A days birding with Lauren and Julian in the valley.
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Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax). |
I met Lauren and Julian on the edge of the Albaicin area of Granada City and we headed out to the South and then west to a spot where we saw several pairs of
Lesser Kestrels (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni) which showed well in flight and sat on the farm building.
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Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax). |
In the same area we checked a dry barranco lined with Tamarisks where we saw
Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula),
Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica),
Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus),
House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), a very shy but noisy
Melodious Warbler (Zarcero Común / Hippolais polyglotta), a passing pale phase
Booted Eagle (
Aguila Calzada / Aquila pennatus),
Feral Pigeon (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia),
Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), a couple of
Hoopoes (Abubilla / Upupa epops) which were calling and then chasing each other around the trees,
Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus),
Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto),
Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata),
Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris) and
Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula).
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Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax). |
We moved down to an area of fields near to La Malaha and we were soon watching a very smart
Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius) which was sat in the road at first but then flew up into the field along side the road,
Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra),
Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus),
Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala),
Calandra (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra) and
Greater Short-toed Larks (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla) and at least 6
Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) including at least 4 males chasing down a female,
Willow Warbler (Mosquitero Musical / Phylloscopus trochillus),
Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa) and a
Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).
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Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra). |
We moved on through to the road down into the Cacín Valley and just a short way along the road we parked and scanned the olives and poplars picking up Turtle Doves (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei), a male Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and along the road several Yellow Bee Orchids (Ophrys lutea).
On the next bend we scanned the bushes and trees and I was surprised to find a rather late Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos).
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Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra). |
Further along the road we saw a Booted Eagle struggling to get up off the ground with a huge Ocellated Lizard (Lacerta lepida) and a singing Woodlark (Totovia / Lullula arborea).
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Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator). |
Next we had a stop in a bar in Cacín and then a short walk along the river adding Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), a group of stunning summer plumage Linnets (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla) and my first Pied Flycatcher (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca) of the year, a nice female.
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Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua). |
We drove up the valley to the Embalse where we walked down to the waters edge and scanned the muddy margins where we counted at least 20 Common (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) as well as several Green Sandpipers (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), a rather more unexpected Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago) which flushed from the reeds, Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus), Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and out on the water Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo).
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Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila pennatus) and an Ocellated Lizard (Lacerta lepida). |
In the air we saw a pair of soaring Common Buzzards (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) and several Pallid Swifts (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus) mixed in with lots of Commons.
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Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur). |
We moved just down the road to the bridge over the Cacín adding just a calling Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus) and at our last stop up on the fields near to Moraleda a Roller (Carraca / Coracias garrulus) and Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis) before heading back in to the city.
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Common (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) and Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus). |
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