Balsa del Regidor, Granada Province.

Egret counting.

Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).

Juan Pérez Contreras, Beatriz Pérez Machado and José Mª González Cachinero were all doing a count of Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) up in Granada at a roost just on the outskirts of the town (they recorded 2377). Well back down to earth, by the time it was dark I had counted 67 Western Cattle Egrets, 9 Little Egrets (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) and 2 Grey Herons (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) had come into the small roost beside the A92.
On the lake there were Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina) x18, Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata) x14, Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus) and Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) x3 and over the pool there were at least 6 Barn Swallows (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica).
Once it was almost dark I started to drive home, on the far side of the lake where it runs near the A92 I had 8 Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) fly across in front of me before dropping down into the nearby Olive groves. As I was getting out of the car at home i could hear a couple more Stone Curlews calling from out in the olives and a Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) which was screeching from the telegraph pole a little further up the road.

Other species seen included Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula) and on the opposite side of the motorway there were hundreds if not thousands of both Woodpigeons (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) and Jackdaws (Grajilla / Corvus monedula) going to roost in a large Poplar plantation.