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Thursday 12 November 2020

Near Huétor Tajar, Granada Province, Spain.

Buzzard Update.
 
Probable Long-legged Buzzard (Busardo Moro / Buteo rufinus).
Well after getting feedback from many sources the Buzzard over the garden is almost certainly a Long-legged Buzzard (Busardo Moro / Buteo rufinus). Most feedback came back as very possitive and I ran the photos through Merlin Bird Guide and both of the photos came back as Long-legged. The record has now been sent to the Spanish rarites commitee along with the Common / Garden Bulbul (Bulbul Naranjero / Pycnonotus barbatus) from the 1st Nov 20. Thanks for all the help.
Probable Long-legged Buzzard (Busardo Moro / Buteo rufinus).

Wednesday 11 November 2020

Near Huétor Tajar, Granada Province, Spain.

In the garden again.

Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita).
Into week three of a real Lockdown and Granada Province is in full lockdown so we have to stay home except of essentials movements, so it was birding in the garden again today.
Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris).
I set up the hide but angled it slightly differently and had a view of the Almond tree as well as the pool, during the time out there I saw and heard Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus).
Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus).
Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus).
As well as these I saw
Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).
Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea).

Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea).

Later in the afternnon I went for a walk out along the road up towards Loja, on the way out and back again I picked up Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei), Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Spotless (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and Common Starling (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris), Siskin (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), 100+ Iberian  Magpies (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra) and Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).
Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla) female.

Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula).

Tuesday 10 November 2020

Home near Huétor Tajar, Huétor Tajar, Granada Province, Spain.

Strange Buzzard over the garden.
 
Possbile Long-legged Buzzard (Busardo Moro / Buteo rufinus).
I spent the day catching up with a few jobs in the garden and then spent a while in the hide but things were quiet and I only had the normal species including Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Blue (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and a couple of fly over Siskins (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus).
Possbile Long-legged Buzzard (Busardo Moro / Buteo rufinus).
I decided to pack it in at around 14:30 and put the hide away but as I walked back up to the house I saw a Buzzard coming towards me so I popped up on to the terrace and took a few shot before it drifted more distantly off to the East, at the time I thought it looked pale but once it was on the PC it was even more apparent. 
Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea).
The bird looked like a Long-legged Buzzard (Busardo Moro / Buteo rufinus) to me but I am aware that the Gibraltar Buzzard Hybrids can make this species difficult to confirm and as I have no great experiance with the Hybrids I sent the pictures off to a guy (Javi Elorriaga) that does and await his help.
House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) male.
Whilst in the garden I also had a male Desert Darter (Sympetrum sinaiticum) again as well as Clouded Yellow (Colias corcea) and Small White (Pieris rapae).
Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major).
House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) female.


Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula).

Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula).


Sunday 8 November 2020

Sierra de Loja (a very quick visit) and Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

Dodging the Bunny blasters up high and down on the fields.
 
I started off by heading up the sierra de Loja but this was going to be a waste of time as the place (as I had sxpected) was crawling with Macho Bunny Blasters all stood around in groups look tough with their guns on their shoulders, good job the fluffy bunnies or hugely dangerous Partridges can't fight back !!!! 
Anyway during the time I was up there I had good numbers of Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius).
I came back down off the hill when the number of Hunters and Mushroom pickers made it pointless, so I dropped down on to the edge of the Arroyo, parked and walked towards Mesia.
As I walked I picked up Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Goldfinch, Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis) and Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Iberian  (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) and Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Hoopoe, Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Black Redstart, Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Meadow Pipit, a late Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula) and Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos).