IF YOU ARE LOOKING AT THE BLOG ON A PHONE PLEASE CHANGE TO WEB VIEW AT BOTTOM OF PAGE AS IT WILL LOOK BETTER, THANKS MICK.

Saturday 29 July 2017

Charca de Suarez, Granada Province.

A few hours around the wetlands with Juan Pérez Contreras.

Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild).
I drove down towards Charca via Granada seeing Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis) and Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).
Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus) immature.
I parked and spent a few minutes checking the bushes and reeds through the fence and saw Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Common Quail (Codorniz Común / Coturnix coturnix) heard only and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major).
Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio).
I met Beatriz, Juan and Chika on the beach and then Juan and I went into the reserve and started to walk up to the new hide on the way we picked up another calling Common QuailZitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Common (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) and Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus).
Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio).
From the hide we saw Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Sedge (Carricerin Común / Acrocephalus schoenobaenus), Melodious (Zarcero Común / Hippolais polyglotta) and Cetti's Warblers (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Red Avadavat (Bengali Rojo / Amandava amandava), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) and an immature Roller (Carraca / Coracias garrulus) in the pine trees on the very far shore.
From the next hide over looking the Northern end of Laguna del Taraje seeing another Green Sandpiper and a Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina).
Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio).
From the other end of the same Laguna we had several views of a Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis), Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea), Long Skimmer (Orthetrum trinacria), Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope), Small Red-eyed (Erythromma viridulum), Iberian Blue-tail (Ischnura graellsii), Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa) and Perez's Frog's (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi).
Further round we had a look at Laguna del Lirio seeing the first Red-knobbed Coots (Focha cornuda / Fulca cristata), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Little Bittern (Avetorillo Común / Ixobrychus minutus), 2x Black-rumped Waxbills (Estrilda troglodytes), Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator), Orange-winged Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) and Black Percher (Diplacodes lefebvrii).
Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur).
The next two hides looked over Laguna del Trébol adding Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur) and on our way around to the main hide we saw Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris) and African Grass Blue (Zizeeia knysna).
On the island from the main hide we saw Little (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) and Western Cattle Egrets and on the water Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera) and Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra).
Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos).
We made our way back around to the new hide and then Laguna del Taraje, between the two places we saw Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Great Reed Warbler (Carricero Tordal / Acrocephalus arundinaceus), Wild Boar (Felis silvestris), Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria), Small White (Pieris rapae) and Clouded Yellow ( Colias corcea).
Juan went back up to the New Hide and I headed off home adding Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) and Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major) on the way.

Monday 24 July 2017

Undisclosed Site in Granada Province.

12 days on I went to check on the Cream-coloured Coursers.

There are more just published posts about these birds below as the news has just been officially posted.

Cream-coloured Coursers (corredor Sahariano / Cursorius cursor).
I drove out to the site and after a few minutes I found the first of the Cream-coloured Coursers (corredor Sahariano / Cursorius cursor) and by the time I left the site half an hour later I had see the same seven birds that I had see 12 days ago. 
Cream-coloured Courser (corredor Sahariano / Cursorius cursor).
It appears that one of the young birds had not made it but so far a 75% success is very good news.
Cream-coloured Coursers (corredor Sahariano / Cursorius cursor).
I also saw Crested (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and Greater Short-toed Larks (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla), Woodchat (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator) and Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Ganga Ortega / Pterocles orientalis) and several Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus).
Cream-coloured Coursers (corredor Sahariano / Cursorius cursor).
Cream-coloured Courser (corredor Sahariano / Cursorius cursor).