Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

A damp morning walk along the Arroyo.

 

Sierra de Loja, above and below the clouds.

Not as damp as yesterday but still a damp start after a very wet night which meant when I came down to do the walk I could not cross to the far back of the Arroyo as it was flowing nicely if not a tad muddy for the first time since my return to Spain.

The Arroyo with some water at last.

I drove to the Eastern end of the Arroyo near the Mesia road where I parked and walked back towards the road seeing Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild) and a wintering Wryneck (Torcecuello / Jynx torquilla) in the Juncus field.

More rain on it's way in.

Also along the Arroyo I found White Wagtails (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and a nice male Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica) which popped up onto a reed stem for a few seconds before dropping back into cover.

Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).

Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).

I returned to the car and then went and parked by the Lucerne fields where I walked back towards the spot where I normally park, the first obvious thing was that there were no Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), they must not have like last nights weather either. 

However I did find Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), a single Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), lots of Meadow Pipits (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) and White Wagtails, 2 pairs of Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) flew over, several Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) which seem to be here in really good numers this winter but guess they may move out once we start to get the colder nights.

Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).

Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).

Down on the sides of the Arroyothere were good numbers of Goldfinches (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Greenfinches (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Linnets (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild) as well as a local patch rarity when 5 Crag Martins (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) did a flyby.

Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).

Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).

As I walked back towards the car I had Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) and Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica).

Mallards (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos).

I walked passed the car and out to the Poplar plantation through the Asparagus fields where I had  Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata), Black Redstart, Blackcap, Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and a Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major).

Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris).

Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris).

I walked just passed the plantation when a large flock of Sparrows flew up into a tree in a garden next to the road which I scanned through and I was suprised to see that most were Tree Sparrows (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus) and by the time they flushed up again I had reached 79 Trees anoungst the House Sparrows (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus). 

This was by far the largest flock of Tree Sparrows I had seen on the patch, this was to be followed a few minutes later by the biggest flock of Iberian  Magpies (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) to date as well, I watched as 287 magpies flew out of the plantation and into the Olives.
Before I got back to the car I also recorded Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula) and Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo).