Loja Wildlife, Granada Province, Spain.: RAM, Charca Suarez and local fields, near Motril, Granada Province.

Saturday, 5 November 2016

RAM, Charca Suarez and local fields, near Motril, Granada Province.

80+ species seen on the Granada Coast and the local patch.

I met Juan Pérez Contreras at just after 07:00 and we headed off down to Peñón de Jolúcar to do the RAM sea watch, on the way down we started the list with a Goshawk (Azor Común / Accipitor gentillis) which flashed across the motorway in front of us before it was properly light.

We reached the watch point, on the way up to the top of the cliffs we saw Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and several fly over Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).

Once we were up on the cliffs we started counting good numbers of Cory's (Pardela Cenicienta / Calonectris diomedea) and Balearic Shearwaters (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus),

Northern Gannets (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus), Great Skua (Págalo Grande / Stercorarius skua) x3, Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis) x4, Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), Audouin's Gull

(Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii) and Black-headed Gulls (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Shag (Cormorán Mondudo / Phalacrocorax aristotelis) x3, a single immature Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia) and a hunting Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus).

Once we were finished counting we headed for the wetlands at Charca Suarez, on the way we saw Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus) and Common Starling (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulg aris).

Once we were in the reserve we went to the small hide at the end of Laguna del Taraje where we saw and heard Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus),

Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus), Purple / Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), Mallard

(Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Water Pipit (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta), Penduline Tit (Pájaro Moscón / Remiz pendulinus), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla) and Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata).

On the same pool we had Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope), Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii), Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa) and Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi).

We walked along the edge of the pool to the hide at the opposite end of the laguna where we had nice views of a Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca) and a Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus).

We moved to the new hide over looking a much fuller new pool which was a bit of a let down as we had hoped the mud might produce some interesting visitors. However we did see Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus), Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus), Common Kestrel, Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Red Avadavat (Bengali

Rojo / Amandava amandava), Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Reed Bunting (Escribano Palustre / Emberiza schoeniclus) and Juan had views of a female Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica).

We had a walk after a while around to the main hide over looking Laguna de las Aneas, on the way we had good views of Common Waxbills (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild) along with a single Black-rumped Waxbill (Estrilda troglodytes) as well as a male Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis).

From the hide we soon had views of another Spoonbill, Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Great White Egret (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba), White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), Eurasian Wigeon (Sibón Europeo / Anas penelope), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), a female Red-crested Pochard (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina), 2x Northern Pintails (Ánade Rabudo / Anas acuta), Red-knobbed Coots (Focha cornuda / Fulca cristata), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and in the air above the pool there were

several Crag Martins (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and Barn Swallows (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) x5. Just before we were going to move on to the next hide all the birds on the island suddernly scattered and when we looked we were pleased to see a stunning immature

female Goshawk which crossed the lake and briefly perched in a pool side tree before heading off again, I got somme very bad shots as it moved on so quickly.

Next we looked in on the two hides looking over Laguna del Trebol but we only added Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) as well as Mediterranean Chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon), Stripe-less Tree Frog (Hyla meridionalis), Migrant Hawker (Aeshna mixta), Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea) and Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator).

We called in at the hide over looking Laguna del Lirio but added nothing so we carried on back to our starting point at Laguna del Taraje and then the new hide where I added nothing but Juan had a quick view of a Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago) as it landed.

We exited the reserve and drove out on to some nearby fields where we scanned several areas and added a few new species to the day list including Crested (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Thekla (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) and Skylarks (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), lots more Cattle Egrets, hundreds of White Wagtails, the Black-winged Kite again and a Monarch (Danaus plexippus).

From here we headed back North to Granada adding just Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica) before Idropped Juan off and headed home via the fields at Huétor where I

picked up Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Iberian / Azure-winged Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cyanus), Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Feral Pigeon (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Mistle (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus) and Song Thrushes (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina) and Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major).

Photographs from the top: Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), 2x Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Purple / Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Red-knobbed Coot (Focha cornuda / Fulca cristata), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Great White Egret (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba), Goshawk (Azor Común / Accipitor gentillis), a female Red-crested Pochard (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina), Mediterranean Chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) and the Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus).

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What the guest thought of their Granada Wildlife tours.

More recent feed back and comments on Trip Advisor.

Pierre & Magdalena 21st April 2016.

Hello Mick,

Its been 2 weeks now we have finished our city-trip to Andalucia & I finally got some sparetime to review the pictures of our wildlife tour to the Granada countryside. Its great beeing out with you discovering the variety of your local birds on the fields, on the rocks and in the wetlands. This was one of our very first birding trips & we want want to thank you for giving us the appetite for spending more time on this fascinating subject ... we really have another look now at the birds in our garden & on our own countryside. We had a lovely sunny day together in the Cacin country, in good company, with some tasty bocadillos at a local tienda, great views to the mountain ranges of the Granada province, lots of flowers & of course lots of birds ... Thank you for documenting all this on your blog. We appreciated very much your way of showing us around, as well as your expertise. Hopefully when I am pensioned in a few years we can visit you and your wife in Loja and have some more birding trips in the south of Spain (Extremadura, Sierra de Cazorla, ...).

Thank you Mick.
Wishing all the best to you and your family.

Greetings from Pierre & Magdalena.
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Stephanie and Ken Logan (South Africa).

Dear Mick

Just a very quick note of thanks for a marvellous time birding with you in Spain. We could never have enjoyed such success without your non-stop attention to finding the targets for us… even at 110kmph down the Madrid motorway! Thanks too to you and Jayne for such a comfortable “ home base” at the start of our stay.
Ken will be in contact once he has sorted thru the 000s of photos!!!!

Very best wishes and thanks again Stephanie and Ken
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Stuart and Melanie (Australia - May 2014).

We enjoyed a great day of bird-watching with Mick in the Granada region. Thanks to his fantastic Knowledge of local environs and habitats we were able to view a wide range of birds; from common resident species to migrants, finches, birds of prey, warblers, waterfowl and waders – each enthusiastically identified and pointed out. Mick carefully and accurately described the features that differentiate similar species so we were able to confidently identify the birds and appreciate the wonderful variety of avifauna. For us, highlights included seeing Egyptian Geese and a wonderful moment of watching a Nightingale sing. We also found Mick to be very knowledgeable about butterflies, flowers, landscape change and agricultural activities, which allowed us to develop a much richer awareness and appreciation of the Spanish environment, beyond the usual guidebooks and tourist brochures.

Melanie and Stuart.
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Paul & Helen Brock, United Kingdom.

May 2014.

Dear Mick

Still trying to process numerous photos from our 3 night stay 14-17 May 2014! We packed in so much, thank you for taking us to delightful sites to photograph pristine, well behaved butterflies such as Cardinal and Spanish Festoon (and not so well behaved Spanish Marbled Whites!), also dragonflies, damselflies and many other insects we kept stopping to photograph; one could hardly expect more. A Death’s-head Hawk-moth in the moth trap was an unexpected bonus, as was the fireworks display in Loja you kindly took us to. The accommodation has everything needed for a comfortable stay and we will be back for longer in 2015.

Regards Paul and Helen.

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Monique Kors, United Kingdom.
2014.

Dear Mick,

It seems to be ages ago since we were watching birds in Spain. Thank you for making this possible. What I greatly appreciated was that you picked us up in Granada, as we did not hire a car and took us to the country side. My high lights were the little owl and the hoopoe. Probably because they were so close by. I am not a twitcher, so rare birds from a distance are less impressive to me. However it was nice to see as many different kind of eagles. Maybe one day we will meet again as I would love to see loads of Flamingo's.

All the best, Monique Kors.
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The Leslie family from Scotland.
6th April 2014.

"Dear Mick,

Thank you ever so much for putting together a day's itinerary which catered for family members from ages 5 to 70! My 8 year old son has told us that the day on "Mick's Moor" seeing Natterjack Toads and Salamanders was one of the highlights of his holiday, and can still quote all of the orchid species seen on the Sierra Loja.
You were very patient with all of us, making sure that we all saw the Spanish Ibex, and answering a myriad of questions. On the day I not only saw 72 species of birds but also a great selection of flowers and butterflies.
I was especially grateful that you went out of your way not only to try and locate my wanted list of bird species, but also to give me the information to allow me to go out on my own to see such specials as White-headed Duck and Eagle Owl. I would certainly recommend your services to others."

Kind regards

Richard
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Craig and Tana Runyan, Vancouver, B.C. Canada.
1st April 2014.

Thanks so much for a wonderful day of birding. Tana and I enjoyed it immensely. It is a real privilege to witness such a variety of new species and habitats in one day. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience with us, including other natural history to complement our bird focus. We also very much appreciated your attention to timely and thorough communication in setting up the tour.
All the Best.
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Gilbert and Elly, Holand.

Thank you for a wonderful birding day. We had asked you to show us around in your area in one day, such that we can make photographs of birds that are unique to Andalusia. You started the day with a drive up to Loja Mountain, where we got nice shots of the Rock Buntings, Thekla Lark and Black-eared Wheatear. Next you showed us around in the Cacin Valley, where you managed to find us Little Busterds, Little Owl and various Eagles including the rare Benelli’s Eagle. We feel that your knowledge about the birds (and plants), and your knowledge of the area, really gave us the most we could possibly get out of one day. And you are also a kind person working hard to get the experience that your customers ask for. Much appreciated, most likely we will be back. We do wish you a lot of success with your business.

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Helen and Douglas Fulton, Scotland, Great Britain.

Hi Mick. Imagine 4 Eagle species on one day so early on in the season. Mind you the Cormorant trying to swallow a Carp nearly as big as itself was also a one off. Thanks again for such an informative and enjoyable day. Will send pic of cheetah's. Regards Helen and Douglas
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Jackie and Neil Bygrave, Exeter, Devon, UK.
20th -21st December 2013.

Mick we just wanted to thank you for two amazing days birding. We cannot believe just how much there is to see in this wonderful part of Spain. Neil and I are newcomers to the delights of Andalucia and meeting someone that we can trust to help us to discover its delights has been a real find.
Within a very short amount of time we could see just how knowleadigble you are with regards to birdlife and nature more generally, just what we were looking for.
Seeing over sixty species on day one and in winter was a real surprise and then to add to that on day two was excellent.
We will most definitely share with others the value of hiring someone like you to make the most of an area, and will try to treat ourselves each year to more time in your company. Keep up the good work and thank you.
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Andrew and Naomi, Nottinghamshire, UK.
23rd November 2013.

Although the weather was rather against us, we had a great day out seeing quite a few new species for us.
Highlights for Andrew were the Violet Drop-wing, the Wasp Spider (which he's been hoping to see for a long time) and the white buzzard.
With Micks help, Naomi has finally worked out how to tell the difference between the Crested Lark and Thekla's Lark. Wood Larks sang for us and three Black-bellied Sandgrouse stayed in the air long enough to give us a really good view through the binocs.
It is quite obvious Mick is very knowledgeable in so many wildlife subjects and the places where they can be seen: birds, dragonflies, butterflies and moths, and he told us about some good spots where we might find orchids. I suspect he knows quite a lot of other natural topics, too.

Thanks once again Mick, we will be back!
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Gretchen Merrill, Utah, United States.
29th and 30th June 13.

Mick -- Thanks very much for two days of superlative birding around Granada last weekend! I know it wasn't the prime birding season for southern Spain, but it was the only time my schedule allowed, and the season did not hinder adding dozens of new species to my life list. I really appreciated your efforts to help out a mid-level birder (perhaps that is putting too good a face on my abilities) get some great looks at wonderful birds. From excellent views of the famous Bee eaters, Hoopoes, and Rollers to the Short-toed Treecreepers, Lesser Kestrels and Stone Curlews, to name a few, it was a great outing. In addition to your in-depth knowledge of the habitats and nest sites, I appreciated that you knew the best cafes for coffee stops and lunches. Best of luck with your new business and I hope to go birding with you in the future!
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Sue and Geoff Tucker, Milford on Sea, Hampshire, UK.
28th June 2013.

Dear Mick. Just a quick email to say thank you for a brilliant birding day last Friday. It was certainly worth the early start. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves (apart from those flies!!!) and it was great having someone so knowledgeable showing us the fantastic birdlife of this area. As you probably gathered we’re not hard-core birders and this area and its birdlife was totally new to us, however we do love seeing wildlife in all its forms in its natural habitat. We would consider coming back to the region another time and would have no hesitation in contacting you again to show us around. I’ll be sending the eagle photos one by one in the hope that they don’t clog up your system completely – they are big files. Please choose whichever you think is best for your blog. That was certainly a highlight at the end of day. Since we’ve been back at the Casita we’ve spotted a pair of Sardinian Warblers in the Holm Oaks, however the Golden Oriole is still as illusive as ever and keeps teasing us with his song. We’ve given our hosts feedback from our day and they’re happy to pass your details around. Thanks once again.
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Jane Hibbert, Leicestershire, Great Britain.
10th-12th June 2013.

Hi Mick, Arrived home safely yesterday after a great time in Spain. Wanted to say again a big thank you for the fantastic birding trip we shared, it was amazing. Out of 124 species to have 50 first time sightings is awesome! Also thanks to you and Jayne for making me feel so welcome in your home. The accommodation is first class and well set up for two people. The views from your terrace are fabulous.
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Pam and John, Norwich, Norfolk, Great Britain.
31st May-7th June 2013.

Each time we visit I am amazed at the ability you both share to make a stay with you a real treat for the Bird / Butterfly / Dragonfly / Flowerwatchers, and equally for their other halves.
Thank you, Pam and John.
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Deb & Ian Hopton, Meadows, South Australia.
20th-28th May 2013.

Dear Mick and Jayne.

We can't thank you enough for such a fantastic stay, we will be back!! Mick your knowledge of the area and it's flora and fauna is amazing and your determination to get us the best views and photographs of the birds was incredible.Highlights were probably the Rufous Bush Robin hovering in front of the windscreen having a good look at the birders and getting so close to a Great Spotted Cuckoo we had to get out of the car to check it was alright!!! The Rollers, Spanish Imperial Eagle, Black Vulture, Both Bustards and Alpine Accentors (ect ect) were also hard to beat. The flora was also stunning and our favorites were probably the Spanish Rusty Foxglove and Nigella Papillosa. The Butterflies and other insects were pretty special too. We have never used a guide before and to have someone who knew the area and it's flora and fana so incredible well was fantastic. Thanks for taking us to the local Tapas bars and for being such great company, we had a ball!!! The accommodation was perfect, we loved Jayne's cooking and all also the evening chats while watching the Red-necked Nightjars. Hopefully you will come and visit us in Australia!!

SIERRA de LOJA.

Saturday, 5 November 2016

RAM, Charca Suarez and local fields, near Motril, Granada Province.

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