Charca Suarez and the Cacín Valley, Granada Province.

A days BIRDING with Steve Jones from Cornwall.

White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia).

Steve and I headed out early so that we were ready to enter the Charca Suarez reserve when it opened at 09:00, on the way down we recorded House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus) and Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).

Purple / Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio).

Once we were let in we walked straight up to the hide that looks over Laguna Blanca and quickly found the resident White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia) stood up on it's usual pile of reeds. There were also several Common Moorhens (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca) and at least 4x Purple / Western Swamp-hens (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio) a couple of which showed very well. 

Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus).

In the sky and amongst the reeds we also had good views of European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Barn (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and Red-rumped Swallows (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica), Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Reed Warbler (Carricero  Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus) and then what turned out to be a bit of a surprise when I checked the shots later, I took some record shots of what I thought was just a dark looking Sedge Warbler (Carricerin Común / Acrocephalus schoenobaenus) right on the far side of the pool but when I looked at the shots it had a distinct dark crown, white eye-stripe and pale throat. I asked a couple of good birders to look at the shots and both came back to me with what I had already guest that the bird was in fact an August record for Moustached Warbler (Carricerin Real / Acrocephalus melanopogon).

Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus).

We stayed in the hide for a while longer seeing Red Avadavat (Bengali Rojo / Amandava amandava), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Yellow Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and an all to brief Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis) which flew in and landed for just a few seconds.

Moustached Warbler (Carricerin Real / Acrocephalus melanopogon).

We also picked up several none bird species including Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum), Black Percher (Diplacodes lefebvrii), Small Red-eyed (Erythromma viridulum), Long Skimmer (Orthetrum trinacria), Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea), Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator) and Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope), Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa), Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi) and Stripe-less Tree Frog (Hyla meridionalis) which we heard but did not see.

Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis).

On our way around to the Main hide I saw a couple of African Grass Blues (Nina esmaltada / Zizeeia knysna), Clouded Yellow (Colias Común / Colias corcea), Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) and Small White (Pieris rapae). 

Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca).

The main hide was quiet and we only added Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Great Reed Warbler (Carricero Tordal / Acrocephalus arundinaceus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina) and Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).

Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis).

We walked on the short way to the next hide where we saw several of the introduced Red-knobbed Coot (Focha cornuda / Fulca cristata) and some of their youngsters of the year. We also had a couple of fly past Little Bitterns (Avetorillo Común / Ixobrychus minutus), Common (Vencejo Común / Apus apus) and Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus) and then all was disturbed when a family of a dozen or so Wild Boar (Jabalí / Felis silvestris) swam across the pool and then came crashing through the reeds showing nicely.

Wild Boar (Jabalí / Felis silvestris).

Time was flying by so we started to make our way to the exit having a quick look in the last hide but we saw nothing new and then went back to the car and headed around the back of the reserve for our sandwiches and then back towards Granada and out to the Cacín Valley.

Wild Boar (Jabalí / Felis silvestris).

We drove across country to the valley not really adding much until we reached the bridge over the Rio and the main Irrigation channel, as we walked the track we saw a female Blue / Common Emperor egg laying in the weeds in the channel which are not normally exposed but the channel was switched off and not flowing very much.

Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).

Other insects were Blue-eye (Erythromma lindenii), 5x Common Winter Damselfly (Sympecma fusca), Orange-winged Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), White (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus) and Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus). 

Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur).

Just along the road we had great views of another Little Owl which was one of the regulars which sat nicely for us to get some photographs. 

Solitary Wasp Species n one of the hides.

Our last stop was out on the fields near Moraleda but again it was quiet due to the time of day but we still added Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) and a Scarce / Spanish Swallowtail (Chupaleches / Iphiclides podalirius / Iphiclides feisthameli) and Bath White (Blanqiverdosa / Pontia daplidice).

Common Winter Damselfly (Sympecma fusca).

Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).

Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).