Loja Wildlife, Granada Province, Spain.: La Lancha, Sierra Morena, Jaen Province.

Thursday 7 February 2019

La Lancha, Sierra Morena, Jaen Province.

Third day and Success, well we saw it for between 3 and 5 seconds !!!

Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax).

Again we had a good breakfast, several calling Tawny Owls (Cárabo Común / Strix aluco) before we headed out to La Lancha picking up Red Deer (Ciervo común / Cervus elaphus), Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus) and when we reached our watching point we could hear a distant Eagle Owl (Buho Real / Bubo bubo) away on the cliffs.

Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica).

We set the chairs out again and soon started the day list with Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), 2 Rock Buntings (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), a single fly over Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), lots of tacking Robins (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula) in the Turpentine trees (Pistacia terebinthus) along with good numbers of Blackcaps (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla) and down in the deeper scrub calling Red-legged Partridges (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa).

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

I went for a walk along the track to scan some rock outcrops where I had seen Iberian Lynx (lince iberico/ Lynx pardina) in the past, on the way I had views of Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) and Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei).

Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti).

Back at the watch point we suddenly had a sighting just along from us so we got there and got directions but it took a while to get on to. In the end I along with Steve got a few seconds view as the male Lynx crossed a small track in the scrub but David missed it. A little later David had a better view of the same male as it chased a Rabbit down a bank and into some scrub.

Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti).

Things were warming up and the Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus) butterflies were on the wing along with Small White (Pieris rapae), Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera) and a Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta).

Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti).

The skies were filling up with good numbers of raptors, several European Black Vultures (Buitre Negro / Aegypius monachus) were up and flying with large numbers of Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), 2 adult and 1 immature Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti), the immature Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos) which we had seen yesterday and a soaring Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus).

Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius).

Other species included Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Dartford (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), a fine male Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Hawfinch (Picogordo / Coccotraustes coccotrauetes), a single male Siskin (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and then two Mouflon (Ovis orientalis) which walked up one of the hill side tracks.

Red Deer (Ciervo común / Cervus elaphus).

As the afternoon moved on we decided to make our way off the site we saw the first of two Common Buzzards (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) and on a small pool a single Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) as well as a cracking group of Stag Red Deer.