Hacho and Huétor Fields, Granada Province.

Out and about on the local patch again.

Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major).

Spent a very nice couple of hours sat on the lip of the car boot in the woods on the Northern side of the small mountain called Hacho just to the North of Loja. During this time I waited to see what came to me as I had done a couple of days ago in Refugio de Juana.

Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major).

It worked quite well again as I saw several species including Blue (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Coal Tits (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Song (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos) and Mistle Thrushes (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), 1x Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Rock (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia) and Cirl Buntings (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus), Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), Common Chaffinches (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Crag Martins (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cyanus) and a single very smart Redwing (Zorzal Alirrojo / Turdus illacus).

Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia).

Later I dropped down on to the fields and checked the usual fields near the town and found the 50 or so Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) on their new favourite field and around 250 Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) just across the road.

Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus) female.

On along ditches on the far side of the site I could not find any sign of the Jack Snipe (Agachadiza Chica / Lymnocriptes minimus) that have wintered there for the last few winters but I did have 6+ Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), 3 Green Sandpipers (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) and another very late or wintering Common Quail (Codorniz Común / Coturnix coturnix) which flushed up from the Lucerne field along side the ditch.

Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis).

Back by the pool I recorded Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis), 20 or so Common Waxbills (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), a very nice male Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), 25 + Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) which were following a tractor on the far fields.

Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).

Other species included Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Corn Buntings (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), White (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Grey Wagtails (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) and Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis).

Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).

On the way back towards the house I had the regular Little Owls (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) on a roadside ruin and several Siskins (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus) in a mixed finch flock which flew up off weeds in the barranco just below the house.

Female Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).

Male Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica).

Male Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).

Male Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).