RAM sea bird survey and Charca del Suarez.

A long awaited days birding with Juan Perez.

Little Bittern (Avetorillo Común / Ixobrychus minutus) immature.

Juan and I met at the car park near the old Aki store on the outskirts of Granada and made our way down to Cabo Sacratif to carry out the monthly sea bird count, the weather was just right and there was a good bit of passage. The commonest species was by far Balearic Shearwater (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus), during the hour we did the count for we recorded 488 individuals, along with a few Cory's Shearwaters (Pardela Cenicienta / Calonectris diomedea), Northern Gannets (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and Audouin's Gulls (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus) and 6x Honey Buzzard (Aberjero Europeo / Pernis apivorus) passing West along the coast. 

Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio).

Later we went to Charca but it was fairly quiet but we did see some nice species including Night Heron (Marinete Común / Nycticorax nycticorax), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Willow Warbler (Mosquitero Musical / Phylloscopus trochillus), Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), a female Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), a male Little Bittern (Avetorillo Común / Ixobrychus minutus), singing Great Reed Warbler (Carricero Tordal / Acrocephalus arundinaceus), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata) and five adults and one young Red-knobbed Coots (Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata) from the re-introdution program.

Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope).

Other species seen included Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope), Monarch (Danaus plexippus) and both  Iberian Water (Rana Común / Rana Perezi) and Stripe-less Tree Frogs (Hyla meridionalis).