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Saturday 20 September 2014

Padul Wetlands, Granada Province.

Another morning with Juan Pérez Contreras and the Padul ringing group.

Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica).
I headed off to Padul where I was going to meet up with Juan at the ringing shelter, I arrived a bit early and was very pleased to see a Tree Pipit (Bisbita Arbóreo / Anthus trivialis) before it was released, this bird was a new species for my Granada and year list. Juan turned up a bit later and we spent several hours with the bird ringers before checking out the canal where yesterday I had seen a couple of Sedge Warblers (Carricerin Común / Acrocephalus schoenobaenus). 
Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica).
During the mornings ringing I was very pleased to see a couple of Bluethroats (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica) an immature Male and an adult Female, several Reed (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Cetti's (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and Willow Warblers (Mosquitero Musical / Phylloscopus trochillus), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Red-rumped (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica) and Barn Swallows (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae) in the hand.
Tree Pipit (Bisbita Arbóreo / Anthus trivialis).
In the are we also recorded Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor).
Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla).
As things began to wind up Juan and I headed around to the canal on the far side of the reserve, on the way we saw Whinchat (Tarabilla Nortena / Saxicola rubetra), Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator) and a couple more Common Kestrels
Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae).
On the canal we saw a single Sedge Warbler, Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) along with more Reed and Cetti's Warblers and Common Moorhens.
Taking the wing length of the Bluethroat.
I had to start to make my way back home so I left Juan watching the channel and walked back towards the car, as I was standing right at the end of the channel a pale phase Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus) rushed in and took a Feral Pigeon (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia) off a nearby roof and then dropped down into a crop field behind the nearby reed beds but out of view.

Friday 19 September 2014

Padul Wetlands, La Malaha Fields and Embalse de Cubilla, Granada Province.

Several sites around Granada whilst Jayne and Barb head for the city.

Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti).
I dropped Jayne and Barb in Granada where they were spending the day shopping whilst I visited a few birding spots nearbystarting at Padul. I parked at the end of the smelly canal and walked out to the hide, on the way I saw a couple of Sedge Warbler (Carricerin Común / Acrocephalus schoenobaenus) along with Cetti's (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Reed (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Sardinian (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) and Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).
Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa).
In the air over the reeds there were good numbers of feeding Barn (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and Red-rumped Swallows (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica), House (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) and Sand Martins (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia) and a few Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus) all fatterning up for the next leg of their migration. Around the pools and along the channel I heard several Water Rails (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae and a Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus).
Tawny Pipit (Bisbita campestre / Anthus campestris).
I returned to the car and had a drive along the tracks around the reserve and saw several Whinchats (Tarabilla Nortena / Saxicola rubetra), a single Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Tawny Pipit (Bisbita campestre / Anthus campestris), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus). On the lake the only new species was a group of three Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo). 
Immature Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).
From Padul I headed out in to the fields near the town of La Malaha where I searched fields along several different track. In general things were very quiet but I did see Northern Wheatears (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), Short-toed (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla), Thekla  (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) and Calandra Larks (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) and a pale phased Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus).
Two Little Stints (Correlimos Menudo / Calidris minuta).
My last stop of the day was at Cubillas, a large area of water to the North of the City where I checked out the Northern shores looking for waders. I soon found a single immature Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), two Little Stints (Correlimos Menudo / Calidris minuta), two Ringed Plovers (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula) and a Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos). Other species seen were Eurasian Coot, Mallard, 5x Grey Herons, several White Wagtails (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Barn Swallow, Sand Martins and on my way back to the car a Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla).
Later I made my way back to the city and met up with Jayne and Barb and headed home.

Wednesday 17 September 2014

Setenil, Old Ronda Roman ruins and Laguna Dulce, Malaga Province.

A day out in the mountains with Jayne´s sister Barbara.

Jayne and Barbara in Setinel.
Barb, Jayne and I headed off for a day out to the town of Setinel over in the Ronda area, on the way the weather was not too good and we went through several heavy showers. As we arrived things dried out a bit and we got a gap of a couple of hours to have a good look around the town but we did buy a brolly just in case.
The ridge at Ruins.
Up near the castle we had good views of several Common (Vencejo Común / Apus apus) and Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Barn (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Red-rumped Swallows (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica), Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) and Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor).
The approaching storm.
From the town we went a little further on to the Roman Ruins and walked up to the ampitheatre near the top of the hill and then had a look from the view pointwhere we watched several more Griffon Vultures. On the way back down we were racing the incoming rain storm but still saw several  Thekla Larks (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) and flocks of Corn Buntings (Triguero / Emberiza calandra) before getting soaked as we approached the car.
Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).
From here we had a drive through the rain towards Ronda and had some lunch before starting to make our way back hove via Laguna Dulce. New species for the day from the hide included Sand Martin (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia), Cetti's (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and Reed Warblers (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), Little (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Great Crested (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus) and Black-necked Grebes (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) and Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus).
Jayne and Barbara walking up to the Ruin.
From here we headed off home but stopped for a beer and tapa's on the way in Huetor.
A group of Northern Shovelers (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata).

Monday 15 September 2014

In the Fig Tree, Near Huétor Tajar, Granada Province, Spain.

Some passage through the garden.

Garden Warbler (Curruca Mosquitera / Sylvia borin).
Whilst relaxing on the terrace after a nice birthday lunch I noticed a small number of warblers moving along the barranco and through the Fig tree where they lingered to feed for a while. There were a couple of very plain looking Garden Warblers (Curruca Mosquitera / Sylvia borin), an immature Common Whitethroat (Curruca Zarcera / Sylvia communis), a female Orphean (Curruca Mirlano / Sylvia hortensis), a couple of Willow Warblers (Mosquitero Musical / Phylloscopus trochillus) and down in the barranco a single Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti). In the air we had a couple of Black Kites (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus) and a latish Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus).