Sierra de Loja and Huétor Fields, Granada Province.

A few hours on the best hill in Andalucia !!

Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).

Jayne was in Loja having here hair done so I headed up on to the lower slopes just above the town. On the track up I saw a small flock of very nice Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops).

Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa).

On the slopes above the town I had some nice views of Sardinian (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and Dartford Warblers (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula). Also seen on the gorse plants there were several butterflies including Bath (Pontia daplidice), Large (Pieris brassicae) and Small Whites (Artogeia rapae), Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera), Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) and Long-tailed Blue (Lampides boeticus), the latter were paticulary common.

Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata).

In the quarry I saw a pair of Black Wheatears (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura), several Black Redstarts (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and a singing male Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius).

Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus).

As I dropped back down towards the town I added Long-tailed (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Coal (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater) and Great Tits (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) and Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto).

Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus).

I met Jayne in Loja with her very smart new hair do and we headed off home but called in at a large field of Lucerne on the way where we saw 30+ Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), 70+ Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), 80+ White Wagtails (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Spotless Starling and Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata).