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Thursday 23 November 2017

South of Campillos, Fuente de Piedra, Malaga Province and El Jau, Granada Province.

A visit to a new spot and the unsuccessful chase for a couple of year ticks.

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).
Jayne and I headed over to the west and into Malaga Province to visit a shop near Campillos and then we went to a spot nearby where we had great views of around 200 Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus). 
Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).
Thanks to some info from Derek Etherton we were able to watch these huge birds close up as they were coming down to a feeding station where there were a few quite newly dropped pig carcasses for the to get there heads into !!!
Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).
In the same area we picked up Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Iberian / Southern Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica) and most surprising a very late female Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe).
Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).
We moved on to the fields to the south ad west of the almost dry Fuente de Piedra lake looking for a Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) which was probably the biggest hole in my year list at this point but we dipped but did see Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) and Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo). 
Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).
We popped in to the visitors centre where I had a quick look at the back lagoons from the mirador near the carpark and saw Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris).
Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).
Around at the main mirador I scanned the main lagoon and soon found quite a few wintering Common Cranes (Grulla Común / Grus grus), quite a few more Greater Flamingo's, Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea).
Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).
We then left the reserve and headed to Salinas where we again had another really good menu del dia at the Hostal / Restaurante Mejias, on the way we saw Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) and Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).
Tobacco Barn.
After enjoying lunch we headed up to Granada and then back out to Santafe where we were able to get the item we had hoped to collect from Campillos and then out on to the fields nearby where we looked around an area where there were lots of the old wooden Tabacco barns. 
Tobacco Barn.
In this area I was hoping to find a  Barn Owl (Lechuza Común / Tyto alba) but again I dipped so the year list remains at 297.
Tobacco Barn.
Inside a Tobacco Barn.
The setting sun through the Poplars.
A view over the fields.

Sunday 19 November 2017

Huétor Tajar, Granada Province.

Another couple of hours in the garden hide.

Siskin (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus) ♂.
I sat down on the lower terrace in the hide for a couple of hours and I was quite pleased with the results particularly when 8 Siskins (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus) dropped in for a drink, the group was made up of 5♂♂ and 3♀♀.
Siskin (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus) ♀.
There were also good numbers of ♂♀ Blackcaps (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), ♂♀ Blackbirds (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), a Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), ♀ Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), ♂♀ House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and ♂♀ Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) all of which sat for the camera. 
Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major).
Other species seen or heard included Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), ♂ Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) and Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor). 
Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) ♀.
Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) ♀.
House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) ♂.
Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla) ♂.
Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla) ♀.
Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala).
Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) ♀.
Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos).
Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) ♀.
Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula).