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Saturday 30 September 2017

Armilla, Granada Province.

Looking for a Barn Owl.

As I am geting close to seeing 300 species for the year I wanted to try and fill in one of the more obvious gaps. I met Juan Pérez Contreras, his wife Beatriz and Chika their dog at a spot where they regularly see this species whilst carrying out a survey which involves counting the numbers of Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) coming into a roost on the edge of the city. 
We waited and saw several Western Cattle Egrets coming to roost along with a 100+ Common Magpies (Urraca / Pica pica), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus) x4, Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Whinchat (Tarabilla Nortena / Saxicola rubetra), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) but alas there were no sightings of the Barn Owl (Lechuza Común / Tyto alba) by dark so we made our way to a nearby bar where we had a drink and some very good Tapas before I made my way home.

Thursday 28 September 2017

Huétor Fields, Huétor Tajar, Granada Province.

A couple hours on the local patch.

I made my first stop on my way down to Huétor on the roadside just before I reached the town and scanned the fields I soon found Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus) x6, Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) x4, Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) and Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina).
I then did what I need to do in the town before heading out on to the Eastern side of the local patch where I parked along the side of one of the irrigation ditches and almost straight away had a female Bluethroat (Ruiseñor Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica) sat up on a chain link fence with a couple of Whinchats (Tarabilla Nortena / Saxicola rubetra) and a male Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) and in the ditch Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti). On the wires there were lots of Woodpigeons (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), an immature Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra) and a flyby Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops). Up at the end of the track I checked the trees and reed beds picking up Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), a female type Pied Flycatcher (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca), Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and a migrating Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila pennatus). On the bank I found several Long-tailed Blues (Lampides boeticus), Small White (Pieris rapae) and a couple of Desert Orange-tip (Colotis evagore) on the Stink Weed and Capers.
On the opposite side of the road I found several Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis).
On my way back towards the house I stopped at the ford on the Rio Vilano adding Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata), Willow Warbler (Mosquitero Musical / Phylloscopus trochillus), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla), a very smart male Common Redstart (Colirroja Real / Phoenicurus phoenicurus) as well as Southern Skimmer (Orthetrum brunneum), Orange-winged Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi), Swallowtail (Papilio machaon), Large White (Pieris brassicae) and Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) and then went home.

Wednesday 27 September 2017

Huétor Fielfds, Huétor Tajar, Granada Province.

A few lingering beauties.

On my way down to the supermarket I crossed the fields picking up European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster) x4 sat on the wires not far from the house, Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala).