-curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus).

Juan Pérez Contreras from Granada and a friend who was visiting him from near Leon in France stopped by the house whilst they were out birding in the area. We had a quick drive up the road towards Loja to a site for a pair of Eagle Owls (Buho Real / Bubo bubo); it was the wrong time of day so we were not surprised when we did not see them.

White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

Later in the day I went down on to the fields just north of Huetor Tajar with the camera hoping to get some shots of the Stone-curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus). There were some 160+ birds on the field but just as I was getting to the site a farm worker flushed several of the closer birds. I took some shots and then headed out towards Villanueva Mesia picking up White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común) and Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis).

Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki).

I then took one of the tracks along the bank of the Arroyo de Milano and on one of the many shingle ridges in the stream a large group of Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) were bathing and in the Poplar trees surrounding the area there were a lot more birds, numbering over 100 in total. Along this track I also saw Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Meadow Pipit (Bistita Común / Anthus pratensis), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor).

Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki).

The next track was along the other side of the Arroya heading back towards town where I had hoped to catch up with the Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) flock but all that was added to the list were 5 Tree Sparrows (Gorrión Molinero / Passer Montanus) and a Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus).

Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla).

I did eventually catch up with some of the Little Bustards, about 60 birds were found on the road out to Loja.

Once at home I set up the camera in the garden and photographed the Iberian  Magpie in a neighbour’s fruit tree.