Moraleda Fields, Cacín Valley and Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

Birding the local patch with Bob Wright.

Ebird list for morning by Bob

 

Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus).

We started off out on the fields near Moraleda where we took the first of the tracks we came to and then parked amongst some Almond trees and scanned the fields finding Linnets (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Thekla (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) and Crested Larks (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) but none of the wanted Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Ganga Ortega / Pterocles orientalis) which eluded us completely.

We took another one of the tracks over the site seeing a distant Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) on the wall of a derelict Cortijo as well as Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra) and a distant Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis).

Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).

We came off the site and dropped down into the Cacín Valley and as we made our way down towards the Contra-embalse we saw Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Feral Pigeon (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia) and House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus).

Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).

We made a couple of stops in the pine woodlands, at the first we heard and saw Crested (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus), Coal (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Blue (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) and Long-tailed Tits (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), a singing Woodlark (Totovia / Lullula arborea), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Spotless (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and Common Starlings (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris) which were up on the wires and both Iberian Green (Pito Real / Picus sharpei) and Great Spotted Woodpeckers (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major) were heard.

Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).

We had a walk along the Irrigation Channel a little further along towards the Embalse and added Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula) and a male Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) which flew up over the Dam wall.

Once we reached the lake we checked the water and the margins finding Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo) and over the water half a dozen Crag Martins (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris).

Golden Plovers (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia).

We continued on down to Cacín and then drove out to a watch point which usually produces a Raptor or two but today all we found was a flock of Jackdaws (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos) and Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).

We retraced our steps slightly and then took a track over to the spot where we started from near Moraleda, on the way we checked out an old Cortijo but we did not see anything interesting. Just up the road we had very good views of two Little Owls right on the roadside in some very old Almond trees.

Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).

We returned to Huétor picking up Muscovy Ducks (Cairina moschata) amongst the Domestic Geese on the Rio Genil, once we were out on the fields we parked and boosted the list with the wintering Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), Iberian  Magpies (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), 40+ Golden Plovers (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) x3, Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus), Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica) and Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis).