Above Trabuco, Malaga Province and Huétor Fields, Granada Province.

Wet, windy and just dam horrible!!!

Woods above Trabuco.

We do not get many days like this thankfully and as I have not done much birding back in the UK for seven years so I am out of practise at birding in inclement weather. For this reason I was soon sat in the bar waiting for Jayne's craft group meeting to finish. But while I was out I went up to the highest point in the sierra's behind the town but I did not see a single species in the low cloud, wind and heavy rain so I dropped back down into the Pine woods where the first bird seen was a cracking male Goshawk (Azor Común / Accipitor gentillis) which was perched on top of a pile of rocks under some Oak trees. The Goshawk sat there for another 30 seconds or so before heading off to terrorise some of the local birds. In the same area I also added Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major). I moved sligtly further along the same track and sat watching an area of bramble scrub but not a lot was added except for a singing Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina).

100 cannons (or something like that) water feature.

I then made my way back down towards the bar on the way I picked up Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) and Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto). Once the meeting had finished we headed home via the fields near the house where Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) were all seen along with a stunning adult Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) which was balancing on a roadside wire just 2 minutes from the house.