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.

Saturday 4 July 2015

RAM and Charca de Suarez, Granada Province.

An hours sea watching and then a visit to Charca wetlands.

Red-knobbed Coot (Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata).
I met Juan Pérez Contreras out side his apartment and we headed down to Peñón de Jolúcar east of Torrenueva near Motril to spend an hour watching for passing sea birds.
Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta).
During the hour surveying the waters we recorded Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Northern Gannet (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus), both Cory's (Pardela Cenicienta / Calonectris diomedea) and Balearic Shearwaters (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus), Audouin's (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus), Crag (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and House Martins (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala).
Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio).
Once we had finished the sea watch we made our way to Charca which opened just as we got there so we did the usual anti-clockwise route around the hides. At the first hide over looking Laguna del Lirio we saw Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), Red-knobbed Coot (Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla).
Lang's Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous).
We moved on around to the hide over looking Laguna del Trébol and soon had Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Turtle (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur) and Collared Doves (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) and Red Avadavats (Bengali Rojo / Amandava amandava).
Penduline Tit (Pájaro Moscón / Remiz pendulinus).
We moved on around towards the other hide over Laguna del Trébol, on the way we heard and saw a couple of Penduline Tits (Pájaro Moscón / Remiz pendulinus) which showed well in the top of several willow trees.
Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata).
Once we were in the next hide we heard a Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus) and saw Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Long Skimmer (Orthetrum trinacria), Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea), Black Percher (Diplacodes lefebvrii) and Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope).
Monarch (Danaus plexippus).
The main hide was quiet so we moved on around towards the new pool, on the way we had Lang's Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous), Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria), Iberian Blue-tail (Ischnura graellsii), Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major).
Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus).
When we reached the new pool I was surprised to find a new hide which gave good views over the shallow new pool where we found more Black-winged Stilts including three immature birds, Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa), Yellow-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta scripta), Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi), Monarch (Danaus plexippus) and Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria).
Yellow-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta scripta).
Our last stop was at Laguna del Taraje, we watched the reeds opposite and eventually had views of a nice male Little Bittern (Avetorillo Común / Ixobrychus minutus) as well as Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Great Reed Warbler (Carricero Tordal / Acrocephalus arundinaceus), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae) and Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica). It was soon around to13:00 so Juan and I headed back up to Granada and then I headed home.
Little Bittern (Avetorillo Común / Ixobrychus minutus).

Sunday 28 June 2015

Near Valencia to Home.

Last leg of the journey.

Mary-Ann and I left the hotel and made our way back down towards Granada where we were meeting Jayne at Huétor just off the motorway. During the drive we saw a single Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Black Kites (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans), Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Short-toed Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus), Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Common (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) and Lesser Kestrels (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Turtle (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur) and Collared Doves (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Common (Vencejo Común / Apus apus) and Pallid Swifts (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Crag  (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and House Martins (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus). Not a bad list for a day spent at 120km an hour on the motorway.