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Roller (Carraca / Coracias garrulus). |
I arrived at the meeting point near Moraleda a little early and whilst I was there I saw
Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris),
Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis),
House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus),
Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata),
House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica),
Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica),
Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus),
Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto),
Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and
Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor).
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Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua). |
Once Taylor and Sean arrived we headed straght out in to the Almond and Olive groves seeing several of the above species and adding
Iberian / Southern Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), a couple of fly over
Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) which gave us good views,
European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster),
Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica),
Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula),
Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala),
Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris),
Spotless Starling,
Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina) and
Jackdaws (Grajilla / Corvus monedula). Out on the more open fields we had
Thekla (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) and
Short-toed Larks (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla), a half seen
Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) which was hiding amonsts some rocks, at least two pairs of stunning
Rollers (Carraca / Coracias garrulus) and a couple of the uncommon resident
Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Ganga Ortega / Pterocles orientalis). On the far side of the area we went and checked a row of Almond trees on the side of the road where we found yet another
Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua),
Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica) and at a water storage building a colony of
Rock Sparrows (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia).
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♀ Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax). |
On some fields near La Malaha we found a couple of ♀
Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax),
Iberian / Southern Grey and
Woodchat Shrikes (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), another 2
Rollers, 30+
Hoopoes (Abubilla / Upupa epops) and several
Lesser Kestrels (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni).
On our way back across to the Cacín Valley we went through an area of intense Olive and Almond groves where we made a stop on a roadside after seeing a dead
Roller on the road, in some trees near this spot we found an amazing number of
Rollers including 5 adult birds and at least anothe 8 immature birds. Further on we parked again and had a distant and then a fly over
Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus),
European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster),
Pallid (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus) and
Common Swift,
Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) and a calling
Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus viridis) which was heard but not seen.
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Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus). |
We dropped down into Cacín where we had a lunch stop before going do down the valley and into the gorge where we made two stops and found
Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius),
Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus),
Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla),
Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris),
Sardinian Warbler,
Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus),
House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica),
Red Squirrel (Ardilla común / Sclurus vulgaris),
Carpentor Bee (Xylocopa violacea),
Small White (
Pieris rapae) and
Cleopatra (Cleopatra / Gonepteryx cleopatra).
We retraced our way back up the valley to the Contra-embalse de Bermijalis and quickly found a pair of
Egyptian Geese (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca) which put my year list up to 285 species, we also added
Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra),
Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus),
Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina),
Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) and
Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis).
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Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus). |
Just up the road we stopped along the river and again in the Pine woods, during the two stops we saw and heard
Grey (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and
White Wagtails (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba),
Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula),
Golden Oriole,
Blackcap,
Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi) and
Copper Demoiselle (Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis) x3♂ and 2x♀
Orange-winged Dropwings (Trithemis kirbyi) and in the Pines
Crested (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus),
Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and
Long-tailed Tits (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus),
Iberian / Azure-winged Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cyanus),
Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla) and a very well behavied
Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus).
Our last stop was near to Moraleda below the crags but added just ♂ and ♀
Common Stonechats (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata). We went through Moraleda and back to Taylor and Sean's car before I went home. Thanks to you both for a great days birding.
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