Hacho, the Garden Pool and Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

A walk up Hacho, a couple of hours in the hide and then a walk along the Arroyo.

 

Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) female.

The weather had been bad over night so the garden was not going to get any attention so I went for a walk up Hacho a smallish hill to the North of Loja well inside our own Municipal area. 

Giant Orchid (Himantoglossum Robertiana).

On the way I had a very well behaved Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) sat on some roadside wires as well as Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus) and Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa).

Somber Bee Orchid (Ophrys fusca / foresteri).

I parked by a large Pylon on the left of the track and then walked up to the top car park where I had a nice view out over Loja to the Sierra de Loja where I hope to go tomorrow as almost all of the hill is inside our municipal area and there won't be many people up there hopefully.

View out over Loja to the Sierra de Loja.

On the way I picked up more Common Kestrels, Crested (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus) and Coal Tit  (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura) and Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula).

Looking up from the top car park.

In the pine woods there were lots of the leaf rosettes of Giant (Himantoglossum Robertiana) and Somber Bee Orchids (Ophrys fusca / foresteri) which were getting ready for next springs show, in the pines in this area there are several hundred spikes of both and other species.

Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea).

On my way back down I had a couple of Red Admirals (Vanessa atalanta), a Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) and Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei).

Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) Male.

Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) Male.

Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) Female.

Once I reached the car I drove back home and then set up the hide for a couple of hours getting Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla) at one point I had to break cover and lift the hide as I could hear a group of 7 Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) flew over the garden, only my second garden record.

Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).

Also seen were Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula).

At around 16:30 I parked down on the fields and did my usual walk along the Arroyo Vilano out as far as the Poplar pantation and back adding Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) as well as Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) and Small White (Pieris rapae).