Padul Wetlands and La Malaha fields, Granada Province

A few hours around Granada.

Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus).

After seeing that Jayne was all set up at the hospital I went for a few hours birding, I started at a very windy and very rubbish filled Padul. Along what is usually a smelly stream, topped up today with masses of plastic bottles and other crap from the lazy people in the town of Padul who cannot be bother to put it in the bin I saw several Penduline Tits (Pájaro Moscón / Remiz pendulinus), quite a few Water Pipits (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), House (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Sand (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia) and Crag Martins (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Barn Swallows (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), White (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), a pair of displaying Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus) and several calling but concieled Water Rails (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus).

Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita).

On my way back to the car I continued scanning the pools and reeds adding Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo) and single Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius).

Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita).

After a while the wind defeated me and I headed out on to the fields near La Malaha where I picked up several Lesser Kestrels (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni) around a semi disused Cortijo, in the same area I also saw Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula) and a small group of Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa).

I moved out to the fields nearby and soon found good numbers of Calandra (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra), Thekla (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) and Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) and then a couple of Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) which flew up from the track side and landed in a nearby field. 

Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius).

I crossed the only road through the site and continued on the tracks but before I had gone just a few meters I heard a calling Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius) which was sat out in a nearby field on a hunting sign. Just a little way further along the track there were more and by the time I carried on I had seen 8 of these stunning birds.

Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius).

I continued on but the track got muddier and I started to think I would regret my choice as I slide all the way down the next hill only keeping on the road by dropping a wheel in a water rut. I continued to slide all the way across the site but I did see Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Rock Pigeon (Paloma Bravia / Columba livia) and Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis) as well as Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus), Clouded Yellow (Colias corcea), Bath (Pontia daplidice), Green-Striped (Euchloe belemia) and Small White (Pieris rapae).

Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius).

I returned to the hospital where Jayne later finished her 6 hour treatment and we went for a late lunch before heading home.

Huétor Fields, Granada Province.

An hour down on the fields.

Water Pipit (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta).

I managed to slip away for an hour whilst changing a couple of gas cylinders in Huétor, on the way down I made a stop along side a rather fast flowing Arroyo Vilano to the North of the town and almost straight away I picked up the first of three Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae) which were new in along with good numbers of Barn Swallows (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) about 20 birds, House Martins (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) x5, Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) x1 as well as a single Sand Martin (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia) which zapped straight up stream.

Water Pipit (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta).

On the margins there were several White Wagtails (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), a single winter plumaged Water Pipit (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Common Moorhen  (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), 11 Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) which few across the Arroyo heading for some trees on the far filed and on some nearby wire lots of Spotless Starlings (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor).

Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae).

I drove along the track and turned towards the railway and spent a few minutes scanning from the bridge adding  a single Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus) as it flew west along the railway line, House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), 12x Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild) and just a little further along the road a Merlin (Esmerejón / Falco columbarius) wizzed cross in front of me and flushed up the Linnets and Meadow Pipits on the model plane airfield.

Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica).

I collected the Gas bottles and then had a quick look on the Loja Lucerne fields where I counted 19 Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) but suspect there were quite a few more in the deeper vegetation. The rain then returned so I continued on back to the house where I heard several and saw a male Siskin (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus).

Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax).