Charca Suarez, Cacín Valley, Granada Province.

Steve's last day spent down on the Granada Coast.

Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos).

Steve and I headed south via Granada to Charca Suarez, when we arrived we went straight to the hide over looking Laguna Blanco where we scanned the pool and the reed heaps and found Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), several Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), the regular White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), a pair of Great Tits (Carbonera Común / Parus major) which were picking the heads apart on the reedmace plants, Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) and a female Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica) which showed well in the reeds below the hide and in the bush beside it. 

White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia).

In the sky and in the surrounding bushes we also had Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) and a female type Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), a Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis) which zipped in and out just as quickly, Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and a male Reed Bunting (Escribano Palustre / Emberiza schoeniclus).

White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia).

We walked around to some more of the hides seeing 4x Mediterranean Chameleons (Chamaeleo chamaeleon), Stripe-less Tree Frog (Hyla meridionalis), Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria), Small White (Pieris rapae), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Clouded Yellow (Colias corcea), Bermuda Buttercup (Oxalis pes-caprae), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) and Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Red-knobbed Coot (Focha cornuda / Fulca cristata), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), 2x Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca) and some heard but not seen Penduline Tits (Pájaro Moscón / Remiz pendulinus).

Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus).

The reserve closed at 13:00 so we headed back north stopping at a spot on the Rio Guadalfeo on the way where we had a single Epaulet Skimmer (Orthetrum chrysostigma) and Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea).

Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major).

Once at Granada we cut in across country and made some stops on our way to the Cacín Valley and the back towards the house, at a disused Cortijo we had a couple of newly arrived Lesser Kestrels (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula). 

Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica).

Across on the ridge just above the town of Cacín we had a very smart Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos) and Thekla Larks (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) and down in the valley at the Contra-embalse Common Pochard, Eurasian Teal, Eurasian Coot, Common Moorhen, Little Grebe and a pair of Northern Pintail (Ánade Rabudo / Anas acuta) which were a nice surprise. 

Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica).

In the same area there were White Wagtail, Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Common Stonechat, Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis).

Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).

Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).

Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).

Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita).

Red-knobbed Coot (Focha cornuda / Fulca cristata).