Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

 A quick walk along the Arroyo.

 

White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

I went down the road and parked in the usual slot and walked along the Northern side of the Arroyo but only down as far as the road bridge today, around the parking area there were lots of Spotless Starlings (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) which I gave a good scan hoping there might be a pink one in the mix but again I had no luck.

Along the arroyo there were good numbers of all three Wagtails and for the first time this year the Spanish (Yellow) (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae) was the commonest followed by the White (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) but their numbers were well down and finally a single Grey (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea( did a flyby. 

Also seen along the water were Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) again numbers were much lower as lots had started to move North, Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) x2, Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and a pair of Little Ringed Plovers (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius) which flew off noisily when a farmer in his old Landrover came through the ford.

Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).

On the Lucerne fields I had Crested (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus) and at the back of the fields in the deepest part of the Lucerne at least 3 female and 4 male Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) but there could easily have been more hiding.

Some of the wintering Green Sandpipers (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) were joined by some passage birds as by the time I reached the Bridge I had counted 9 individuals, all of which flew off noisily but dropped back in again a short way on, the Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) was obviously finding its usual Almond tree too hot so he had crossed the water and was snoozing nicely in the goat herders pipes and just as I turned around I had a small flock of around 15 Iberian  Magpies (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) and a Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops).

On my way back I only added a male Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild) and Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).