Huétor Fields and Cacín Valley, Granada Province.

A day on the local patch and down the Valley with John Webster from the UK.

Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops).

John and I headed out on to the fields near the house, on the way down we started the day list off with Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major).

Once we were down along side the Rio Vilano the list continued to grow with Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus).

Common Pochards (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina).

We crossed to the far stretch of river and picked up Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra) and House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica).

Then drove towards Balsa de Rigedor via Measia, on the way we added Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica) and Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo). 

Once we reached the lake we we counted at least 32 male Common Pochards (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina) and saw Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) as well.

Short-toed Lark (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla).

From here we made our way across the motorway and out on to the fields nearby, we took a track through and Almond Grove out to a newly ploughed field. 

On the way we had cracking views of a pair of Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) and shortly afterwards a Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius) was seen well. Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), Crested (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Short-toed (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla) and Calandra Lark (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra) were also seen before we went out on to the fields properly. 

Just after pulling off the road and on to the track we found two very smart Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Ganga Ortega / Pterocles orientalis) and once out beyond the large almond groves we located a calling male Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) in amongst weeds in a fallow field. 

Further along the track down near the large solar farms we had a group of at least 4 immature Great Spotted Cuckoos being fed by there surrogate Common Magpie parents.

Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius).

A little further along the track again we found the pair of Rollers (Carraca / Coracias garrulus) in their normal tree along with another Hoopoe, a couple of Iberian Grey Shrikes (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis) and nearby a male Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina) and a Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua). Up around the Cortijo there were several Small (Artogeia rapae) and Bath Whites (Pontia daplidice), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) and a Swallowtail (Papilio machaon).

We dropped down in to the Valley and called in at an area of pine woodland along side the road where we either heard or saw Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus), Woodlark (Totovia / Lullula arborea), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus), Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Lophophanes cristatus), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata) and Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra).

Roller (Carraca / Coracias garrulus).

Further along the river we parked up and checked out the woodlands below the dam of the embalse, here were pleased to find a single Eagle Owl (Buho Real / Bubo bubo) sat out on a low crag, a small flock of Long-tailed Tits (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla), Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus) and Coal Tit (Carbonero Garrapinos / Periparus ater).

Up at the lake there were a pair of Egyptian Geese (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca) still cruising around amongst the Common Pochards and Mallards. We also added Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) and Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus).

We moved down to the gorge where we had nice views of a couple of Bonelli's Eagles (Aguila Perdicera / Aquila faciatus), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) before taking the ridge road over to Ventas de Huelma seeing a distant Short-toed (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus) and two Golden (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos) and a pale phase Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) and Rock Pigeon (Paloma Bravia / Columba livia) on the way.

Roller (Carraca / Coracias garrulus).

Time was getting on so we headed back in towards the house seeing several Lesser Kestrels (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni) and Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) on the way.