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Wednesday 14 November 2012

The Balsa del Regidor, Granada Province.

Counting Cattle Egrets.

While Juan Pérez Contreras, Beatriz Pérez Machado and José Mª González Cachinero were carring out their regular count of the Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) coming to the roost near Ogíjares on the Southern out skirts of Granada City I went to the much smaller roost at the Balsa del Regidor just off the A92 at Morelada. On the lake there were a good numbers of duck but all bar none were just Mallards (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), these were joined by quite a few Little Grebes (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) about 35 in total, several Eurasian Coots (Focha Común / Fulica atra) and along with some Common Moorhens (Gallineta Común / Gallinula Chloropus). 
During the hour or so I was there a few Raptor species where recorded passing through the area including a female Hen Harrier (Aguilucho Pálido / Circus cyaneus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulga / Falco tinnunculus), Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), a large female Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus) which spent quite a while perched on a nearby pylon and then just as before dark a Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) passed over the lake (probable the bird seen earlier in the week).
Other species I picked up included Cetti’s Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla), Robin (Petirrrojo / Erithacus rubecula), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer Domesticus), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Meadow Pipit (Bistita Común / Anthus pratensis), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and a female Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Anas clypeata) which dropped in right at the close. During the count I saw 174 Western Cattle Egrets not quite the 2971 the others recorded in Granada but an enjoyable couple of hours.

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