Padul Wetlands and La Malaha Fields, Granada Province.

A few hours to the South and West of Granada City.

Subalpine Warbler (Curruca Carrasquena / Sylvia cantillans).

Jayne was at the hospital again for the day so I slipped away for a while and started at Padul Wetland along the board walks at the Northern end of the reserve along the rubbish and sewage filled channel.

Subalpine Warbler (Curruca Carrasquena / Sylvia cantillans).

At the start of the track where I parked I stood for a while and started the list off with Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti).

Subalpine Warbler (Curruca Carrasquena / Sylvia cantillans).

I then walked along the track and then the boardwalk down towards the hide, just past the spot where the old bridge was I sat on the track and waited to see what appeared, almost straight away I could hear my first singing Iberian Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Ibérico / Phylloscopus brehmii) of the year along with several of its commoner relative the Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) and as they were singing it made it easier to work out which was which.

Corn Buntings (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

In the same area I also had singing Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla) as well as at least 6 Water Pipits (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta), Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and as I started walk around to the willow scrub area further along the boardwalk I watched a Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) hunting over the reeds.

Corn Buntings (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

On the far side I went up on to the raised viewing platform and soon heard the call of a displaying male Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) showing off to a female which was sat down in the reeds on a dead tree. In the willow just behind me I picked up a nice male Subalpine Warbler (Curruca Carrasquena / Sylvia cantillans) which was my first of the year. 

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta).

I scanned the area seeing several Woodpigeons (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) and a little further along the track Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and a couple of butterfly species with 3x Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta), Large White (Pieris brassicae) and 2x Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) which were chasing each other around the willows.

Corn Buntings (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

I returned to the smelly channel where I added Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) and a couple of Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago).

I headed back towards Granada and then West out on to the fields where I checked a couple of areas out but on the way I watched a few Lesser Kestrel (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni) and a soaring Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus).

Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator).

On the first area of fields there were loads of singing Calandra Larks (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra), loads of singing Corn Buntings (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae) and Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae).

On the second area I boosted the list with a pair of Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Ganga Ortega / Pterocles orientalis), at least 4 Great Spotted Cuckoos (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius), 3x Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) and several Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis).

Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius).

I then I headed back in to the city and spent the last couple of hours of her treatment with Jayne before we headed back home.