Huétor Fields and Balsa de Regidor, Granada Province.

Birding with friends, a nice change.

EBird list for the Morning.

Common / Garden Bulbul (Bulbul Naranjero / Pycnonotus barbatus).

I drove just down the road where I met up with Juan Perez and José María and we went to the spot nearby where the Common / Garden Bulbul (Bulbul Naranjero / Pycnonotus barbatus) had been showing for a couple of days. 

Common / Garden Bulbul (Bulbul Naranjero / Pycnonotus barbatus).

We parked so that Juan and José had a view of the area where it was uaually seen as it was wet and windy and as usual it turned up about an hour later on my side of the car, Typical.

Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) some of the wintering flock.

We got out of the car and we all had great views of the bird as it called from the Tamarisk near the car, Juan managed to get a recording of the bird whilst we were watching it and it is up on the EBird list.

Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) some more of the wintering flock.

The Bulbul sat in the Tamarisk for a couple of minutes before disappearing down stream, during the time we were waiting for it we also saw Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Grey (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and White Wagtails (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), a fine male Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Sardinian (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Blue (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) and Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Crested (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Jackdaws (Grajilla / Corvus monedula) and Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica).

Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus) and Golden Plover (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia).

Once we had seen the Bulbul well we went for a drive around a couple of other parts of the patch, as we drove around the Lucerne fields we had 30 or so Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), 40+ Woodpigeons (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) up on the wires, lots of  Spotless Starlings (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) and Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).

We continued on to the Model Aircraft Field checking a couple of others on the way where we found the first of around 150 Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus) and 35 Golden Plovers (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia).

Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus) and Golden Plover (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia).

We came back up towards the Arroyo again but took another track where we found Iberian  Magpies (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), 2x Great Spotted Woodpeckers (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major) and Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs).

We crossed the fields and went just a short way up stream to a crossing just north of La Fabrica where we walked down stream for a while adding a fly over Hawfinch (Picogordo / Coccotraustes coccotrauetes), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos) and Rabbits (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus).

Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo).

We returned to Juans car and they headed off back to Granada and I went back to the parking spot by the Arroyo and then I went for my walk out to the plantation, on the way out and back I saw 75+ Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra) and an unexpected Clouded Yellow (Colias corcea) butterfly but nothing else. 

Whilst I was walking Juan contacted me to say that there was a pair of Red-crested Pochards (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina) on Balsa de Regidor so once I was back at the car I popped down there and soon found them along with Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra) and 32 Great Cormorants (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo).

I went back home and put the football on and wished I had not as Wolves lost it in the last few minutes.