El Temple and Huétor Field, Granada Province, Spain

Some birding before and after an appointment in Granada City.

Ebird List for Huétor Fields.

Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago).

I got out early and dropped down the Cacín Valley after getting some breakfast in Bar El Cruce, my first stop was at the Contra-embalse de Cacín and as I pulled up I noted 14+ Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago) up against the Reeds along with several Common Moorhens (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), a Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus) and a small Crake species, I was looking straight into the sun so I could not be sure which species it was but suspect it was a Spotted (Polluela Pintoja / Porzana porzana).

Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).

Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), peeping over a roof top.

Before I got a good enough view all the birds on the patch of mud flushed off when a female Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) flew in, so I walked into a better spot where I could see more clearly but the Crake did not show again.

Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina).

Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) El Temple.

During the hour I did however see Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae),  Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca) and Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo).

Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis).

After a while I walked along the shore to another view point adding Crag (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Reed Bunting (Escribano Palustre / Emberiza schoeniclus), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

Long-eared Owls (Búho Chico / Asio otus).

Calandra Lark (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra).

I dropped futher south along the valley and then I took the road from Cacín to Ventas de Huelma and as I drove I added Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Rock (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia) and Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).

Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).

I went through Ventas and out on to El Temple and I soon found the 1st of a couple of Great Spotted Cuckoo's (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius) which was in a line of Almond trees, just a short way along the track I saw a second Cuckoo fly into a Pine tree so I stopped and waited for it to reappear, after around 10 minutes I suddenly looked at the lowest of the branches in the next tree where I saw a Long-eared Owls (Búho Chico / Asio otus) perched with a second bird just above it. I could see the birds were aware I was there so I took one quick shot and drove off.

Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus).

Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus).

As I drove along the tracks towards Granada I saw a couple of Little Owls (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) on some ruins, House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), a very nice Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Spanish Sparrows (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis) and way off in the distance a soaring Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos).

Brambling (Pinzón Real / Fringilla montifringilla).

I reached Granada early and was pleased to get in for my appointment slightly early and I was quickly on my way home after getting some Logs in Bobadilla. I decided to have a walk along the Lucerne fields and along the Arroyo to the Railway Bridge finding another Black-winged Kite, Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) x1, Brambling (Pinzón Real / Fringilla montifringilla), the immature Common Crane (Grulla Común / Grus grus), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica), Water Pipit (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta), Reed Bunting (Escribano Palustre / Emberiza schoeniclus), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis) and a Dunnock (Acentor Común / Prunella modularis) which is a species that is alway a good find down here.

Common Crane (Grulla Común / Grus grus).

Common Crane (Grulla Común / Grus grus).