Granada, Cacín Valley, Huetor Fields, El Turro and Bermajais, Granada Province, Spain.

Beaten by the weather in the end.

Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).

Today’s guests were Derek and Mary who I collected from the edge of the Albazin area of Granada. We headed back to an agricultural area near to Moraleda to start the day, we did this first as the weather was looking a bit dodgy and this site soon becomes very muddy when it rains. 

Along the approach road we picked both Crested (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata) and Thekla Larks (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulga / Falco tinnunculus) and Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis). 

We turned on to the track and headed straight for the ruin where we parked and started to scan the fields, we got flight views of a Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) and found lots of adult Crimson Speckled (Utetheisa pulchella) moths and also the caterpillar. 

We then drove a little further out on to the fields picking up several Calandra Larks (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe) and masses of migrating Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae). 

We returned to the ruin and immediately picked up a small group of a dozen or so Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa) and what I was sure were at least 2 Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Ganga Ortega / Pterocles orientalis). Sure enough when we got the scope on the birds there were 2 Sandgrouse, a few moments later the grouse were in flight calling and 2 turned into 7. 

They flew around for a couple of minutes, giving us some great views before settling just out of sight just over a ridge, as they usually do. 

Other birds seen here were European Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), European Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus).

We next visited the fields just north of Huetor Tajar, Derek and Mary were very pleased when we found the flock of 180 Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) which were feeding and leaping around in one of the Lucerne fields. 

Crimson Speckled (Utetheisa pulchella).

Several Eurasian Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) were our next good find on a field which by mid-winter will hold several hundred of these curious looking birds. Other species seen included Whinchat (Tarabilla Nortena / Saxicola rubetra), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer Montanus), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) and 5 Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus) which were the first for the winter.

As we started to make our way up Sierra de Loja the weather started to take a turn for the worst, we were talking to the warden from Loja about some of the local birds when the heavens opened and this was how it stayed for the rest of the afternoon. On the hill we did see Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Western Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura), Eurasian Crag (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and Western House Martins (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), plus we heard Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus) and Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs).

To try and drive out of the rain we headed back to the Cacín Valley and to the Embalse de Cacín, it was still raining, English birders are used to it so we plodded on. 

On the water there were Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Northern Pintail (Ánade Rabudo / Anas acuta), Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Anas clypeata), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinula Chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra) and Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis). 

A couple of winter plumaged Black Terns (Fumarel Común / Chlidonias niger) were perched on sticks out in the lake and a single Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) flushed up from the reeds and moved further down the lake.

Crimson Speckled (Utetheisa pulchella) Caterpillar.

Down at Embalse de Bermejales we stopped at the out flow end and added a couple of Grey Wagtails (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Cetti’s Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and Eurasian Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius). Unfortunately the afternoon was a bit of a wash-out but we still saw some interesting species during the tour.

Torremolinos, Malaga Province.

A stroll along the prom.

Jayne's sister Brenda and her husband Keith were visiting from the UK and on the day we went back down to the Airport at Malaga we spent some time having a walk along the sea front. 

During the walk I noted several species of some interest, including a nice male Orange-winged Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) which flew quickly past. 

In one of the rather smelly streams which run out to the beach, a small Viperine Snake (Culebra viperina / Natrix maura) was seen hunting some of the many small Iberian Water Frogs (Rana Común / Rana Perezi).
Birds included Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer Domesticus), Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis).

Laguna Herrera, Antequera, Malaga Province.

A quiet, misty morning.

Immature Black Stork (Ciguena Negra / Ciconia nigra).

The Laguna was generally much quieter today, mainly due to the hunters surrounding the place shooting anything that moved out on the fields, a nice surprise was a single immature Black Stork (Ciguena Negra / Ciconia nigra) roosting out in the shallow water along with a couple of Whites (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia). 

Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus ruber).

Other birds seen were Ruff (Combatiente / Philomachus pugnax), Pied Avocet (Avoceta Común/ Recurvirostra avosetta), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Little Stint (Correlimos Menudo / Calidris minuta), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Common Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Common Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus ruber), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Anas clypeata) and Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis).