Granada and the Cacín Valley, Granada Province.

Bargins and Birds.

Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax).

Jayne and I set off up towards the City of Granada to visit the large Saturday market as we were hoping to do a car boot sale on the Sunday morning when the other Granada market is on. On the way up I saw a small flock Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) which were raiding the remains of next doors grape vines, a very dark Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) which flapped low over the road by the A92 and a small flock of around 20 Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) on a motorway side field.

We spent the next 2 ½ hours having a wonder around the market and both picked up a couple of bargins!

Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).

On the way home we went via La Malahá and Ventas de Huelma on the way over to Cacín, on the way I added Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and another Common Buzzard but this time right at the other end of the colour scale as it was almost white below with just two dark brown bars.

We dropped down into the Cacín Valley and headed North stopping at the Embalse for a while, here I picked up Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Anas clypeata), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinula Chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocorax carbo) and 3 Grey Herons (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea). 

Whinchat (Tarabilla Nortena / Saxicola rubetra).

In the surrounding fields and bushes I caught up with Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Thekla (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) and Crested Larks (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Cetti’s Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).

Our last stop was out on the El Temple agricultural area nearby, here we only managed to pick up 3 new chat species for the day list, these were Whinchat (Tarabilla Nortena / Saxicola rubetra), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) and Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe).

Near Huétor Tajar, Granada Province, Spain.

Moth Records for the 7th October 2011. 
15W Actinic on the terrace.

Any corrections, PLEASE send me a comment on the post, thanks. 

 

6208 Euchromius vinculellus.

Another three new species caught on what was a nice warm October night, moth numbers were up, possibly due to a thin layer of cloud.

6524 Hydriris ornatalis.

The new species were 6208 Euchromius vinculellus, 6524 Hydriris ornatalis and 7882 Charissa mucidaria with a few more still to ID. 

7882 Charissa mucidaria.

9056 Autographa gamma (Silver Y).

Other interesting species were 1655 Ethmia bipunctella, 6604 Pyrausta aurata, a second 7761 Peribatodes umbraria after the first on the 6th, 8211 Rhodometra sacraria (The Vestal) x30+, 9056 Autographa gamma (Silver Y) x1, 9081 Ni Moth (Trichoplusia ni) x1, 9621 Episema grueneri, 9628 Leucochlaena oditis (Beautiful Gothic) and 10326 Eucoptocnemis optabilis.

9081 Ni Moth (Trichoplusia ni).

Near Huétor Tajar, Granada Province, Spain.

Moth Records for the 6th October 2011.
15W Actinic on the terrace.
Any corrections, PLEASE send me a comment on the post, thanks. 

6446 Cynaeda dentalis.

As usual, I decided to run the 15w trap and was pleased to find a drastic drop in the number of the black beetles which had been infesting the trap recently.

7761 Peribatodes umbraria.

Along with a few beetles there were a number of new species for the garden, these included 6446 Cynaeda dentalis, 7761 Peribatodes umbraria, 8045 Scopula ornata (Lace border) and 9408 Stilbia andalusiaca.

10460 Earias insulana (Egyptian Bollworm).

Other species were 0663 Trichophaga Bipartitella, 6521 Hellula undalis (Old World Webworm), 7987 Microloxia herbaria, 8189 Idaea degeneraria (Portland Ribbon Wave), 9621 Episema gruenri, 9628 Leucochlaena oditis (Beautiful Gothic), 10326 Eucoptocnemis optabilis, Pseudozarba bipartita, a dozen or more 10460 Earias insulana (Egyptian Bollworm), 10528b Coscinia chrysocephala and 10535 Utetheisa pulchella (Crimson Speckled).

9408 Stilbia andalusiaca.