Cacín Valley, Granada Province.

Another cracking day along the Valley.

I went out a little before I was due to met Mike and Marline (hope I have the names right) at the bar down the road where we had met in the past for an ABS meeting. I checked out the fields to the west of the site and had a flock of Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) come in and land in a Lucern field, on my way around I also saw Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), White (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) and Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica).

I met Marline and Mike and our first stop was back at the fields where I had earlier seen the flock of Little Bustards, we arrived and scanned the lucern field and soon located the flock with their heads standing above the crop.

Our second stop was out on the agricultural fields near to Moraleda and out on the large fields near the disused Cortijo we quite quickly found three Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Ganga Ortega / Pterocles orientalis) feeding on the stumble. In the same area we caught up with Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), Whinchat (Tarabilla Nortena / Saxicola rubetra), Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Tawny Pipit (Bisbita campestre / Anthus campestris), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei), Iberian Grey (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis) and Woodchat Shrikes (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator).

From here we moved down into the Valley and stopped down by the river and checked out the track towards the dam, along this well wooded stretch we had good views of Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Long-tailed (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Coal (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater) and Blue Tits (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Pied Flycatcher (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major) and Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).
Up at the lake just above this site our first bird was a Northern Goshawk (Azor Común / Accipitor gentillis) perched on a pylon, as we parked the bird flew off being mobbed by a Common Kestrel. Over the lake we watched a Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) fly the full length of the lake passing over Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus) and Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis). Also seen at the same site were Sand Martin (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius).

We continued on down the valley and took the road to a watchpoint above Cacín but all we managed to see was a Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Rock Pigeon (Paloma Bravia / Columba livia) and insects included Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii), Swallowtail (Papilio machaon) and Tree Grayling (Neohipparchia statilinus).

On our way back to the bar we picked up Western Cattle Egret and Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki).