Cacín Valley, Granada Province.

A day birding with Taylor and Sean from New York.

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).

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).

♀ 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.

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).

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.