RAM at Peñón de Jolúcar and Charca Suarez, Granada Province.

Counting the Sea birds and a visit to the wetlands, a busy morning.

Shags (Cormorán Mondudo / Phalacrocorax aristotelis).

I met Juan Pérez Contreras and then later we picked up John Ross on our way down to Peñón de Jolúcar on the coast near Motril.  On the way we were pleased to see a flock of 20 Shags (Cormorán Mondudo / Phalacrocorax aristotelis), some on the rocks and others on the sea, most were immature birds but there was at least one nice adult amongst the and a ringed bird which had come from a site in Mercia.

Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis).

We arrived and walked out to the watch point seeing the usual hoards of Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) with a few Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and an adult Audouin's (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii).

Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos).

During the time we were carrying out the watch we saw good numbers of both Balearic (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus) and Cory's Shearwaters (Pardela Cenicienta / Calonectris diomedea), Great Skua (Págalo Grande / Stercorarius skua) x1, Northern Gannet (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus), Razorbill (Alca Común / Alca torda) x2, Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis) and a single Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).

Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio).

Other species seen during the time there were several migrating Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and Willow Warbler (Mosquitero Musical / Phylloscopus trochillus).

Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta).

On our way to Charca Suarez we boosted the list with Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus), Red Avadavat (Bengali Rojo / Amandava amandava), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea).

Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus).

Once in Charca we made our way to Laguna del Taraje seeing Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild) and from the hide we had good views of three squabbling Western Swamp-hens (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major).

Common Moorhens (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus).

We moved on to the hide at the far end of the same pool and found three female type Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca) but there was little else so we had a look at the hide over looking Álamo Blanco. 

Migrant Hawker (Aeshna mixta).

The water level was very low and there were not many birds around, however we did see a female type Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), 2 very distant Black Storks (Ciguena Negra / Ciconia nigra) which were circling with a dark and a light phase Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus), Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) as well as Migrant Hawker (Aeshna mixta), Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope) and Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii).

Immature Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

We walked around to the main hide over looking Laguna de las Aneas, here we picked up 2x Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca), single females of both Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera) and Eurasian Wigeon (Sibón Europeo / Anas penelope), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), 2x immature Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Great Cormorant, Little and Western Cattle Egrets, Grey Heron, Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula).

Immature Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

We moved further on around the reserve visiting the last three hide over looking Laguna del Trébol and Laguna del Lirio finding Red-knobbed Coot (Focha cornuda / Fulca cristata), Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica), Small White (Pieris rapae), Monarch (Danaus plexippus), African Grass Blue (Zizeeia knysna), Clouded Yellow (Colias corcea), Iberian Blue-tail (Ischnura graellsii), Orange-winged Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi), Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi), Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa), 2x Mediterranean Chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon) and several of the introduce Tortoise but I am not sure which species they are. 

Mediterranean Chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon).

On the way home I added a Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius) on the side of the motorway just north of the coast and then on the local patch Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) and a male Whinchat (Tarabilla Nortena / Saxicola rubetra).

Mediterranean Chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon).