A mornings birding with Juan Perez and an hour on the Local Patch on the way home.
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| Shags (Cormorán Mondudo / Phalacrocorax aristotelis). |
I met Juan Pérez Contreras near Granada and we went down to the usual spot on the coast at Peñón de Jolúcar where we did the sea bird count as usual. On the way there we started the list off with
Westrn Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis),
Feral Pigeon (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia),
Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and
House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus).
Out on the point we had good numbers of Crag Martins (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Siskin (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) and Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) on the walk up and out at sea Balearic Shearwater (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus), Northern Gannet (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus), Great (Págalo Grande / Stercorarius skua) x3 and Arctic Skua (Págalo Parásito / Stercorarius parasiticus) x1, Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis), Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus) and Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and several Shags (Cormorán Mondudo / Phalacrocorax aristotelis).
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| White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia). |
Our next stop was slightly to the East along the Playa de Carchuna where we drove to the far end and worked our way back with the sun behind us, as we drove we added
Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris),
Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis),
Crested (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and
Thekla Larks (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae),
Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus),
Audouin's Gull (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii),
White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba),
Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata),
Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita),
Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus) x3 and
Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula).
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| White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia). |
Heading back west we stopped at Playa de las Azucenas finding
Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) as we walked down towards the beach and in the last stand of reeds there was a group of
Red Avadavats (Bengali Rojo / Amandava amandava) which had flown up from some weeds. Out on the beach amongst the weeds we flushed up
Water Pipit (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta), the first of several
Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica) and in one of the streams we found
Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) and as we walked back added
Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra),
Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea),
Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) and a couple of
Zitting Cisticolas (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis) which flew up calling. On the bridge just before we reached the car we boosted the list with
Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea),
Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) and a fly over female
Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus).
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| Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus). |
Once back at the car we drove to Charca Suarez seeing
Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and a
Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata) which darted across the road and into a bush.
Once we were at Charca we walked out to the new hide over looking the new lagoon, on the way out we saw Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis) and Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula) and once in the hide we picked up Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus) and a White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia) which walked all the way around the pool and flushed a Jack Snipe (Agachadiza Chica / Lymnocriptes minimus) out from the reeds.
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| Purple / Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio). |
We moved around the reserve and checked the hide on the Northern end of Laguna del Taraje where we only added
Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio) before headng around to the main hide over looking Laguna de las Aneas and before long we picked up
Black-necked (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis) and
Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis),
Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina),
Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata),
Eurasian Wigeon (Sibón Europeo / Anas penelope),
Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca),
Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca) x2 or possibly 3, a single
Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) also seen on the walk around the sight were
Migrant Hawker (Aeshna mixta),
Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum),
Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria),
Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa) and
Stripe-less Tree Frog (Hyla meridionalis).
Further around the reserve looking over Laguna del Trébol where there were several collared and uncollared Red-knobbed Coots (Focha cornuda / Fulca cristata) and a flock of calling Common Waxbills (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild).
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| Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops). |
We walked back to the main hide seeing several Blackcaps (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla) on the way and then quickly back to the new hide seeing Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago) before finishing off at the hide at the southern end of Laguna del Taraje hearing a squelling Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus) and just ten minutes before the reserve was Juan picked up an elusive Moustached Warbler (Carricerin Real / Acrocephalus melanopogon) which dived for cover before I saw it which really P*****ed me off as I needed it for my year list but just a couple of minutes before we had to leave for the exit I picked it up in the same area again and we had brief but good views. This species bought me up to 298 for the year. On the way out of the reserve we added Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) and during the drive back we added Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula) and Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus). I dropped Juan off at home and headed back to Huétor Tajar and as I left the motorway and drove into Mesia I saw a couple of Song Thrushes (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos) as they flew across the road and a couple of Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia) perched on a roadside wire.
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| Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops). |
Once on the fields to the North of the town of Huétor I finished the day list off with Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), 56 Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) and the 95 species for the day, a flock of Bramblings (Pinzón Real / Fringilla montifringilla).
