9.5KM stroll around the patch with Ed and Monica.
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Morning Cloud.
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Ed and I drove down to Huétor and we walked along a track out from the town towards the railway line and we soon started the list with
Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto),
House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus),
Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata),
Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica),
Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus),
Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula),
Spotless Starlings (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor),
Common Redstart (Colirroja Real / Phoenicurus phoenicurus), Meadow Pipits (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris) and along one of the gaps in an Artichoke field Ed had a
Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica). |
Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris). |
On the rough fields to our left we found around 90 odd Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) and on the opposite field the first of 27
Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus) and another couple of Stone Curlews. |
Bath White (Pontia daplidice). |
We continued on and found the first of at least 3 Whinchats (Tarabilla Nortena / Saxicola rubetra), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), a Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) which came up from the irrigation channel and there were several White Wagtails (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), lots of Blackcaps (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) and as we turned across the Asparagus fields to the road again a Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus) did a fly through.
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Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata). |
We walked up on to the railway bridge where we saw the winter flock of around 25 Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), along with a group of Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) which were following a tractor which was also attracting good numbers of White Wagtails.We took a track between the fields to keep off the road and had views of Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), a Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) which was sat up on a pylon and in amongst the feathery folage of the Asparagus a couple of Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata) which dashed around making views difficult.
We got back to the road and continued on up to the bar finding Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) and lots of Feral Pigeons (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia) on the old Cortijo.
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Small White (Pieris rapae). |
We walked out onto the bank of the Arroyo and crossed to the far side where we checked the Lucerne fields where we had a group of Zitting Cisticola's (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis) chasing each other out into the reeds near the road, more Meadow Pipits, Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis),
Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus),
Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina) and at the far end near the allotment Tree Sparrows (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula),
Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and along the rough track a
Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos),
Iberian (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) and
Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica).
At this point Monica rang to say she was walking down to meet us so we turned around and headed back to the ar where we met her and took the track along the other side of the Arroyo and in the area where there were several fig trees we picked up Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), another Whinchat and several Blackcaps.
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Desert Orange-tip (Colotis evagore). |
We took the track again along the arroyo and once we reached the part with water we had
Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus),
Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus),
Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) and along the far stretch a couple of Desert Orange-tips (Colotis evagore).
We turned back towards the town and followed the irrigation channels flushing up a couple of
Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago),
Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula),
Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe) and as we reached the left turn Ed picked up a Common Crane (Grulla Común / Grus grus) in flight so we headed along the track to the area where we thought it had landed, we soon found it and manged to get some shots before returning to the main track.
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Common Crane (Grulla Común / Grus grus). |
As we continued on we saw the bird fly off west, we continued on back towards the car but added nothing else on the way.
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Common Crane (Grulla Común / Grus grus) flying West. |