A morning down on the coast and an afternoon on the fields.
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| Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos). |
I got up and out early to travel up to Granada to meet Juan Perez for a days birding, on the way I saw
Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua),
Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula),
House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and
Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).
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| Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo). |
I picked Juan up from his address on the outskirts of Granada and we headed off down to Charca de Suarez on the Granada Coast near Motril.
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| Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca). |
The reserve was not open when we arrived so we checked out the agricultural area to the north west, as soon as we arrived a
Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis) flashed across the road and when parked we could hear a calling
Common Quail (Codorniz Común / Coturnix coturnix) in amongst the sugar cane and pampas grass plants.
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| Sedge Warbler (Carricerin Común / Acrocephalus schoenobaenus). |
Next came a fine male
Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), several noisy
Zitting Cisticola's (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), fly over
Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) and
Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus),
Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus),
Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor),
Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus),
Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto),
Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti),
Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and
Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata).
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| Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa). |
A little further on we watched a couple of mating
Hoopoes (Abubilla / Upupa epops) at it on a fence, heard a couple more
Common Quail and added
Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros),
Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita),
Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris),
Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos),
Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula),
Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis),
Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), a calling female
Red Avadavat (Bengali Rojo / Amandava amandava),
Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major),
Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis),
House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica),
Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo) and
Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) to the list.
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| Stripe-less Tree Frog (Hyla meridionalis). |
After a while we went around to the reserve and met Manu the warden and headed for the main hide for a quick check there to see what was about on the large pool, out on the water there were a few
Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata),
Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), a female
Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca),
Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra) and
Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis).
On the island there were several
Great Cormorants (one of which was ringed), a single
Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), a
Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago) and around the margins
Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea),
Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) and
Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio).
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| Lesser Kestrel (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni). |
We moved on around the reserve to Laguna del Taraje where we soon picked up several
Sedge Warblers (Carricerin Común / Acrocephalus schoenobaenus) and one of the wintering
Moustached Warbler (Carricerin Real / Acrocephalus melanopogon). After some time we both caught a glimpes of a small Crake species as it flashed across a channel in the reedbeds but could not put a name to it at that point, a little later Juan picked up the bird again and was identified as a male
Little Crake (Polluela Bastarda / Porzana parva).
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| Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos). |
We saw the bird breifly a couple more times along with a
Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus) which was equally elusive flashing betewwen the reeds at speed. Laguna del Lirio was quiet and I only added
Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca) and introduction
Red-knobbed Coot (Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata) at Laguna del Trebol.
Between the main hide and the side gate we saw
Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos),
Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria),
Viperine Snake (Culebra Viperina / Natrix maura) and
Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa).
We returned to Laguna del Taraje hoping for better views of the Crake but there was no sign of the bird, we did see several
Yellow-eared Sliders (Trachemys scripta scripta). 13:00 came around all to quickly and we had to leave the reserve, on our way around to the exit we found a
Stripe-less Tree Frog (Hyla meridionalis) on a leaf of the flowering
Yellow flag-iris (Iris pseudacorus).
We made our way back up to Granada and I dropped Juan off at his home before heading back via the fields near La Malaha and Ventas de Huelma.
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| Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula). |
On the way I had great views of a couple of
Golden Eagles (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos), several
Lesser Kestrels (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni),
Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula),
Calandra (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra) and
Thekla Larks (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae),
Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala),
Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius),
Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei),
Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica) and
Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina).
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| Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius). |
Back on the local patch I finished the list off with
Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) and
Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) before reaching the house.
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