Sierra de Loja, Granada Province.

A morning in the mountains with friends Pat and Peter.

Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae).

I picked up friends Pat and Peter Love from their house which looked up to Sierra de Loja where we were heading to this morning, they have been in the area for 16 years and had not visited the area before. 

Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

We drove along the track from the service station and picked up a male Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) and Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor).

Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

Further up along the crags we saw the first of several Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia) and Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax).

Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

Once up on the tops we drove quite quickly out to the furthest point out past Charca del Negro where we soon picked up the first of several Ring Ouzels ( Mirlo Capiblanco / Turdus torquatus), as well as a group of four Ortolan Bunting (Escribano Hortolano / Emberiza hortulana) which took off as we came along the track, lots of Blackbirds (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra) and then just as a bit of a shower worked its way in a group of 23 Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) came in low, some landed on a distant ridge before flying right past us giving us all great views.

Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

As we watched the Vultures a couple of Alpine Accentors (Acentor Alpino / Prunella collaris) flew over calling and we also had more Red-billed Choughs, Rock Buntings, Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) and Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla).

Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

From here we drove slowly back down the hill between some quite heavy showers, we added Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major).

Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

Once we were down we dropped trough Loja and the up to Pat and Peters house where we finished the morning an back home via the fields North of Huétor adding quite a few species to the list including Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Grey (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Pied Flycatcher (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica) and Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata).

Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia).