Huétor Fields and Sierra de Loja, Granada Province, Spain.

Out and about on the Patch.

 

Black-eared Wheatear (Collalba Rubia / Oenanthe hispanica).

I started the day off with a walk down on the fields along the Arroyo Vilano and walked from the parking spot to the road bridge. On the way I picked up Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), some House Martins (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) collecting mud, House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala).

Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush (Roquero Roja / Monticola saxatilis) Male.

On the track along side the goat pens I found a couple of lingering Garden Warblers (Curruca Mosquitera / Sylvia borin) which had been hanging around for a few days, in the same area there was a singing Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus) and at least one Melodious Warbler (Zarcero Común / Hippolais polyglotta).

Black-eared Wheatear (Collalba Rubia / Oenanthe hispanica).

Black-eared Wheatear (Collalba Rubia / Oenanthe hispanica).

Black-eared Wheatear (Collalba Rubia / Oenanthe hispanica) with a nice juicy looking meal.

As I walked back towards the car I boosted the list with Common Whitethroat (Curruca Zarcera / Sylvia communis), Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Crested (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and Greater Short-toed Lark (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica).

Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) collecting mud.

I drove passed the house picking up Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur) on my way up Sierra de Loja which luckily enough is in my Muncipal area as we are locked down.

Ornithogalum algeriense.

Erodium cheilanthifolium.

Gromwell species ???????

I drove over to the far side of the hill where my target was the Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush (Roquero Roja / Monticola saxatilis), on the way I saw Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and on a walk up to the middle quarry I added Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina) and Coal Tit  (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater). 

Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).

Wild flowers included the over with seed head of Wild Tulip (Tulipa sylvestris), Rosy Garlic (Allium roseum), Shepherds Needles (Scandix pecten-veneris), Southern Knapweed (Centaurea pullata), Tassel Hyacinth (Leopoldia comosa), Viola dementria, Wild Gladiolus (Gladiolus italicus), Wild Clary (Salvia verbenaca) amd Cloven Petalled Campion (Silene colorata).

Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae).

I returned to the car and drove over the tops adding Black-eared Wheatear (Collalba Rubia / Oenanthe hispanica), Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), Spectacled Warbler (Curruca Tomillera / Sylvia conspicillata), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia) and around Charca del Negro Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus), Sharp-ribbed Salamander (Pleurodeles waltl), Yellow Bee Orchid (Ophrys lutea), Ornithogalum algeriense, Erodium cheilanthifolium, Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) and quite a few Painted Lady's (Vanessa cardui).

Yellow Bee Orchid (Ophrys lutea).

Further on around the crags I had a couple of Crag Martins (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), a lone Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes) and then the target a fine male Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush which briefly sat up on a rock some distance away bit still stunning to see.

I continued on a short distance adding a nice male Western Orphean Warbler (Curruca Mirlona / Sylvia hortensis) and just as I turned around a male Western Subalpine Warbler (Curruca Carrasquena / Sylvia cantillans) popped up on to a small oak and sang but was scared off by an Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis) which flew passed.

I started to make my way back down the hill and just passed Charca del Negro I was watching a second Rock Thrush when two Guardia Civil Seprona guards turned up on their motorbikes, they stopped and came over to do a check on me but soon recognized me from down on the fields so it turned into more of a pleasant chat once they knew I was from the Loja Municipal area. However further down the hill as I was nearing the bend down along the crags I caught up with them again and they were handing out a ticket to a couple of birders in a French plated camper van. I continued on down the hill again and went home with a decent list.