Cabo Sacratif and Charca del Suarez, Granada Province.

Well what a day (for a day dream) should have stayed in bed.

Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis).

We started out from Granada at the usual 06:15 but something was not quite right! We got to the coast to carry out the JULY Ram Sea Bird Survey and it was dam cold, heaving down with rain and blowing a gale. We were all sat there in our summer shorts and tee shirts freezing our bits off and even the the Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) looked at us as if we were mad. Any way we carried out the two hour stint picking up fairly good numbers of Balearic Shearwaters (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus), a few Cory's (Pardela Cenicienta / Calonectris diomedea) also passed west along with a handfull of Northern Gannets (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus). 

Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinula Chloropus).

Juan picked up a single Great Skua (Págalo Grande / Catharacta skua) but even with directions the bird slipped away from me unseen. Several Audouin's (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and Mediterranean Gulls (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus) all made there way back to wards the port at Motril during the session.

Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido / Apus pallidus), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) were some of the other species noted.

Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis).

We then moved on to a quiet Charca, well when you have 3 Little Bitterns (Avetorillo Común / Ixobrychus minutus), Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio) and Stripeless Tree Frog (Hyla meridionalis) all on view at the same time, it sound harsh to say it was quiet but compaired to other times of the year and the fact that the weather kept all the Dragonflies under cover, it was.

Little Bittern (Avetorillo Común / Ixobrychus minutus).

Other birds seen included Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla), Cetti’s Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinula Chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Great Tit (Carbonero Común / Parus major), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) and Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius).