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Thursday 17 March 2016

Huétor Fields, Huétor Tajar, Granada Province.

Three hours wondering around the local patch.

Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae).
I started the walk along the road heading out towards Mesia and then took to the tracks across the fields following the ditched and irrigation channels. Near the town I started the list off with House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa) and Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).
A few hundred meters along the road I turned off and made my way along a narrow ditch which was dry to begin with but half way along the water started and from there I flushed the first of five Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), a couple of Green Sandpipers (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) and a Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus).
Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator).
On the surrounding fields there were flocks of Meadow Pipits (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) 20+, Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis) 25+, Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae) 15+ along with Linnets (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala). Other species of interest were Hummingbird Hawkmoth (Macroglossum stellatarum), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Small White (Artogeia rapae), Egyptian Grasshopper (Anacridium aegyptium), Andalusian Storksbill (Erodium recorderi), Common Grape Hyacinth (Muscari neglectum), Eruca (Eruca sativa), Field marigold (Calendula arvensis), Henbit Deadnettle (Lamium amplexicaule), Purple Bugloss (Echium plantagineum) and Violet cabbage (Moricandia moricandioides).
Next I checked the wider ditches whilst walking towards the Arroyo Vilano, along here I saw White (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Grey Wagtails (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), the first of around 15 Woodchat Shrikes (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator) and Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica).
Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae).
I crossed the Mesia road and continued on along the channel and the up on to the bank of the Arroyo and as soon as I popped my head up over the ridge I flushed a couple of Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), a Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) and as I walked along the ridge I added Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus) and Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica). 
By the time I reached the far end of the bank I had circled back around to the road so I crossed and continued on along to the railway and then under it heading back towards the bar at the end of the road, along this last stretch I picked up Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa), Ocellated Lizard (Lacerta lepida), Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi), Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus), Scarlet Pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis), Tassel Hyacinth (Muscari comosum), Dove's Foot Cranesbill (Geranium molle), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) and Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus).
Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita).
On the last stretch along of the Arroyo before the bar I spent some time failing to get shots of a very flighty Green-Striped White (Euchloe belemia) and added Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), more Green Sandpipers, Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), a calling Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) and Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis). 
I made a quick stop for a drink and a bit of tapas before continuing on back to the house seeing many of the species already seen but with out recording any new species.

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