Home near Huétor Tajar, Hacho and in the Garden, Granada Province, Spain.

A drive around the patch, a trip up to Hacho for a walk in the Pinewoods and a quick sit in the hide.

Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).

After a visit to the Physio I made my way back to the house via the field route checking out the Model Areoplane field where I had several Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) fly past, Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), a single Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Crested (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), half a dozen Tree Sparrows (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus) and White Wagtails (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) everywhere.

Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).

Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).

I drove on up to the Lucerne fields where I saw Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) male.

Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina) female.

Further along the Arroyo I added Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica) and  a hunting Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus).

Broad-leaved Iris (Iris planifolia).

I left the fields and on the way back up the road to the house I had a nice female Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) and when I stopped outside Friends at the top of the hill for a chat I heard a group of Ravens (Cuervo / Corvus corax) passing over.

Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) Pine Cone remains.

Once I had had a chat with Chris and Wayne I went for a walk in the Pinewoods where I checked the base of the trees looking for Owl pellets but found none, however I did find the signs that the local Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) population were eating well.

Orchids getting ready for next spring.

More Orchid Rossetts, probably fusca.

As I strolled around looking at the ground I was seeing loads of Orchid Rossetts coming up through the Pine Needles and guess most were Somber Bee (Ophrys fusca / foresteri), Yellow Bee (Ophrys lutea) and Giant Orchids (Himantoglossum Robertiana) but I will have to wait until March / April to be sure with some.

Giant Orchids (Himantoglossum Robertiana).

Another Orchid species.

In the trees around me I also saw and heard Song (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos) and Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Long-tailed (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Crested (Herrerillo Capuchino / Lophophanes cristatus), Coal (Carbonero Garrapinos / Periparus ater) and Blue Tits (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla) and  Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes).

Bonelli's Eagle (Aguila Perdicera / Aquila faciatus).

I returned to the track and started to walk up towards the summit and then ack down to the car finding Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla), Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus) and Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major).

Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea).

I dropped back to the house and as I was unloading the kit I notice a couple of raptors distantly over the Olives, expecting them to be Common Buzzards (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) I raised my bins to find it was actually a pair of Bonelli's Eagle (Aguila Perdicera / Aquila faciatus) always a great species to get from the garden.

White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

I had some lunch and then went out in to the hide but I was quite windy and cold so I didn't last long, however I did get the resident Grey Wagtail and a very smart White Wag which are very very common locally but not regular down in the garden.