Padul Wetland, Granada Province.

A very windy morning and an unexpected meeting with two Spanish birding friends.

Water Pipit (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta).

Yesterday, Tuesday I went to Zagra to get a boot full of logs from the Olive factory just to keep us going but arrived to find the pile had gone. As we were very low we decided to go to a place up on the out skirts of Granada to get some next morning.

As we were going we thought that we may as well make the most of it, so Jayne went into the city for a few hours whilst I visited Padul wetlands.

Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita).

I parked by the entrance to the reserve near the smelly river section and walked along the track a spent some time sat on the new ridge near the bridge and watched the wintering Water Pipits (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta), Bluethroats (Ruiseñor Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica), Reed Buntings (Escribano Palustre / Emberiza schoeniclus) and Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago) and the resident Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus) which apart from a fleeting scamper across a gap in the reeds were heard reather than seen. After a while I decided that lying on the damp soil in the cold strong wind was not such a good idea and returned to the car. I drove the car a short way along the same track and parked along side the smelly stream and waited to see what would come in to range of the camera.

Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).

From this spot I saw, heard and photographed (some of) Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla) and Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula).

Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).

I sat there for some time then I noticed that Juan Perez had just arrived so I go out of the car and had a chat with him for a while. I took the car off the track and parked next to Juan as we we were going have a walk out to the hide, as we were about to start Manuel Cayuela López arived and he joined us as well. We walked down to the bank but saw nothing more than I had earlier so we continued on down to the hide where we added Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo) and Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) to the list before heading back to the car well and truly blown inside out.

Water Pipit (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta).

We gave into the wind then and made our ways home.