Embalse de Cubillas and Padul wetlands (or sewage dumping site), Granada Province.

Birding amongst the picnic garbage and sewage.

Immature Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

I dropped Jayne and Barb off at the Sierra Nevada shopping centre and then went to the Embalse de Cubillas where as usual the most obvious site was the mounds of filth left behind by the people how visit the place at the weekend. Why do people come into the countryside and destroy it, I will never understand it. I have recently visited Northern Spain and one of the most obvious differences is the lack of rubbish and filth left in the countryside of this beautiful country.

Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).

I had seen a Pectoral Sandpiper (Correlimos Pectoral / Calidris melanotos) here a few days earlier but after spending a couple of hours looking for it I decided that it must have moved on. I did however see Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) and Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), an immature Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Sand (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia) and House Martins (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus) and several African Grass Blues (Nina esmaltada / Zizeeia knysna).

Immature Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) and Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta).

Later I went south of Granada to Padul and walked along the stinking river which must get all the sewage and other foul water from the town of Padul, a great shame for this nature reserve. I did see Willow (Mosquitero Musical / Phylloscopus trochillus) and Reed Warblers (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus), Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus), Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii), Common / Southern Blue (Polyommatus icarus / celina) and Clouded Yellow (Colias corcea).

I would probably have seen a whole lot more if the vegetation in front of the hides was removed but as it has not been done for a few years I was not surprised to find the situation was no better.