Alhendin, El Purche, Cubillas and another spot, Grnada Province, Spain.

All points around Granada. 

Second Lock down Day 48, released to Provincial area.

 

Dipper (Mirlo Acuático / Cinclus cinclus) with nest material.

I started out from the house just after 07:00 and headed towards Alhendin area where I had been with friends, on the way I had Common Pochards (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina) on a small irrigation pool, Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).

Dipper (Mirlo Acuático / Cinclus cinclus) with nest material.

I reached the spot near Alhendin where  checked all the pylon's but I could not find any sign of the Long-legged Buzzard (Busardo Moro / Buteo rufinus) which had been around a week or so earlier but as with the visit a few days ago it was not there.

Common Daisy (Bellis perennis).

I did however see Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) and Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia).

I dropped back around to a nearby Cortijo where I had nice views of a couple of Iberian Green Woodpeckers (Pito Real / Picus sharpei), several Lesser Kestrels (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Feral Pigeon (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia) and there were loads of Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) on their way to the nearby rubbish dump.

Stinking Hellebore (Helleborus foetidus).

I went into the center and did some shopping a DIY shop before starting to head up to El Purche where I was gong to meet up with Friend Juan Perez, on the way I cut off and had a look at the Rio Genil where I soon found a very nice Dipper (Mirlo Acuático / Cinclus cinclus) which was nest building.

Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus) male.

In the same area I also had Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Coal Tit  (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater) and Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).

Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki).

I continued up the hill but as I was still early I stopped and had a coffee before checking the pine woods on the way to the meeting point finding Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus), Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus) and just a short way down the road I made another stop amongst the Hawthorn where I found Ring Ouzel (Mirlo Capiblanco / Turdus torquatus), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), a calling Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) and a calling Iberian Green Woodpecker.

Somber Bee Orchid (Ophrys fusca / foresteri).

I then went up to the meeting point and met Juan, we then drove up to a spot nearby and checked the fields, crags and Hawthorn trees, during our walk we found Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), 50+ Rock Sparrows (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), Woodlark (Totovia / Lullula arborea), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Corn Bunting, Red-legged Partridge, House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), a male Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus), several Ring Ouzels and as we started to walk along the lower fence line back towards the car we had the first of 5 Yellowhammers (Escribano Cerillo / Emberiza citronella).

Giant Orchid (Himantoglossum Robertiana).

We took a walk out on to the fields looking for flocks of finches and buntings, we did not find any but we did have Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Linnet, Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) and a Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) which would not let me get a shot.

Sawfly Orchid (Ophrys tenthredinifera).

We got back to the car and after hearing that Juan had seen a Garganey (Cerceta Carretona / Anas querquedula) at Cubillas a couple of days earlier so I decided to go and have a look.

Giant Orchid (Himantoglossum Robertiana).

I parked by the hide and scanned the Embalse, I didn't see Garganey but did find lots of Great Crested Grebes (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus), 3x male Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and a Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus) which flew in and tried to land but failed so pushed on down the res.

Sawfly Orchid (Ophrys tenthredinifera).

I went to another site on my way back home where I was looking for Orchids and as I walked around searching I found lots of Somber Bee (Ophrys fusca / foresteri), good numbers of Giant (Himantoglossum Robertiana), Ophrys dyris, a few Sawfly (Ophrys tenthredinifera) and a very smart Hybrid between Somber Bee and Sayfly Orchids called Ophrys x Santi-leonardii.

Somber Bee Orchid (Ophrys fusca / foresteri).

As I wandered I also had Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirundo daurica), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) and a couple of butterflies, Large (Pieris brassicae) and Western Dappled White (Euchloe crameri).

Ophrys dyris.

Ophrys dyris.

Large White (Pieris brassicae).

Ophrys x Santi-leonardii.

Ophrys x Santi-leonardii.