Sierra de Loja, Loja, Granada Province.

A morning in the Sierra with the camera.

Ring Ouzel ( Mirlo Capiblanco / Turdus torquatus) ssp alpestris.

I drove up to the Loja entrance via the A92 and on the way started the day list with Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica) and Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos).

Ring Ouzel ( Mirlo Capiblanco / Turdus torquatus) ssp alpestris.

Once I was up on the hill I headed straight for the far side where I was hoping to catch up with a few target species, on the way I saw Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), Red Squirrel (Ardilla común / Sclurus vulgaris), Long-tailed Tits (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula). 

Ring Ouzel ( Mirlo Capiblanco / Turdus torquatus) 1st winter.

I started off by sitting along side one of the small animal watering pools to wait and see what came in to drink. 

Water Pipit (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta).

The commonest species were Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) and Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina). 

Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia).

There were also smaller numbers of Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) and the odd Water (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta) and Meadow Pipits (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), Ring Ouzel ( Mirlo Capiblanco / Turdus torquatus) and a single Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis) which sat on rocks on the far side of the pool. 

Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia).

Whilst I was sat there I had a large male Spanish Ibex (Cabra pyreaica hispanica) wander across and a Large White (Pieris brassicae) fly through.

Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Cabra pyreaica).

I moved up towards the rocky out crops above this site where I soon found good numbers of Redwings (Zorzal Alirrojo / Turdus illacus), Red-legged Partridges (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa) and more Ring Ouzels along with Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and up on the top of the rocks Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura), Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), a female Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), 3x Alpine Accentors (Acentor Alpino / Prunella collaris) but they stayed right up on the tops and a Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) which was a suprise at 1400m in November.

Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis).

I dropped back down the hill but picked up nothing new on the way but found Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus) and Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki).

Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina).

Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis).

Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).

El Faro and Guadalhorce river mouth, Malaga Province.

Waders, Gulls and a few other bit.

Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres).

With a couple of to kill I parked near El Faro lighthouse on the coastal road and walked down to the first part of the built up areas checking the beach and rocks on the way recording lots of Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) and three Audouin's Gulls (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii) one of which was carrying a white ring with black lettering reading BWAB. 

Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres).

Also seen were Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres), Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba), Northern Gannet (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita),

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

As I walked back in the opposite direction to the hide I added Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Mediterranean Gulls (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula) and Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta).

Sanderlings (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba).

From the hide I had just a single Cory's Shearwater (Pardela Cenicienta / Calonectris diomedea), Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis) x3 and a good many more Northern Gannets.

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

My next stop was at the mouth of the Guadalhorce where I started off with Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), masses of Great Cormorants, Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Little Egret, a single Eurasian Oystercatcher (Ostrero Euroasiatico / Haematopus ostralegus), 4x Grey Plover (Chorlito Gris / Pluviali squatarola), 18x Sanderlings, 2x Ruddy Turnstone and 25+ Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus).

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

I walked inland along the bank where I soon located a couple of rare species in the shape of Andy Patterson and his dog Whiskey and spent the next 3/4 of an hours having a good catch up whilst adding Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), White Wagtail, Black-headed, Lesser Black-backed, Yellow-legged and Mediterranean Gulls, Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Penduline Tit (Pájaro Moscón / Remiz pendulinus) heard only, Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) and Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto). 

Single Eurasian Oystercatcher (Ostrero Euroasiatico / Haematopus ostralegus), 4x Grey Plover (Chorlito Gris / Pluviali squatarola) and a couple of Kentish Plovers (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus).

The three of us wandered back down to the cars and made our ways home.