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Saturday 12 December 2020

Huétor Fields and Balsa de Regidor, Granada Province.

Birding with friends, a nice change.

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.

Friday 11 December 2020

Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

A couple hours sat in the car watching the Arroyo.

Common / Garden Bulbul (Bulbul Naranjero / Pycnonotus barbatus).
I parked down by the Arroyo but sat in the car for almost 2 hours birding as the weather was pretty horrendous, heavy rain and high winds.
Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki).
I was hoping for the Common / Garden Bulbul (Bulbul Naranjero / Pycnonotus barbatus) again after getting views yesterday, it did appear but just for around 20 seconds when It came up into the same tree, called twice and the went for cover.
One or two Spotless Starlings (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor).
In the same area I also recorded Iberian  Magpies (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) x13, Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) x120+ and many more later after finishing the Eird list, Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) x2, Grey (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) and Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto).
A few more Spotless Starlings (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor).
The rain just kept coming so I just sat there seeing Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea),Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) x1, Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) x1, Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica) x2, Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula) x2, Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild) and House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus).
and even more Spotless Starlings (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor).
It eventually stopped raining for a while so I had a walk down to the plantation but did not add much except for Golden Plover (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia) x57, Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus) x 74, Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis) and Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa).
The rain returned just as I reached the furthest point in the walk and I was just a bit soaked to the skin by the time I got back to the car.

Thursday 10 December 2020

Near Huétor Tajar, Granada Province, Spain.

Moth Count.
 
6496 Evergestis isatidalis.

Again I ran the actinic trap under cover on the terrace as the weather was a tad rough. Just 4 moths of three species. 
9565 Agrochola lychnidis (Beaded Chestnut).
6496 Evergestis isatidalis x1 and 9565 Agrochola lychnidis (Beaded Chestnut) x2 plus a small Pyraid which did a bunk before I could get a shot of it.
9565 Agrochola lychnidis (Beaded Chestnut).

Wednesday 9 December 2020

Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

Birding on the patch again, nice but it would be good to get out and about a bit.
 
The view across the fields to Sierra Nevada.
I dropped down to my usual parking slot and started started to walk out around the Lucerne fields, near the car there I started the list with Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris) and Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis).
Common / Garden Bulbul (Bulbul Naranjero / Pycnonotus barbatus).
I started the walk along the Arroyo scanning the Lucerne fields finding 5x Golden Plovers (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia), 23x Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), 3x Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), lots of Iberian  Magpies (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) in fruit trees on the far side of the Lucerne, a Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) which came up from the side of the track, Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), 2x Sardinian Warblers (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).
Water Pipit (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta).
On the other side of the track along the river I had 2x
Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), a Water Pipit (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) and a couple of Grey Wagtails (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea).
Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) male.
I had only been walking for 15 minutes or so when I got a call from Mariano Guerrero from the Medio Ambiente, he was near Granada wand wanted to come over to see the wintering
Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) which was a project he was working on.
Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).
So I shut down the EBird list I was doing and walked back to the car, just before I got there I heard a call I had been hoping to hear from the first time I heard it back on the 1st November, it was the
Common / Garden Bulbul (Bulbul Naranjero / Pycnonotus barbatus) which had been elusive that day but this time it sat up just long enough for me to get some distant but identifiable shot.
Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica) male.
I got to the car and then drove just down the road to the field where the Little Bustards usually spend the day and waited for him to arrive. Before Mariano arrived I had found the Bustards and had counted 17 birds but when Mariano had arrived we managed to get the count up to 25 and then after a while the flock took off and we counted 30.
Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica) male.
We visited a few more of the spots where the Bustards spend their time but did not find them again, however back at the spot where I had seen the Bulbul we had a nice male Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica) before I headed back to the house and Mariano continued on around the area again.
Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).
Later I dropped back down onto the fields and again found the Common Bulbul but it was more elusive and remained out of sight whilst singing from a weedy patch on the far side of the Arroyo, I did however see a couple of male Desert Darters (Sympetrum sinaiticum) whilst I was trying to get views. 
Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).
I did the walk I had started earlier as far as the Poplar plantation and then back to the car again, on the way there and back again I added Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), a calling Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), 2x Mallards (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus) and 5x Red-legged Partridges (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa).
Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica).
I got back into the car and went to the irrigation channels near the Mesia road and checked the pool formed by a leak where I had another male Bluethroat, a Water Pipit, Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), lots of Common Waxbills (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild) and a calling Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi).

Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

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

A new species for the Province.

Common / Garden Bulbul (Bulbul Naranjero / Pycnonotus barbatus).
I first heard and got really bad views of this bird back on the 1st November 2020 in the same location, it was singing loudly from the cover of a fig tree which still had it leaves and then flew up the Arroyo Vilano stopping to sing a couple more times but in the end I lost it.
Common / Garden Bulbul (Bulbul Naranjero / Pycnonotus barbatus).
At around 10.00 this morning (09/12/2020) I was walking back to my car after getting a call from a guy in the Medio Ambiente who wanted to see the local Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) flock. 
Common / Garden Bulbul (Bulbul Naranjero / Pycnonotus barbatus).
Just before I reached the car I heard the Bulbul again singing from a tree in the same group of trees but this time it flew up and saw off a couple of
Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) but it gave me time to get a few shots rattled off.
Common / Garden Bulbul (Bulbul Naranjero / Pycnonotus barbatus).

Tuesday 8 December 2020

Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

Another wet visit to the fields.
 
Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago).
I drove down to the fields in the rain and parked by the swampy patch formed by the leaking Irrigation channel, the first bird I saw was a Water Pipit (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta) which was the first I had seen on the patch this winter.
Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago).
In the same pool there was a single Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago) and several Meadow Pipits (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) and White Wagtails (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) which were picking around the margins and in the weedy patches suround this pool Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris) and Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild) where feeding.
Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago).

Further along the irrigation channel I watched
Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), a male Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica) and Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) feeding in amongst the reeds and a pair of Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) sat up higher watching the surroundings.
Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).

Further out on the fields there was a flock of around 40
Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), lots of Spotless Starlings (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Collared Doves (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Common Magpies (Urraca / Pica pica), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and 4 Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).
Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild).
I went and had a look at the fields around the Airfield and found around 140 more Northern Lapwings, a flock of arournd 45 roosting Golden Plovers (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia) which had almost doubled since yesterday. 
Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus).

There were also a few House (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and Tree Sparrows (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus) on the fences and wires and in the area Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis) and Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).
White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).
On my way back towards the house I took another couple of the tracks finding
Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops).
Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) winter male.

Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) winter male.

Along the Lucerne fields I found
Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Iberian  Magpies (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus) and the regular male Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus).
Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto).

Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto).

As I walked from the car I got a couple of shots of a pair of Collared Doves in the fruit tree by the pool.