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Saturday, 1 February 2014

RAM Seabird Survey, Motril Port, Charca de Suarez, Golf Course and Huétor Fields, Granada Province.

A Morning down on the coast birding.

Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis).
I met up with Juan Perez Contrerasat AKI in Granada to headed down to the coast at Motril, we arrived at Cabo Sacratif near Torrenueva just to the east of Motril where we spent some time sat on a very windy rock looking out to a quiet (bird wise) sea.
Northern Gannets (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus).
We did record a few Northern Gannets (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus), small numbers of Balearic Shearwaters (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis), along with Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) and Mediterranean Gulls (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus).
Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus).
Whilst there we also saw lots of Crag Martins (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Feral Pigeon (Columba livia), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).
At the end of the seawatch we headed to the Port where we spent a while trying to find Gulls, let alone any with rings on. The Port has got far busier in the last year or so and the bird numbers have dropped drastically but we did find a few Lesser-black Backed and  Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) but none with rings on.
Female Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).
Whilst driving around we disturbed a female Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) which was feeding on a Collared Dove, quite a big catch and when she flew it made her work quite hard. In the area we also picked up Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and a Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus) which was sat on the end of a distant concrete sea wall. 
Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata).
Our next stop was at Charca de Suarez, we started by having a look from the small hide at Laguna del Taraje where we heard but did not see the Moustached Warbler (Carricerin Real / Acrocephalus melanopogon) which was singing from the reeds at the back of the pool. Here we had nice views of Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla).
We then retraced our steps back to the gate and went around the reserve in the usual direction calling at the hide over looking the first pool, here we had 3 Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera),lots more Crag Martins, Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula) and Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula).
Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra).
We continued on passing an area of willow scrub on the way and picking up 4 adult Night Herons (Marinete Común / Nycticorax nycticorax) roosting amongst the tangled branches. We arrived at the hide looking over Laguna Trebol and scanned the margins and chatted to some Spanish Birder that were also taking photo's, whilst there I got some more shots of the female Common Stonechat that had been there a week or so ago on my last visit.
We also saw three of the introduced Red-knobbed Coots (Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), GreyWagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti).
Red-knobbed Coots (Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata).
Our next stop was at the main hide where I spent some time getting some photographs of a couple of Little Grebes which were in the reeds just in front of the hide, one in good summer plumage the other in full winter colours. Other species seen were Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), 2 more Red-knobbed Coots and 2x Black-necked Grebes (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis). We returned to the small hide that we started at, on the way we looked throught the screening and located a female Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca) and a male Red-crested Pochard (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina).
Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca).
At the hide we could still hear the Warbler but again we did not see it so after a while we decided to head down the road and check a small pool on the side of the Golf Course. Over the pool I had my first Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) of the year which was mixed in with a good sized flock of Crag Martins. A little further on we had a most unexpected Wryneck (Torcecuello / Jynx torquilla) which showed well in a small Pittosporum bush.On the beach we saw several more Northern Gannets and a couple of Balearic Shearwaters which landed on the sea. We headed back towards the car checking another pool on the course on the way but this produced nothing new.
Black-necked Grebes (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis).
We then started to make our way home via the agricultural areas near Charca but again we added nothing new there so we made our way back to Granada and then I headed towards home. I took the short cut from the Motorway across through Mesia and over the fields, just after turning on to the first track I picked up a flock of Common Waxbills (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild) which were feeding on weeds near a couple of new pools dug out in the fields. When they went up I counted 37 birds but missed a fewso I guess that there were somewhere between 40 and 45 birds in the flock, before I got home I also so saw 55+
Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).
Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), 120+ Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus).
Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild).
Thanks for a cracking day Juan, see you soon.

Tuesday, 28 January 2014

Huétor Fields and Balsa de Rigedor, Granada Province.

On the local patch with Juan Perez.

Juan and Beatriz made their way over to our for a few hours of English work for Jayne and Beatriz whilst Juan and I went birding. We started down on the Rio Vilano behind the bar where we scanned the newly sown fields and quickly picked out a large flock of Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus) with a good number of Spotless Starlings (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) mixed in with them and a Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) perched high above them all on one of the pylons. We also checked the river where we found the first of several Green Sandpipers (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), White Wagtails (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Linnets (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Goldfinches (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and Black Redstarts (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).
Further on near to one of the Poplar plantations we had the first of several desent sized flocks of Iberian  (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), a single Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra) and Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs). Our next stop was along the far section of the Rio where we parked and walked along the southern bank looking for the flock of Common Waxbills (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild) I had seen a few days earlier but with out success, however we did find a male Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) and Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) in a fallow field which had become covered in Juncus and grasses.
We walked back towards the car and added Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Feral Pigeon (Columba livia), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major). We retraced out way back along the track and then headed out along the track to the Mesia road, on the way we had a second Bluethroat in a trackside ditch, Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris).
We drove through Mesia and made our way to the small manmade pool on the side of the A92 called Balsa de Rigedor. On the water we soon picked out Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra) and Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus).
On the dead trees which lay in the water we saw loads of Common Chiffchaffs, a single Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and a few early arrival Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) which had come into roost. By the time we were leaving we had got the count up to 77 Cattle and 5 Little Egrets (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), along with a fast moving Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus) which flashed passed and disappeared into the nearby Olive trees. As it dropped dark at just before 19:00 we drove back to the house had a warm drink to thaw our selves out before Juan and Beatriz headed off home.