Huétor Fields, Balsa de Rigedor and near Moraleda, Granada Province.

A quick flick around a few local sites.

Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).

I headed out after lunch for a quick look around the local patch, I started on the fields along side the Rio Vilano where I quickly found a large flock of over 500 Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus) roosting on a large ploughed area. On the same area there were several hundred feeding Starlings, most were Spotless (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) but there were quite a few Commons (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulg aris) as well. In the same area I recorded Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Feral Pigeon (Columba livia), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) and several Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) which flew straight through along the river. I moved on to the far stretch of the river and drove down as far as the railway bridge before turning around and heading back, along this track I added Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus).

Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).

I then drove across country to the small pool on the side of the A92 called Balsa de Rigedor, I first scanned it from the service road and picked up several Northern Shovelers (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus) and Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).

I moved around to the far side of the pool but the sun was getting low and was just in the wrong place which meant veiwing the pool was almost immpossible so I moved on towards Moraleda but took one of the lower tracks across country, this produced very little but cut off quite a drive. Once I was on the main site I started to check out the fileds but it was also very quiet and the only new species were Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), both Mistle (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus) and Song Thrushes (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica) and Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto).

Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

After a while I started off home but again took a different route to normal and ended up way out in the Olive groves but soon found my way back to the main road and back on to the motorway. Once through Huétor I took a loop around the western fields and located a small number of Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), much larger numbers of Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major).

Alhama Gorge and Local Patch, Granada Province.

A morning with the Loja walkers and a quick look on the local patch.

Bonelli's Eagle (Aguila-azor / Hieraetus faciatus).

I set off down to Alhama where I was meeting up with some of the Loja walking group for the annual New Years day walk but I was nursing a tweeked back and was not sure how far I would get.

Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae).

On the way I got quite a nice collection of species on the list including Iberian (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) and Common Magpies (Urraca / Pica pica), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra) and Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata).

Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).

I was quite early so I parked along side the trees at the far end of the parking area and just waited to see what came to me, the answer was quite a bit but not close enough for the camera. I added Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Crested (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus) and Blue Tits (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major) and several Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita).

Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis).

Out on the lake there was nothing surprising, birds included several Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra) and Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus).

Eight other members of the group arrived and after having a quick coffee in the bar we set off along the gorge, about two thirds of the way along I decided that I would turn around as my back pain was getting worse (even with Davids pain killer), So I said goodbye and retraced my steps whilst the rest of the group continued on in to the town.

Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta).

During the walk I recorded a few new species including Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), several more Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) and just as I was getting back to the car a pair of Bonelli's Eagles (Aguila-azor / Hieraetus faciatus) which flew off up the gorge towards the town.

Once back at the car I headed towards home via a couple of tracks crossing some fields to the North of the town, here I caught up with what I am guessing were the same pair of Bonelli's Eagles again, this time hunting low over some Almond trees. In the same area I also recorded Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia) and Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae).

Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis).

From here I headed back on to the locak patch and checked out the area along side the Rio Vilano, there were lots of birds about including two very nice and locally rare Kingfishers (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis), several Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), 4x Stock Doves (Paloma Zurita / Columba oenas) Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) again not common locally, Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa). I then made my way back to the house.

Happy New Year.

Thanks to all of you that take the time to read my ramblings and hope to keep it interesting in 2014.