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Thursday 14 June 2018

Huétor Fields, Granada Province.

An hour in the afternoon heat down on the Local Patch.

Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).
Even though it was the first really warm day we have had for a while I decided to pop down on to the Fields, as I drove down I picked up the first of 8 Little Owls (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) which was sat on wires at the roadside. Before I reached the Arroyo I also added Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra) and Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor).
Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus).
On the western end of the Arroyo I found a pair of Common Moorhens (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Collared Doves (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), a calling Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) which remained hidden amongst the Olives and just up on the bank on the far side a pair of Montagu's Harriers (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus) which are breeding in a cereal crop which is great but worrying as the crop looks ready for harvesting and the young are probably not ready to fledge. Hopefully the messages sent out have reached the right people who look after this species in the area and someone will come out and mark the nest before disaster strikes.
Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur).
Also seen along the bank were Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Feral Pigeon (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula). 
Hawfinch (Picogordo / Coccotraustes coccotrauetes).
On the Eastern end of the Arroyo I stopped along the side of the water with a large Poplar plantation where I could instantly hear a couple of singing Golden Orioles (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus), a third bird flew in to the larger wood from a single tree on my side of the water.
Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius) adult.
In this area I also had Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), several really bright male Greenfinches (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and a very smart summer plumaged Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) which was hanging around southern Spain rather later than usual.
Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius) adult.
Further on I had more Turtle Doves down on the gravel margin along with a pair of Hawfinches (Picogordo / Coccotraustes coccotrauetes) whch were feeding on Thistles on the far bank. 
Other species seen along this stretch were Stripe-necked Terrapins (Mauremys leprosa), Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi), Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus), White Mignonette (Reseda Alba), Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum), Common Mallow (Malva sylvestris), Carpentor Bee (Xylocopa violacea), Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria), Small (Pieris rapae) and Bath White (Pontia daplidice), Clouded Yellow (Colias corcea), Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), a couple of adult and immature Little Ringed Plovers (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), 5x Common Waxbills (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator) and Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula).
Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius) immature.
My last stop as t was getting quite warm was down at the model aircraft air stripe where I finished the list off with European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster) and Greater Short-toed Lark (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla).
Back at the house I had a quick look in the garden and picked up a singing Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major).