IF YOU ARE LOOKING AT THE BLOG ON A PHONE PLEASE CHANGE TO WEB VIEW AT BOTTOM OF PAGE AS IT WILL LOOK BETTER, THANKS MICK.

Wednesday 9 January 2013

Rio Genil, Granada, Granada Province.

Searching for some Chinese quackers !

Jayne and I travelled up to Granada to visit Juan Perez and his wife Beatriz, on the way I saw Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto).
Once at there apartment Juan and I again left Beatriz and Jayne to their language studies and went for a walk along the Rio Genil just up above the city where we were looking for a couple of male Mandarin Ducks (Pato Mandarin / Aix galericulata) which Juan had found a week or so earlier. We started our walk and soon had Long-tailed (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Blue Tits (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) on the list along with Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala). We reached a large concrete bridge with sluice gates built into it and picked up the first of the walks Dippers (Mirlo Acuático Europeo / Cinclus cinclus) which gave us some cracking views as it swam and dived in the water.
We continued on adding Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) but there was no sign of the Mandarin Duck. We eventually reached Pinos Genil and had views of at least two more Dippers as we approached the town.
We scanned the Rio from the town bridges with out success so we retraced our way back to the car and then back to Juan apartment, on the way we saw a couple of flocks of Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) heading for the roost where Juan carries out a count each month.

No comments: