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Sunday 8 April 2012

Near Huétor Tajar, Granada Province, Spain.

From the sun Terrace.

After catching up with the days tasks Jayne and I sat out on the back terrace for a meal and then we spent some time getting a few rays and reading. After a while I was spending more time scanning the Olives with the bins and watching a very nice 1st summer male Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus) which drifted up and down a couple of times. A flock of Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki)  that were calling distantly to start with, closed in before the whole flock flew up and over our neighbors house and into the Olives on the other side of the road, there were at least 90 birds which for this time of the year was a large flock indeed. My first Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirundo daurica) seen from the house this year flew past at eye level and then spent some time drinking in the swimming pool a few doors up the hill. Other birds seen included Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Woodlark (Totovia / Lullula arborea), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer Domesticus), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Great Tit (Carbonero Común / Parus major), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino /Parus cristatus), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica).
Several butterflies were also seen in the barranco including Bath White (Pontia daplidice), Cleopatra (Cleopatra / Gonepteryx cleopatra), Clouded Yellow (Colias crocea), Geranium Bronze (Cacyreus marshalli), Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenodes) but most surprising was a very smart Large Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis polychlorus) which did a couple of circuits of the fig tree before disappearing out over the olives. Not bad for a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon with a glass of Cava.

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