Hacho, Loja, Granada Province.

A Pipit in a Redstart tree.

After a tip off from Sam Woods whilst birding earlier in the week I had a quick look amongst the Pine Woodlands on the northern slope, on the way up there I had several species flash up from the roadside and away into the Olive groves including several lemon rumped Serins (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), a Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe) which also flashed a rump at me as she went but it was white this time, a mob of Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto).

Once I had parked I searched the sun scorched areas between the pines and almond tree looking for signs of the Tree Pipits (Bisbita Arbóreo / Anthus trivialis) that Sam had seen a few days earlier but thought that I had probably left it too long and the birds had moved on south. I did however find 7+ Pied Flycatchers (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca), Long-tailed (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Blue Tits (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Sardinian (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and Willow Warbler (Mosquitero Musical / Phylloscopus trochillus) and Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula). 

I turned around and started to walk back down towards the car when I saw a nice male Common Redstart (Colirroja Real / Phoenicurus phoenicurus) which hoped up into a small Hawthorn bush. As I watched this smart bird I was aware that there were actually 4 Redstarts in the same bush, the other 3 were female types and as I scanned higher up I found the target Tree Pipit sat right on top. I had a good view of it but as I raised the camera for a record shot it flew off and dropped over the edge of the quarry and away in to the pines on the far side. 

Having see the main bird (thanks Sam) which was a year tick putting me on 272 I drove down to La Fabrica where I parked the car and walked back to meet Jayne and Barb. On the drive down I added Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur) x2, Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris) and Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), and on the walk back up European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa) and House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica).

Later we all walked down to La Fabrica via the Olive grove track for some lunch, on the way I had Epaulet Skimmer (Orthetrum chrysostigma), Orange-winged Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi), Large (Pieris brassicae) and Small Whites (Pieris rapae), Blue-winged Grasshopper (Oedipoda caerulescens), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) and Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus).