Charca Suarez and surrounding area, Granada Province.

A morning around Charca and surround fields and beaches.

John and Sharon Holian, day one.

Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta).

John, Sharon and I headed out earlish and drove down to Charca on the coast near to Motril where we started a good days birding in the area to the North-west of the main reserve sometimes called Turtle Dove alley.

Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata).

Our first species of the day was a fine adult Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) which was sat in a small dead tree when we arrived but soon started hunting and settling on nearby wires over the fields. Whilst watching this elegant little raptor we also had Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Alpine Swifts (Vencejo Real / Apus melba), Red Avadavat (Bengali Rojo / Amandava amandava), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), calling Common Quail (Codorniz Común / Coturnix coturnix), Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila pennatus), a flyover immature Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), a nice group of European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and plenty of Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis). 

Red-knobbed Coot (Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata).

We moved a short way up the road to the T junction and stopped again by a derelict building where new species included a distant soaring Bonelli's Eagle (Aguila Perdicera / Aquila faciatus) spotted by Sharon, Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus). 

Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos).

Time was pushing on and the reserve was now open so we made our way to the main entrance and then moved anti-clockwise around the hides. The first was quiet but we added Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus) and Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula).

Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio).

Further around we called at the two hides overlooking Laguna del Trébol and had views of Squacco Heron (Garcilla Cangrejera / Ardeola ralloides), Red-knobbed Coot (Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata), Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), Great Reed Warbler (Carricero Tordal / Acrocephalus arundinaceus), Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator), Black Percher (Diplacodes lefebvrii), Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea), Long Skimmer (Orthetrum trinacria), Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi) and Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa).

Immature Purple Heron (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea).

Moving on we were soon in the main hide and watching a winter plumage Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), an immature Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus), 2 adult and 2 immature Purple Herons (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea), 4 immature Night Herons (Marinete Común / Nycticorax nycticorax), Sand Martin (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia), a Curlew Sandpiper (Correlimos Zarapitin / Calidris ferruginea), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus) and Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis).

Curlew Sandpiper (Correlimos Zarapitin / Calidris ferruginea).

We later walked on around to the new hide over looking the reedy pool, on the far side we had both Green (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) and Common Sandpipers (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), as well as Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica), White (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Yellow (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae) and Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea).

Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis).

My last stop was at the small hide over looking Laguna del Taraje where we caught up with Little Bittern (Avetorillo Común / Ixobrychus minutus) as it flew between the reed beds. John and Sharon decided to go and have a look for the Mediterranean Chameleons (Chamaeleo chamaeleon) along the track to the first hide over looking Laguna del Taraje whilst I stayed hoping to get shots of the Little Bittern, I am pleased to say they had more success than I did and found a very smart Chameleon right next to the information board about the species. 

Immature Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

At 13:00 we all met up again at the exit and went back to the car and made our way to the beach by the near by golf course, on the way we stopped to watch a very nice Whinchat (Tarabilla Nortena / Saxicola rubetra) perched on a fence and then noticed that there were a good number of other birds in the area including 50+ European Bee-eaters, Willow (Mosquitero Musical / Phylloscopus trochillus) and Melodious Warblers (Zarcero Común / Hippolais polyglotta), Common Whitethroat (Curruca Zarcera / Sylvia communis), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis).

4 immature Night Herons (Marinete Común / Nycticorax nycticorax) and a Squacco Heron (Garcilla Cangrejera / Ardeola ralloides).

Further on we parked and checked golf course pool were we picked up Audouin's (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis). Down on the nearby beach we set up the scopes and scanned the horizon and had several passing Cory's (Pardela Cenicienta / Calonectris diomedea) and Balearic Shearwaters (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus) as well as Northern Gannet (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus), Mediterranean Gull (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus) and Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis).

Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica).

We again walked back to the car and then back towards home but spent some time on the fields to the North of the town where we watched the flock of Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) in a field of Lucerne. In the same area we had Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe) and Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina).

Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).