Loja Area, Granada Province.

Another Granada Province Lifer.

After getting some info from friend Juan Pérez Contreras about a Great Bustard (Avutarda Común / Otis tarda) that was reported in Granada Province and not far from me I drove out to the site and scanned the fields. I could not find the bird from the spot given so I relocated to a bit of higher ground but still I could not find any sign of it. I was about to go home but decided to stop at the first lay-by again and after a few minutes I found it in a patch of weeds on the side of a strip of unplanted ground. It showed for a while before sitting down and disappeared, it did this several times and was out of view when Juan got there but he did see it after I had gone.

Really bad shot of the Bustard with the phone through the scope.

In the area I also saw Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Collared (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator),

Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus), Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus), a pair of Montagu's Harriers (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus) and a hunting Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos).