Huétor Fields, Huétor Tajar, Granada Province.

A few birds on my way back from town.

Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).

On the way back from town I zig-zagged my way back across the fields, on the Mesia side of the area I checked to see if there were any of the Wrynecks (Torcecuello / Jynx torquilla) still around and I was pleased to see two and hear the third off to the side in a garden. In the same area I also had views of Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), a male Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) which was chasing off a very smart looking Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) and a nice male Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica) which came into view several times but not once did it sit long enough for the camera.

I moved back towards the Arroyo Vilano where I made several stops, the first was under a couple of Walnut trees, as soon as I was out of the car I was being shouted at by a Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major) which was right above me along with a group of Common Chaffinches (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and a fine male Brambling (Pinzón Real / Fringilla montifringilla) which looked like it was almost in complete summer plumage, strange???

In the same area there were lots of Common Chiffchaffs (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) dfeeding down along the river with several Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), a single Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), a feeding Water Pipit (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta) in amongst the numerous Meadow Pipits, White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), quite a few Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus) all feeding in amongst the reeds which were still covered in frost and a calling and fast moving Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti).

On the fields as I reached the top of the track along the river where there was a flock of 100+ House Sparrows (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) which were dropping down from a couple of Fig trees on to the harvested corn fields and as I scanned through them I was very pleased to see a good number of Tree Sparrows (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus) and even more pleasng were the three + male Spanish Sparrows (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis).

In the same area I picked up Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), a mixed flock of Spotless Starlings (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) with a surprisingly high number of its Northern counterparts the Common Starlings (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina) and a single Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) in a nearby Fig Tree.

I crossed the site to the Bustard fields see one of my Little Owls (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) sitting all fluffed up in a frosty tree and once there I found 61 Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), dozens of Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), 8+ Golden Plovers (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaria), 50+ Jackdaws (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and on my way back home a few hundred Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) on their usual roosting fields.