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Saturday 17 October 2015

Padul Wetlands and travelling home, Granada Province.

A few disappointing hours at the Wetlands.

I dropped Jayne in the City and then dropped down to Padul and started the visit at the small pool below the main road but found that due to a lack of maintenance it was impossible to view any thing from the hide its self as the vegetation blocked all the viewing slots.
In the area I did however start the list with Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula). I walked the board walks around to the smelly canal and had some good views of several Water Rails (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus), Water Pipit (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) and Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula).
I continued on down to the hide a little way down the track but found the vegetation problem was the same here and made worse by the dirty gits who had used the corner as a toilet. On the walk back around to the car I picked up Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and several of both Red-veined Darters (Sympetrum fonscolombii) and Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope).
Once I was back at the car I drove the track right around the reserve scanning the fields as I went and found Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Long-tailed (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus) and Great Tits (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), a couple of very smart Whinchats (Tarabilla Nortena / Saxicola rubetra), 2 adult and an Immature Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).
I pulled of the track and thought that it might be third time lucky with the hides but disappointment again as it was almost imposable again to see any of the lake so I only managed to glimpse a couple of Great Cormorants (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo) through the reeds. By this time I was totally hacked off so I headed back up to the City early and met up with Jayne and we had some lunch before heading home.

Friday 16 October 2015

Huétor Fields, Granada Province.

A walk down to collect the car from Huétor.

I set off from home and made a quick call to see the people at La Paz on the way down and after convincing Mike that I really did want to walk down there and not did not want to take up his kind offer of a lift I set off. On the way down I recorded Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Grey (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and White Wagtails (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), 100+ Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), 1x Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), Whinchat (Tarabilla Nortena / Saxicola rubetra), a late Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), 2x Common Waxbills (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild) and Mallow / False Mallow (Carcharodus alceae / tripolina) and Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus).

Thursday 15 October 2015

Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

A walk back from Huétor after dropping the car off for a service and new timing belt.

Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).
I took the track up through the centre of the fields and then the track along the Arroyo Vilano before coming up to the house along the road. Birds seen during the hours walk included Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Common Redstart (Colirroja Real / Phoenicurus phoenicurus), Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Pied Flycatcher (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) x4, Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), 3x Hawfinches (Picogordo / Coccotraustes coccotrauetes) just before I got to the Olives and as I walked the last stretch before the house the star bird an Immature Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti) flew up the valley to my right and disappeared off towards Loja in the West.

Near Huétor Tajar, Granada Province, Spain.

Moth Trapping.

9628 (2226) Leucochlaena oditis (Beautiful Gothic).
7987 Microloxia herbaria.

9616 Episema glaucina.

6524 Hydriris ornatalis.

8211 (1716) Rhodometra sacraria (The Vestal).

Wednesday 14 October 2015

El Faro, Fuengirola, Malaga Province.

A couple of hours at the seawatch hide and on the beach.

Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba).
I spent a while walking from the parking place checking the beach for waders and picked up Ruddy Turnstones (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres) x3, Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba) x13, Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Eurasian Oystercatcher (Ostrero Euroasiatico / Haematopus ostralegus) x1 and Whimbrel (Zarapito Trinador / Numenius phaeopus) x1.
Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres).
From the hide I added Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Audouin's Gulls (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii), Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Northern Gannet (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus) and Balearic Shearwaters (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus), Balearic Shearwater (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus), Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) as well as Small White (Artogeia rapae) and Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui).
Sanderlings (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba).
Sanderlings (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba).
Eurasian Oystercatcher (Ostrero Euroasiatico / Haematopus ostralegus).
Audouin's Gull (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii).
Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus).
Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus).
Adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and a 1st year
Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis).
Audouin's Gull (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii).
Great Cormorants (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo).

Tuesday 13 October 2015

Near Huétor Tajar, Granada Province, Spain.

Moth Trapping.

Some of the species in the trap.

9616 Episema glaucina.
9621 Episema gruenri.
9621 Episema gruenri.
10326 Eucoptocnemis optabilis.
8186 (1714) Idaea degeneraria (Portland Ribbon Wave).
10212 (2134) Xestia xanthographa (Square-spot Rustic).
10212 (2134) Xestia xanthographa (Square-spot Rustic).