Moreleda Fields and Embales de Cacín, Granada Province, Spain.

A couple of hours out on the patch enjoying the Eagles.

Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae).

I drove down the motorway and went out onto the fields near Moreleda, I just did a short loop throgh the area and aongst the Almonds at the start I found 4 Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) trying to find a it of shade, mixed flocks of Goldfinches (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Linnets (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Serins (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and Corn Buntings (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae).

Out on the larger fields there were good numbers of larks including Calandra (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra), Crested (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Thekla (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) and Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis) as well as White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) and as I left the site a small flock of Greenfinches (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris) and a male Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).

Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).

I drove down the road toward the next village checking the old Almonds by the roadside finding a sun bathing Ocellated Lizard (Timon lepidus) and a roosting Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua). 

Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).

Just before the village I turned right and headed out through the ever expanding Olive groves seeing nothing until I reached a mainly derelict farm where I scanned the walls of the ruins finding a Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), several Black Redstarts (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), a small flock of Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia) and up on a pylon several Spotless Starlings (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and some Jackdaws (Grajilla / Corvus monedula).

Immature Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos).

As I was watching these birds all the Jackdaws, many of which were hidden away in the came up and started to make life difficult for a cracking immature Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos) which was right over head.

Immature Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos).

I got out of the car and had great views of this bird as it gained height, suddenly the Jackdaws changed direction as a second Goldie came up over a near by ridge and they instantly started to hassle this bird instead.

It also gained height but they did not let up and eventually both birds came together and disappeared over another ridge still being pursued by aroud 20 Jackdaws.

Second Immature Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos).

I continued on over to the Cacín road but checked the view point just along the road before I dropped down into the Valley. At the view point I picked up a Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) and Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki).

Second Immature Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos).

I turned around and dropped down into the Cacín Valley and went up to the embalse but there were far less water fowl there, Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra) were still in good numbers with about 300 feeding in what was left of the water but there was only a single male Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), 3x Mallards (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), 4x Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca) and best of all an eclipse male Northern Pintail (Ánade Rabudo / Anas acuta).

Both Immature Golden Eagles (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos).

I also found lots of Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), 2x Grey Herons (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), 2x Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) and 2x Black-winged Stilts (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus).

White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

On my way back to the house I also had Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) at the cliffs near Moreleda and a Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) along the motorway.