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Saturday 9 January 2021

Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

A blustery walk on the Patch.
 
I had an afternoon walk seeing the usual species but I was surprised to get my first Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) of the year which was fighting hard against the cold head wind.

Friday 8 January 2021

Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

Out on the patch for an hour with Juan Perez.
 
Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus).
I met Juan down on the fields and we had a walk along the Arroyo Vilano, as we were walking we picked up a local rarity in the shape of a passing Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus).
Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus).

 

Tuesday 5 January 2021

Cubillas Res, El Temple and the Cacín Valley, Granada Province, Spain.

A visit to the Res, collected some los and back across El Temple.
 
Great Egret (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba) and Grey Herons (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).
I drove up around the city to the Cubillas Res where I parked at the Northern end of the lake where the Rio Blanco flows in, here I found two Great Egrets (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba) and several Littles (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) as well as lots of Grey Herons (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and one of the two reported Egyptian Geese (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca).
Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis).

Also seen out on the water were Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Great Crested Grebe (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina) and around the margins and in the trees Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Iberian (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) and Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and Crag Martins (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris).
Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus).

From here I went to Bobadilla and collected a boot full of logs before moving on out to the fields near La Malaha where within a few minutes I was watching one of the best raptors a Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) which was either siting in one of the many Almond trees or up hunting.
Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus).
In the same area I also had Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Spanish (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis) and House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Crested (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and Calandra Lark (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) x3, Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra) and Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica).
Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus).
On the last it of track just before I left this site I saw a Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus) sat on a rock plucking its next meal but as I saw it, he saw me and flew but I still had some nice views of this stunning bird.
Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo).
I drove across towards the Cacín Valley, on the way I boosted the list with Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and a distant soaring Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos).
Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

Once I was down in the valley I went north to the Embalse de Cacín where I had a quick scan of the water finding Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) and 3 more Marsh Harriers
Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus) the remains of its Kill.
Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus).
I drove North again and made one last stop by the cliffs at Moraleda but only managed to add
Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius).

Monday 4 January 2021

Osuna Area, Sevilla Province, Spain.

A days birding out on the Osuna Triangle.
Ebird list for railway line area.
 
Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus).
Bob and I left his place and headed off to Osuna where we met up with friends at a bar on the outskirts of the town where we had a Coffee before heading out along the railway line, almost straight away we found several Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) under some small roadside Olives.
Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis).
Just a little further on we had the first of lots of Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis),
White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) and the first 2 of several Red Kites (Milano Real / Milvus milvus).
Great Bustards (Avutarda Común / Otis tarda).

Along the fences lining the White Elephant high speed railway line we had both
Spotless (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and Common Starlings (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris) as well as Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Ravens (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala).
Great Bustards (Avutarda Común / Otis tarda) more flying in to the main flock.

We went up on to the first of the bridges and within a few seconds had around 60 Great Bustards (Avutarda Común / Otis tarda) in the scopeand by the time we moved on there were over 80 birds in the flock, a truly amazing sight.
From the bridge we also had views of Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Calandra (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra), Crested (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala).
Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus).
We dropped down onto the fields again and took one of the tracks out and around one of the Olive plantations where we found 6 more Great Bustards, Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla) and Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops).
We returned to the main track and then went up onto the second bridge, just before we got there we had an Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei) fly up of the ground and called a couple of times.
Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus).
From the bridge we had Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), more Red Kites and a Marsh Harrier.
We followed the railway line and parked on another bridge further down the line where we had our lunch found Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), over a hundred Golden Plovers (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia), a Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), a couple of Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), around 200 White Storks (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia) and then we had a Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) which was mobbing a Red Kite, these two birds were Joined by Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) and then the biggest surprise was an immature Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti) which flew in and was mobbed by just about everything.
Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti) below, Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) top left and Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus) middle right.
We followed the railway again after lunch until we reached the road to Lantejuela where we turned up onto the tarmac again, at the junction we had a Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) which was calling from a group of nearby trees, some of the group had another fly near to them.
Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti) taken by Kevin Wade.

We drove to the grey water pools on the edge of the town, shame more towns cannot do this sort of thing with their waste water as it produces a nice wetland area. The reserve was closed but we got views of the one lake from the side of the hide where we had views of Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), Little (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), several Crag Martins (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and 2x House Martins (Avión Común / Delichon urbica).
Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti) also by Kevin Wade.
Our final stop of the day was just up the road at Laguna Ballastros, we were surprised to find water there but there were still very few birds, however the list grew again with the addition of a very smart Bonelli's Eagle (Aguila-azor Perdicera / Hieraaetus faciatus), an immature Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) and Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos).
Common Cranes (Grulla Común / Grus grus).

Common Crane (Grulla Común / Grus grus).

We said goodbye to the others and Bob and I headed off, on the way we made a brief roadside stop to photograph a couple of hundred or so Common Crane (Grulla Común / Grus grus) near Laguna de Calderon efore headed back to Bobs.

Sunday 3 January 2021

Charca Suarez and Surroundings, Granada Province and Caleta de Velez, Malaga Province, Spain.

Down on the coast with Bob Wright.
 
Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca) male and female.
I drove down to the coast via the new Granada outer ring road and parked near the entrance to Charca Suarez where I met Bob and we made our way onto the reserve and went to the first hide over looking Laguna Taraje where we soon had a nice pair of Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca) as well as Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and several Common Chiffchaffs (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita).
Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia).
We moved on around to the hide at the other end of the Laguna but as usual the light was bad from this angle but we still managed to find several
Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), the first of lots of Red-knobbed Coot (Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata), a calling Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis).
White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).
We made a quick visit to the hide over looking the newest pool and as for once it was not full of photographers we sat there for a while adding
Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia) and White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia).
Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).

Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).
We walked around to the main hide, on the way round we had Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).
Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti).
Once we were In the main hide over looking Laguna de las Aneas we scanned the water and boost the list quickly with Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Northern Shovelers (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), an immature Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Black-headed Gulls (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus).
Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca) Male.

Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca) Male.

Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca) Male.

Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca) Female.

Moving on we came to the first of the hides over looking Laguna del Trebol where there were many more Red-knobbed Coots and at least 4 Ferruginous Ducks (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca) ut they were as everything else was right into the sun.
Ferruginous Ducks (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca) 3 males and a female.

As I was scanning the reeds at the far end of the pool I picked up the target bird for the day the wintering Moustached Warbler (Carricerin Real / Acrocephalus melanopogon) which was feeding as usual low down at the reed bottoms, a good year tick.
Eurasian Wigeon (Sibón Europeo / Anas penelope) Female.

Eurasian Wigeon (Sibón Europeo / Anas penelope) Female.

Also seen from the hide were
Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), good numbers Crag Martins (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) but more surprising was a single House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).
Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) Male.
We retraced our way back around the reserve and in the main hide we added
Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) and Mediterranean Gulls (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus). We reached the last hide over looking Laguna del Lirio where we had another 4 Ferruginous Ducks and a very nice female Eurasian Wigeon (Sibón Europeo / Anas penelope).
Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus).
We left the reserve and went to have a look at one of the pools on a nearby Golf Course were we had lots more Eurasian Coots, Mallards, Common Moorhens, Crag Martins and Black-headed Gulls.
We also checked the area known as Turtle Dove alley finding Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Red Avadavat (Bengali Rojo / Amandava amandava), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).
Mediterranean Gull (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus).
I followed Bo to his place and then after some lunch we went for a wlak down to the port at Caleta de Velez finding several new species on the way and at the Port including
Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) and out to see several Northern Gannets (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus). We returned to Bob and Jennys where we turned in as we were off early next moring to do some birding at Osuna.