Embalse de Cubillas, Granada Province, Spain.

A walk and then some birding with Juan.

 

Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus)

I was meeting Juan Perez just before 12.00 but I went over early and did some walking along the road before the reservoir, I parked at the bridge just after I came off the main road and took a track through the woods down to the river.

Along the way in the woods I found Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Blue (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major),  Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Iberian (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) and Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Melodious (Zarcero Común / Hippolais polyglotta), Sardinian (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirundo daurica) and European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster).

Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus).

I returned to the car and drove down to where I was meeting Juan and then walked back to the turning into the Railway station, on the way I saw and heard Long-tailed (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus) and Coal Tit  (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei), Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur) and as I walked back the raptors started to show up including a pair of displaying Black Kites (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans) and two passing Booted Eagles (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus) both of which were pale morph.

I returned to the car and got the scope out and sat down on the ledge above the water and scanned the shore line and trees but the first thing I saw was a large raptor coming over the lake which turned out to be a Western Osprey (Águila Pescardora / Pandion haliaetus) carrying a large fish, it flew out over the trees and off. It was no sooner out of view and another large raptor came in but this time it was a pale looking Short-toed Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus) which took the same route out over the trees.

Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus).

I sat there for a while picking up Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Great Crested Grebe (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra) and  Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica).

Juan arrived and set up his scope and we spent a couple of hours birding and chatting, during this time we saw 2x Purple Herons (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Egyptian Goose (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca), Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus), a distinctive looking male Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) and a female and just as we were packing up Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo) flew in. The rain that was promised had started so we headed of home.