Home near Huétor Tajar, Granada Province, Spain.

A couple of local birds and end of the month totals.

Just popped down on to the fields below the house for an hours birding, highlights were a flock of nearly 200 Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) on a newly ploughed field along the river. In the same area there were quite good numbers of Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), 2x Golden Plover (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia) and a huge flock of at least 100 Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) flew from one Poplar plantation on my right over the river to another stand a couple of hundred meters away. 

On the stony margins of the river there were a couple of Green Sandpipers (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) feeding along with both Grey (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and White Wagtails (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Meadow Pipits (Bistita Común / Anthus pratensis) and lots of Common Chiffchaffs (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita). 

On the fields quite good numbers of Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) were following on of the tractors which were ploughing up an old Lucerne field and a single Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) was in one of the ditches stalking its next meal. I then went down towards the town of Huetor Tajar and to do a count of the Stone-curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) on their favourite wintering field, I just reached the end of the count in time (497) as the female Hen Harrier (Aguilucho Pálido / Circus cyaneus) which has been around all winter popped up over the railway line and flushed all the birds from the far end of the field. 

This did however work in my favour as I was able to added Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) and Common Starling (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris) to the list. Other birds seen included Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Thekla (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Crested (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), Calandra (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra) and Skylarks (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis).

I ended up seeing 151 Species of Bird during January, 5 species of Butterfly and just a single Orchid.