Birds, Reptiles and Butterflies down on the Granada Costa.
Kate and Jim Day Six.
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| White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia). |
We drove down to the superb reserve at Charca Suarez near Motril arriving at 09:30 and made straight for the hide over looking Laguna Blanca, on the walk in we came up with 3
Common Chiffchaffs (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita),
Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti),
Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and
Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus).
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| Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta). |
Once we were in the hide we soon had good views of a couple of
Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio),
Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis),
White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia),
Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta),
Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra),
Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus),
Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus),
Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea),
Common Waxbill (
Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Red Avadavat (Bengali Rojo / Amandava amandava),
Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus),
Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca),
Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos),
Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago),
White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and
Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala).
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| Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta). |
In the air over the water we saw several
Blue / Common (Anax imperator) and
Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope),
Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum) and
Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea).
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| Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio). |
Before we left the hide we were joined by good friend Juan Pérez Contreras and we had a chat before going on around towards the main hide, on the way we picked up
Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata),
Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major),
Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla),
Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor),
Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus),
Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula),
Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis),
Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris),
Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus),
African Grass Blue (Nina esmaltada / Zizeeia knysna),
Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina ssp hispulla),
Perez's Frog (Rana Común /
Pelophylax perezi) and
Migrant Hawker (Aeshna mixta).
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| Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio). |
In the hide we picked out
Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata),
Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina),
Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis),
Red-rumped (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica) and
Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica),
Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus),
Red-knobbed Coot (Focha cornuda / Fulca cristata),
Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis),
Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo) and
Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus).
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| Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio). |
We started to walk around to the next hide but then I got a call from Juan to say he had found a small, a very small
Mediterranean Chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon) back near the hide at Laguna Blanca so I went back quickly so that Juan did not have to hang around.
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| Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca). |
I got some shots and then when Kate and Jim we relocated it and they got shots as well, Juan had a wonder again and we went back into the hide where I got brief views of a male
Bluethroat (
Ruiseñor Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica) and in the air above the hide a rather late
European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster) calling as it flew West.
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| European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster). |
We spent the next half hour in the hide over looking Laguna T but we did not find anything new so we decided to head out and along the coast to Castell de Ferro where Jim and I walked up to a spot above the beach and photographed a couple of
Desert Orange-tip (Colotis evagore).
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| Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata) female. |
In the same area we found
Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii),
Swallowtail (Papilio machaon),
Small White (
Pieris rapae),
Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura) and
Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala).
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| Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus). |
We returned West along the Autovia passed Charca again and along to Cerro Gordo where we were hoping for the
Two-tailed Pasha (Charaxes jasius), we managed to see one but it did not land and disappeared after a minute or so.
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| Red-knobbed Coot (Focha cornuda / Fulca cristata). |
We continued to search for a more cooperative insect but did not find one, we did see a female
Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius),
Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and
Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus) and
Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) before having a coffee and heading back to the hotel.
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| Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis). |
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| Mediterranean Chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon). |
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| Desert Orange-tip (Colotis evagore). |
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| Desert Orange-tip (Colotis evagore). |
