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Saturday, 19 December 2020

Peñón de Jolúcar, Playa de las Azucenas, Charca Suarez, El Temple and Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

Birding the coast and the planes.
 
Sun Rise from Peñón de Jolúcar.
I left the house as the 07:00 Curfew ended and drove down to Torrenueva where I followed Juan Perez to the spot where we usually park, on the way there was a morning murmuration of around 250 Spotless Starlings (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor). 
Yacht just off the Coast.
We then walked up onto the clifftops but on the way we were surprised to find the damage done by the diggers which had destroyed the one area where there had been Orchids growing, shame.
Balearic Shearwaters (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus).
We set up the scopes and spent a couple of hours seeing what passed the cape, species included Balearic Shearwaters (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus) x281, Cory's Shearwaters (Pardela Cenicienta / Calonectris borealis) x3, Arctic Skua (Págalo Parásito / Stercorarius parasiticus) x1, Great Skua (Págalo Grande / Stercorarius skua) x1 and two other unidentified Skua's which were just too far out to be sure of.
Northern Gannet (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus).
There were also good numbers of Northern Gannets (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus) x33 and Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo) x18.
Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto).
Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto).
Gulls and Terns included Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus) x5, Mediterranean  (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus) x30, Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) x50 and Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) x20 and Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis) x2.
Cutters on the blades of a wind turbine.

Whilst we were scanning the sea we also had brilliant views of a pair of  Peregrine Falcons (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus) with one of the birds carrying a sizable prey item.
Stripe-less Tree Frog (Hyla meridionalis).
Stripe-less Tree Frog (Hyla meridionalis).
We also saw Feral Pigeon (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia) x2, Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) x2, Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) x1, Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) x1, Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis) x1, Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) x1, Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) x1, Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) x1, Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) x3, Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) x1, Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula) x1, House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) x3, Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) x1, Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) x4 and Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) x6.
Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).
We packed our kit away and the headed back towards the port and on to Playa de las Azucenas where we crossed the bridge and walked out to a new covered building and then to the beach, along the boardwalk beside the river we found Bluethroat (Ruiseñor Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica) x2, Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) x4, Black-rumped (Estrilda Culinegra / Estrilda troglodytes) x2 and Common Waxbills (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild) x4, Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) x1 and Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea).
Bluethroat (Ruiseñor Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica).
Bluethroat (Ruiseñor Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica).
On the beach there were Lesser Black-backed x50, Yellow-legged x10 and Black-headed Gulls x2 and in the weeds above the area we also had Serins x2,
Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris) x4, Goldfinches x25 and a single Reed Bunting (Escribano Palustre / Emberiza schoeniclus).
Bluethroat (Ruiseñor Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica).
As we walked back towards the car we added
Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis) x1, Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) and Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula). 
Bluethroat (Ruiseñor Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica).

Further along the concrete channel and on the fields we found Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) x6, Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) x4, Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) x2, Common Chiffchaff, Spotless and Common Starling (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris) x1.
White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).
On our way back to the car I got a Whatsapp message from good friend Bob Wright to say that he had just seen the Moustached Warbler (Carricerin Real / Acrocephalus melanopogon) which had been around for a week or two so we made our way there. 
Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata).
We parked and then walked straight round to the hide with just a short stop at the hide over looking Laguna Tarajes where we saw
Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria), Mallard, Eurasian Coot and heard a calling Penduline Tit (Pájaro Moscón / Remiz pendulinus).
Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).
We made another quick stop at the main hide seeing an immature Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina).
Moustached Warbler (Carricerin Real / Acrocephalus melanopogon).
We moved around to Laguna Trebol where we saw Hamish Nicol who was photographing a very confiding Bluethroat as well as a smart Black Redstart.
Moustached Warbler (Carricerin Real / Acrocephalus melanopogon).
After a short wait the Moustached Warbler showed low down on some reeds opposite giving us nice but brief views a couple of times, each time it was in the same place and was right into the sun.
Moustached Warbler (Carricerin Real / Acrocephalus melanopogon).
We stayed in the hide for some time adding Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus), Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), Red-knobbed (Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata) and Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata) and Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis).
Moustached Warbler (Carricerin Real / Acrocephalus melanopogon).
Time was running out so we walked back towards the gate but had a very quick look over Alamo Blanco where we saw a single White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca).
White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia).
We reached the gate where we saw Manuel and Bob Wright, I stopped and had a chat with Bob whilst Juan headed back off home.
Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo).
After finishing my chat with Bob I headed North again but cut off the motorway and went out on to the fields of El Temple where I drove several odd the rather muddy tracks but could not go on my usual route as it was still not passable.
Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).
During the drive I saw two stunning Black-winged Kites (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus), the one bird was out hunting and the second was chilling in one of the many Almond trees. 
Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus).
In the same area I had a Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), good numers of Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Calandra (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra), Crested (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), House and Spanish Sparrows (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis) and as I drove back to the road I scanned the more distant Almonds finding an adult Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos) perched on an old stump.
Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus).
I crossed the fields to the road to the Cacín Valley, on the way I found a female
Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Iberian Grey Shrike and a couple of Hoopoes (Abubilla / Upupa epops).
Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).
I dropped down into the valley and then drove North to the Embalse seeing a Northern Goshawk (Azor Común / Accipitor gentillis) as it dropped off one of the pylons on the roadside where the two male Marsh Harriers were still very actively displaying to the loan female, also in the air above the lake were a good number of
Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos).
Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris).
Down on the water the numbers of ducks had swapped around a it with there being just 50 or so Eurasian Teal today but with a big increase in flock Common Pochard which was up from 3 to 66.
Another ground feeding Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo).
Other species included Mallard, Northern Shoveler x13, Northern Pintail (Ánade Rabudo / Anas acuta) x1, Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) x11, Great Cormorant x2, Eurasian Coot, Common Moorhen and a showy Water Rail.
Northern Goshawk (Azor Común / Accipitor gentillis).
I moved just up the road to the bridge over the Cacín and had a look in the woods there and soon found Song (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos) and Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major).
Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) one of the males.
My last stop of the day was on the fields ner the house were I finished the list off with
Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) x28, Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus) and Golden Plover (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia).

Rarity Committee update.

Recent news from the SEO Rarities Committee.
 
Common Bulbul (Bulbul Naranjero / Pycnonotus barbatus).

Very pleased that the committee have accessed and accepted both of my recent records sent in.
Common Bulbul (Bulbul Naranjero / Pycnonotus barbatus).
The first was the Common Bulbul (Bulbul Naranjero / Pycnonotus barbatus) from the 1st November 2020.
Long-legged Buzzard (Busardo Moro / Buteo rufinus).
The second, a juvenile Long-legged Buzzard (Busardo Moro / Buteo rufinus) over the garden on the 10th November 2020.
Long-legged Buzzard (Busardo Moro / Buteo rufinus).


Thursday, 17 December 2020

Embalse de Cubillas, El Temple and the Cacín Valley, Granada Province, Spain.

A bit of Birding with Juan and the a drive back home the long way round.
 
Orchid Rossette.
I arranged to met up with Juan Perez to do some birding at Cubillas Embalse just to the North of Granada, I was meeting him at 12:00 so had originally planned to go up to Granada Via El Temple area. 
Giant Orchid (Himantoglossum Robertiana) Rossette.
I went to an early appointment with the Physio and then headed for Granada but as the weather was a tad dodgy I went into the city and did a bit of shopping at the DIY store instead.
Fungi Species.
I still reach Cubillas nearly 90 minutes early so I checked an area of Pinewood land near the Dam, I parked and walked down towards the dam and run off area and on the ground all the way were lots of leaf rossettes of Orchids which looks good for the Spring and a few Fungi Species which I have no idea about names for.
Fungi Species.

Birds included Long-tailed (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Coal (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater) and Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor).
Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo).
I walked out onto the bank of the Res where I found 40 or so Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo) roosting on the Dam tower metal work, a male Red-crested Pochard (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina) way over on the far shore and 5x Great Crested Grebes (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus).
Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops).
I walked out around the overflow area to some trees on the far side there and on the way I picked up Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) and Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris).
Great Egret (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba).
I returned to the car and then drove around to the spot where I was going meet Juan and set up the scope and soon found a  Great Egret (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba), an Egyptian Goose (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca) but just after finding them a fisherman walked right out into the area and then flushed everything.
Egyptian Goose (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca).
At this point Juan turned and the fisherman walked off again so we spent a while going through the irds there and doing some counts, we recorded Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) x30, Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina) x41, Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus) x24, Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra) x116, more Great Crested Grebes, 80 odd Great Cormorants, Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) x9, Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) x9, Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) x2, Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula) and a Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula).
Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) and Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra).

After a while we walked a bit further down the road and checked out the next bay where we added Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus) in the Pines on the way and Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina) down on the shoreline.
Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Ganga Ortega / Pterocles orientalis).
At around 14:00 Juan and I headed off, I went home via El Temple and then back up the Cacín Valley and as I drove there I picked up
Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) and Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).
Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis).

Once I was out on the fields I drove slowly along the tracks and found a small flock of 7
Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Ganga Ortega / Pterocles orientalis), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Crested (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and  around 50 or so Spanish Sparrows (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis).
Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis).
I drove across the ridge between Ventas de Huelma and Cacín but only added
Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) before I dropped down into the Cacín Valley and drove up to the Contra Embalse.
Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca).

I got out and walked down to a point where I could see almost all of the water and I counted
Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca) x71, Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata) x11, Mallard x44, Northern Pintail (Ánade Rabudo / Anas acuta) x1, Common Pochard x3M, Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) x18, Eurasian Coot x47, Common Moorhen x7, Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus) x2H and 1 seen and Great Cormorant x1.
Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca).

Around the margins I also saw 3x displaying Marsh Harriers (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Woodpigeons, Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius) x4, lots of Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) x45 feeding over the water, Common Chiffchaff, Cetti's and Sardinian Warbler, Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Blackcap, Meadow Pipit, White Wagtail and Reed Buntings (Escribano Palustre / Emberiza schoeniclus) in the reed beds.
Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus).

I had a quick look at the Moraleda cliffs adding just a single male Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius).
Smart looking fungi on the side of the Cacín Canal.
My last stop of the day was just before I got home on Huétor fields where I found a flock of
Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus) with a couple of Golden Plovers (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia) mixed in with them and 30 or so Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) out on the Lucerne fields.