Huétor Fields and near Moraleda, Granada Province.

A couple of hour local birding.

White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

I started down by the bar and continued on along the raised bank on the Northern side of the Arroyo Vilano checking out the fields and Poplar plantations, on this first stretch I found Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) and Common Magpies (Urraca / Pica pica), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Grey (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and White Wagtails (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) and Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus).

Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis).

I continued on to the second stretch of track along the Arroya and soon lengthened the day list with Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus). I retraced my steps along this track and headed out on the track towards the Mesia road, on the fields and in the ditches I picked up a few more species including Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), both Spotless (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and Common Starlings (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulg aris) the latter seam quite common this autumn, Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus).

Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).

From here I headed out on to the fields near Moraleda and almost straight away located 12 Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Ganga Ortega / Pterocles orientalis) which got up out of a newly ploughed field near the disused Cortijo, also in this area I found Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), a late Tawny Pipit (Bisbita campestre / Anthus campestris), Thekla (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Sky (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis) and Calandra Larks (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra) and a newly arrived male Hen Harrier (Aguilucho Pálido / Circus cyaneus) which was quartering an Almond plantation near the road.

Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis).

I dropped back down to the A92 and quickly called in at the small pool near the Moraleda junction called Balsa de Rigedor but it was quite quiet and I only recorded Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina) and Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) before heading home.