Huétor Fields, Granada Province.

Some good birding around the fields seeing 51 species in 2 hours.

The car was due in the garage for its pre-birding season service but I was out and about a bit earlier than planned so I spent a very enjoyable hour picking up a few species that I had no chance of on the walk back home. I started down by the Arroyo Vilano where the first species seen was a male Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus) which flashed across the track in front of the car chasing a smaller bird. Once I was down by the river I found as usual loads of Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), a skulking Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and in the bushes above the water the first of several flocks of Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki).

I crossed the Rio at the ford and continued along the far bank scanning the fields as well as the water adding Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago) x2, Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris) and Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).

Next I drove to the far side of the site where I parked by the pools and ditches near the Mesia road and quickly found a very smart male Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica) which was feeding in an irrigation channel running along side the ditch as well as Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Thekla (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) and Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) and Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea).

My last spot before the mechanics was on the opposite side of the area, on the way I added Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) and several Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus) on Huétor airfield.

On the far side I picked the wintering Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and a Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) in a tree by the railway bridge.

I then dropped the car off at the Mechanics and started to walk back and within just 5 minutes right on the edge of town I had a very smart Hawfinch (Picogordo / Coccotraustes coccotrauetes) which was sat in a tree with Goldfinches and Linnets. Just North of Huétor there were a small number of Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) on their usual fields along with Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and I finished off with Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Blue (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) and Great Tits (Carbonera Común / Parus major) before I reached the house giving me a total of 43 species for the morning.

At around 16:00 Jayne and I set off from the house to walk back down to Huétor to collect the car and call at the supermarket, on the way we walked along the Arroyo Vilano and I was pleased to see my first Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae) of the year along with a single Water Pipit (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta), several House Martins (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) and Barn Swallows (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) with a single Red-rumped (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica). Once down in the town we had a coffee and the continued to the garage and collected the car adding Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) and Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula) to finish the list.

El Faro and Guadalhorce, Malaga Province.

Dipped on both target species down on the coast in Malaga Province.

Mediterranean Gull (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus).

Jayne and I headed down to the coast where we visited Guzman Garden centre before going to Fuengirola where I dropped Jayne at the Miramar before going to the rocks at El Faro. 

Mediterranean Gull (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus).

I parked and crossed the coastal highway to the path and turned west towards the hide on the way I saw Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres), Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba), Ringed (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula) and Kentish Plovers (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus), Whimbrel (Zarapito Trinador / Numenius phaeopus), White (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Grey Wagtails (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor).

Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres).

Once I was at the hide I sat for an hour or so and watched the sea to see what passed by, species seen included Northern Gannet (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus), Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and Audouin's Gulls (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), a single Razorbill (Alca Común / Alca torda) and several Sandwich Terns (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis).

Whimbrel (Zarapito Trinador / Numenius phaeopus).

Later I met Jayne and then we went to the River mouth at Guadalhorce looking for but again dipping on the flock of Common Scoters (Negrón Común / Melanitta nigra) but I did add Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), Balearic Shearwater (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus), a single Kittiwake (Gaviota Tridáctila / Rissa tridactyla) which hung around for a few minutes just off the rocks, House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), and Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus).

Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus).

Audouin's Gull (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii).

Northern Gannet (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus).

House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus).

Huétor Fields, Granada Province.

Some new arrivals along the Rio Vilano.

Today I just managed a quick flick around a couple of the areas on the local patch on my way down to the supermarket. On the way down I went via the Lucerne fields near to the town and was surprised to find that the flock of Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) had grown in size and was now holding 102 birds which is probably the best count of the winter. In the same area there were also just 6 Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), a single Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Crested (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and Skylarks (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) and a male Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus). 

Next stop was the supermarket and then I went out to the opposite side of the patch and crossed the fields before following the Rio for a while, on the fields I had Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) and Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula). I then checked a small patch of Fig trees next to a plantation of larger Poplars and added Mistle (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus) and Song Thrushes (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula) and just before I reached the river there was a flock of Common Chaffinches (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) feeding in a weedy patch in the corner of a small field and mixed in with the 40 or so Chaffinches were 8 Bramblings (Pinzón Real / Fringilla montifringilla).

Along the river there we around 30 or so House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) which had been around for a few days now but this morning they were joined by 20+ Barn (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and at least 3 Red-rumped Swallows (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica) all feed low over the slightly swollen river. Also seen along the margins were White (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Grey Wagtails (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), 2 Water Pipits (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and masses of Common Chiffchaffs (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita). 

I headed back up towards the house and finished a productive hour or so with a fine male Siskin (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus) on the feeder in the garden.