El Temple, the Cacín Valley and Padul Wetland, Granada Province, Spain.

A trip around the far end of the Patch and then a quick visit to Padul.

 

Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius).

I drove along the Motorway and then into the El Temple area where I was hoping to get some photographs of the summer visiting Great Spotted Cuckoos (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius) but I didn't manage to get the close up shots I wanted but it was still great see and hear these noisy birds.

Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius).

Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius).

In the first area I visited I found several of the Cuckoo's, a small flock of 5 Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Ganga Ortega / Pterocles orientalis), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), good numbers of flying and calling Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Crested (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and Calandra Lark (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) and Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops).

Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

As I dropped down off this first area I had a Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) sat on a large rock pile catching a bit of sun, Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis) and Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus).

Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenodes).

I moved to a second site where I regularly see a pair of Black-winged Kites (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) and today I was pleased to see them at the same spot but also I watched as they mated a couple of times which looks promising for the pair to be breeding on the site again.

Italian Man Orchid (Orchis Italica).

In the same area I had a female Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) as well as Clouded Yellow (Colias corcea), Large White (Pieris brassicae) and Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenodes).

Somber Bee Orchid (Ophrys fusca / foresteri).

I continued on across the area and out on to the road to the Cacín Valley, on the way in a roadside Oak woodland I found a few spikes of Somber Bee Orchids (Ophrys fusca / foresteri) along with a single Italian Man (Orchis Italica) and a few Sawfly (Ophrys tenthredinifera).

Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis).

At the view point I scanned the ridges finding Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula) and a very nice Bonelli's Eagle (Aguila-azor Perdicera / Hieraaetus faciatus).

Bonelli's Eagle (Aguila-azor Perdicera / Hieraaetus faciatus).

Bonelli's Eagle (Aguila-azor Perdicera / Hieraaetus faciatus).

I dropped down into the valley and went North up to the Contra-embalse where I parked and scanned the water 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) and an immature Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo).

Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus).

Around the lake I also had a pair of Marsh Harriers, Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus) x8, Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirundo daurica), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and just as I was about to leave all the birds on the lake went up which was caused by a low level fly through by a female Northern Goshawk (Azor Común / Accipitor gentillis).

Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae).

Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae).

I drove up the valley and then took to the fields again finding Western Dappled White (Euchloe crameri), Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and a nice young Ocellated Lizard (Timon lepidus).

Ocellated Lizard (Timon lepidus).

I went to another site to find a few Orchids, searched a area of scrub grassland finding Fan-lipped (Anacamptis collina), Mirror (Ophrys speculum), Yellow Bee (Ophrys lutea), Dark Spider (Ophrys incubacea) and Bumble-bee Orchids (Ophrys bombyliflora).

Spotted Crake (Polluela Pintoja / Porzana porzana).

At this point I got a call from my friend Juan to say that he was at Padul and he had seen Spotted Crake (Polluela Pintoja / Porzana porzana) and singing Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus) so I drove down there and found both from Juans directions.

Spotted Crake (Polluela Pintoja / Porzana porzana).

I also saw Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla) and Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita).

Spotted Crake (Polluela Pintoja / Porzana porzana).