IF YOU ARE LOOKING AT THE BLOG ON A PHONE PLEASE CHANGE TO WEB VIEW AT BOTTOM OF PAGE AS IT WILL LOOK BETTER, THANKS MICK.

Wednesday 24 December 2014

Western slopes of the Sierra Nevada, Granada Province.

Finches and Buntings in the mountains.

Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula).
Jayne spent the morning in Granada City whilst I spent a few hours on the lower slopes between 1430 and 1500 meters where I was following up information from Juan Pérez Contreras who had seen three Yellowhammers (Escribano Cerillo / Emberiza citrinella) which winter in this area each year.
Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica).
I parked and had a walk around the usual area for the birds but could not find the target species but had good views of several Rock Buntings (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), Cirl Buntings (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus), Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Song (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos) and Mistle Thrushes (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus) and several Redwings (Zorzal Alirrojo / Turdus illacus), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei), , Woodlark (Totovia / Lullula arborea), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Blue (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) and Coal Tits (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater). 
Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica).
After not catching up with the Yellowhammers here I decided to go and have a look at some nearby crags where Juan had seen several Ring Ouzels ( Mirlo Capiblanco / Turdus torquatus) a few days earlier. As soon as I got out of the car I heard several Ouzels calling from some nearby Hawthorn bushes and within a few second five birds had exploded from cover and flew up the slopes to other bushes. I checked out a flock of birds which were feeding under several Walnut trees, in the flock there were several Bramblings (Pinzón Real / Fringilla montifringilla), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia) and a single winter plumaged male Yellowhammer which flew up and perched nicely in a nearby Hawthorn.
Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax).
Also seen in the area were Sardinian (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and Dartford Warblers (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Rock Pigeon (Paloma Bravia / Columba livia), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes) and Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).
Female Cirl Buntings (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus).
I dropped back down to the main road again and then back down to Granada adding Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura) and Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius) to the list on the way.
Once we were in Granada Jayne and I did a bit of shopping before we headed back towards home, on the way we saw a fine male Hen Harrier (Aguilucho Pálido / Circus cyaneus) along with Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).

No comments: