A few hours on the best of the Sierras on a day when the birds behaved well.
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| Black-eared Wheatear (Collalba Rubia / Oenanthe hispanica) odd head markings. |
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| Black-eared Wheatear (Collalba Rubia / Oenanthe hispanica) odd head markings. |
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| Black-eared Wheatear (Collalba Rubia / Oenanthe hispanica). |
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| Black-eared Wheatear (Collalba Rubia / Oenanthe hispanica) |
After an 08.00 appointment with the Physio I drove up Sierra de Loja, I entered the site from the Motorway and stopped at the lower quarry first where I started off with
Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis),
Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes),
Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula),
Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and
Feral Pigeon (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia).
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| Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata). |
I continued on up the hill past the crags where I picked up
Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor),
Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula),
Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki),
Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax),
Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and several hanging plants of
Buckler Mustard (Biscutella frutescens).
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| Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus). |
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| Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus). |
Along the tops there were singing
Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae),
Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata),
Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), a pair of very smart Rock Buntings (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), the first of 20 or so
Black-eared Wheatears (Collalba Rubia / Oenanthe hispanica) including a slightly odd looking bird and a couple of pairs of Black Wheatears (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura). |
| Andaluz Storksbill (Erodium primulaceum). |
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| Andaluz Storksbill (Erodium primulaceum). |
I parked by Charca Negro and walked to the nearby cliffs where I found around a 100 or so trumpets of Narcissus bugei,
Andaluz Storksbill (Erodium primulaceum),
Wild Clary (Salvia verbenaca),
Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus) and Sharp-ribbed Salamander (Pleurodeles waltl).
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| Narcissus bugei. |
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| Narcissus bugei. |
As I walked around the area I also had my first
Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus) of the year followed by a second bird later, Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax),
Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa),
Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala),
Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia) and Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops). |
| Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus). |
I drove on further along the track to the furthest tracks where I parked and did a walk, amongst the Hawthorns (Crataegus monogyna) I found a male Subalpine Warbler (Curruca Carrasquena / Sylvia cantillans) and along the crags
Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris),
Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and as I walked back to the car a flock of around 50 odd
Common Swifts (Vencejo Común / Apus apus). |
| Spectacled Warbler (Curruca Tomillera / Sylvia conspicillata). |
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| Spectacled Warbler (Curruca Tomillera / Sylvia conspicillata). |
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| Spectacled Warbler (Curruca Tomillera / Sylvia conspicillata). |
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| Spectacled Warbler (Curruca Tomillera / Sylvia conspicillata). |
I turned around and started to make my way back down the hill stopping a few times to get shot of Black-eared Wheatears and whilst I was getting the shots of the odd looking bird a cracking male Spectacled Warbler (Curruca Tomillera / Sylvia conspicillata) flew in to a leafless bush and remained for a few seconds giving me the chance to rattle of a few shots before it was gone as fast as it arrived. |
| Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina). |
Further on a male Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus) flew across the track and down into the valley below and along side the track I had a very smart Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina).
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| Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops). |
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| Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops). |
On my way down I had a look around the middle quarry adding
Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla),
Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas),
Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum), Viola Dementria, Large Psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus),
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