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Friday 16 April 2021

Río Guadalfeo, Granada Province, Spain

Of unknown Origin?????? but very wild looking.

Wood Duck (Pato Joyuyo / Aix sponsa) male.
I went to a spot along the Rio Guadalfeo with Friend Juan where we spent quite a while looking for a reported Wood Duck (Pato Joyuyo / Aix sponsa) which was extremely wary and showed for just a few seconds before diving back into the reeds.
Wood Duck (Pato Joyuyo / Aix sponsa) male.
In the same area we had Alpine Swift (Vencejo Real / Apus melba), Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirundo daurica), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos) and Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti).
Wood Duck (Pato Joyuyo / Aix sponsa) male.

 

Cacín Valley, El Temple, The Beach and Charca Suarez, Granada Province, Spain.

A brilliant days birding with good friend Juan.
 
Red-crested Pochard (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina) Male.
I left the house at 07:30 and made my way down the Cacín Valley starting near Moreleda crags where I scanned the cliff holes and found the resident Eurasian Eagle Owl (Búho Real / Bubo bubo) which was sat well back in one of the holes.
Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus).
I also had Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula).
Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina) female.
I carried on along the valley and stopped in amongst the narrow strip of Pine woodland where I walked around hearing
Rock Sparrows (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Coal Tit  (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster) and Wryneck (Torcecuello / Jynx torquilla).
Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus) Dark Morph.
Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus) Pale Morph.
I moved again and parked by the bridge over the Rio Cacín and I walked down the track after checking the Rio from the bridge, from the bridge I picked up
Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes) and further along the track in a large Poplar tree Garden Warbler (Curruca Mosquitera / Sylvia borin), a female Western Orphean Warbler (Curruca Mirlona / Sylvia hortensis), Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli) and a fly through male Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus) and lower down Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and a calling Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei).
European Bee-eaters (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster).
European Bee-eaters (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster).
European Bee-eaters (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster).
Just up the road I parked on the roadside and scanned the Contra Embalse, on the water I found good numbers of Common Pochards (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus) x9, Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) x3 and on the dead sticks in the water Common Sandpipers (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) x3.
Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis).
In the air and around the margins I also recorded Barn (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirundo daurica), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), a pair of hunting Marsh Harriers (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus) and as I drove down towards Cacín I had Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus) and Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis).
Silene littorea.
Yellow horned Poppy (Glaucium flavum).
On the field in front of the lake I found Yellow Bee (Ophrys lutea) and Mirror Orchid (Ophrys speculum), Crown Daisy (Chrysanthemum carinatum), Hoary Cress (Lepidium draba), Common Fumitory (Fumaria officinalis), Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum), Corn (Papaver rhoeas) and Prickly Poppy (Papaver argenone), Salsify (Tragopogon porrifolius), Scarlet Pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis) and Southern Knapweed (Centaurea pullata).
Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus).
I took the road out of the valley from Cacín and over the ridge seeing
Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus) 1x Dark and 2x Pale Morph birds, Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica).
Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus).
Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus).
As I headed towards the A92 on my way down to meet Juan I popped out onto some of the fields but the tracks were very muddy so I had to turn around after a while and return to the main road, I did however find Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) and Calandra Larks (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra).
Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui).
I arrived a the beach a few minutes before Juan but we were soon walking the usual route checking on the
Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus) population, today was a better day than last week as we found two new nests, one from last week where the female was still incubating and a female with at least a single well grown youngster.
Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba).

Other species we saw during this walk included
White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Greater Short-toed Lark (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and Audouin's Gull (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii) and Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo).
Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio).
As we walked we also had large numbers of Painted Lady's (Vanessa cardui), Silene littorea, Yellow horned Poppy (Glaucium flavum), Sea Medick (Medicago marina), Ononis ramosissima, Sand Reichardia (Reichardia gaditana), Seaside Daisy (Asteriscus maritimus), European Searocket (Cakile maritima) and Cyperus capitatus.
Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta).
Our next stop of the day was at the Charca Suarez where we walked around to the first hide over looking Laguna del Taraje where we had great views of a
Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), Mallard, Eurasian Coot, Common Moorhen, Reed Warbler, Little Grebe and Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus).
Marbled Ducks (Marmaronetta angustirostris).
Marbled Duck (Marmaronetta angustirostris).
We moved around to the main hide over looking Laguna de las Aneas and soon boosted the list with Red-knobbed Coot (Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata), Grey (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and Squacco Heron (Garcilla Cangrejera / Ardeola ralloides), Little (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) and Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Sand Martin (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia) and a stunning pair of Marbled Ducks (Marmaronetta angustirostris) which showed well and were a new species for my Granada list.
Great Cormorants (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo).
Squacco Heron (Garcilla Cangrejera / Ardeola ralloides).
We walked on around to the next hide which over looked Laguna del Trébol, on the way a warbler flew across the track in front of us and I immediately thought it was something good as it looked very yellow even in flight.
Red-knobbed Coot (Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata).
Garganey (Cerceta Carretona / Anas querquedula) Male.
We both got on it in a Poplar next too the track and quickly realized we had a very nice
Wood Warbler (Mosquitero Sibador / Phylloscopus sibilatrix)a second new bird for my Granada List. In the same tree we also had a nice male Pied Flycatcher (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca).
White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia).
From the hide we found a very nice male
Garganey (Cerceta Carretona / Anas querquedula) a nice unexpected year tick.
Purple Herons (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea).
Before the time ran out on us we checked the hide over looking the new lake where we saw 2 White Storks (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia) and a couple of Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago) and just before we left the reserve we finished off with a fly over flock of 6 Purple Herons (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea) and a Mediterranean Chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon) in a willow by the Gate.

Thursday 15 April 2021

Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

Quick walk on the fields between the storms.
 
3 of the 4 Little Egrets (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta).
I parked in the usual lace by the Arroyo and walked out as far as the Poplar plantation but decided not to take the camera as I thought it might rain heavily again as it had been doing for most of the day.
However that turned out to be a mistake, the first surprise was finding 4 Little Egrets (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) on the Lucerne fields which are not a common bird on the local patch. 
These were followed by a female Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus) and a Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans) which spent a few seconds in combat over the Olives before the Kite pushed off East. 
Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae).

As I walked along the fields I also saw and heard
Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Common Quail (Codorniz Común / Coturnix coturnix), a late Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Whinchat (Tarabilla Nortena / Saxicola rubetra), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), Greater Short-toed Lark (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla), Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis) and Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki).
Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae).
I continued on through the fields as far as the Plantation where I heard at least 2 male Golden Orioles (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus) singing along with European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Barn (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirundo daurica), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) and the reason I was most annoyed that I did not take my camera was when I picked up two Tree Pipits (Bisbita Arbóreo / Anthus trivialis) sat up in the reed tops along side the road before I returned to the car.
Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae).
I had the camera in the car so I drove back to where the Pipits had been but there was no sign of them unfortunatily, I did however get shots of a couple of the Little Egrets and some well behaved Spanish (Yellow) Wagtails.

Wednesday 14 April 2021

Granada Province, Spain.

A check on some uncommon Orchids.
 
Lady Orchid (Orchis purpurea).
I called in at a spot on my way to do some shopping in Granada (Brico Depot type shopping) and found several stunning spike of the beautiful Lady Orchid (Orchis purpurea) which were coming into flower nicely.
Ophrys dyris.
In the same area I had lots of Yellow Bee (Ophrys lutea), Southern Early Purple (Orchis olbienis) and Mirror Orchida (Ophrys speculum) and a spike of the less common Ophrys dyris.
Ophrys dyris.
I walked around seeing these stunning plants wishing I had taken my camera with me but the Phone didn't do a bad job thankfully.

Near Huétor Tajar, Granada Province, Spain.

Moth Count.
 
9282 Cleonymia pectinicornis.

Better numbers this morning as the temperature stayed up at +14,  53 Moth of 27 species.
Thanks to the people of the Moths of Spain Facebook page for the help with a couple of the Identifications.
8186 Idaea degeneraria (Portland Ribbon Wave).

0663 Trichophaga Bipartitella x1, 0706 Monopis nigricantella x1,
1648 Ethmia terminella x2, 1655 Ethmia bipunctella x1, 2312 Esperia sulphurella x1, 4855 Epinotia thapsiana x1, 5381 Amblyptilia acanthadactyla x1, 6488 Evergestis frumentalis x1, 6551 Udea numeralis x1, 6599 Pyrausta sanguinalis (Scarce Crimson & Gold) x1, 7926 Semiaspilates ochrearia (Yellow Belle) x2, 8059 Scopula marginepunctata (Mullein Wave) x1, 8062 Scopula imitaria (Small Blood-vein) x1, 8167 Idaea subsericeata x1, 8186 Idaea degeneraria (Portland Ribbon Wave) x1, 8145 Brachyglossina manicaria x1, 8256 Xanthorhoe fluctuata (Garden Carpet) x1, 8638 Lithostege griseata (Grey Carpet) x1, 9056 Autographa gamma (Silver Y) x3, 9100 Acontia lucida (Pale Shoulder) x1, 9282 Cleonymia pectinicornis x2, 9367 Heliothis peltigera (Bordered Straw) x2, 9433 Caradrina clavipalpis (Pale Mottled Willow) x10, 9435 Caradrina noctivaga x3, 9961 Hadena sancta x1, 10022 Mythimna l-album (L-Album Wainscot) x1, 10029 Mythimna sicula x2, 10343 Shuttle Shaped Dart (Agrotis puta) x8,  
1648 Ethmia terminella.
1655 Ethmia bipunctella.
6488 Evergestis frumentalis.
8638 Lithostege griseata (Grey Carpet).

8062 Scopula imitaria (Small Blood-vein).

8167 Idaea subsericeata.

9435 Caradrina noctivaga.
8059 Scopula marginepunctata (Mullein Wave).

0706 Monopis nigricantella.

10022 Mythimna l-album (L-Album Wainscot).

8145 Brachyglossina manicaria.

6599 Pyrausta sanguinalis (Scarce Crimson & Gold).
4855 Epinotia thapsiana.

2312 Esperia sulphurella.

5381 Amblyptilia acanthadactyla.

6551 Udea numeralis.
9961 Hadena sancta.
0663 Trichophaga Bipartitella.