Huétor Fields, Cacín Valley and back Huétor Fields, Granada

Out and about with Barbara, Barbara, Derek and Jerry.

Ebird List from Derek Etherton.

 

Very distant Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti) Photo Derek Etherton.

We all met at the Cortijo de Tajar and after a coffee we headed out to the futhest point of our days birding which took us to Ventas de Huélma where we started off well with a very distant immature Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti) along the road to Cacín, I suspect it was one of the birds from the El Temple area as it flew off in that direction.

Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius), Photo Derek Etherton.

Along the same road we had the first of a good number of Great Spotted Cuckoo's (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), several Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) which we kept adding to all along the valley, the first female Hen Harrier (Aguilucho Pálido / Circus cyaneus) of the day and at the view point near the Cortijo further along the road an immature Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos), Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis) and Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae).

Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius), Photo Derek Etherton.

We drove on towards Cacín seeing a Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) which had been around for a while, Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Rock Dove (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Clouded Yellow (Colias corceua), Bath (Pontia daplidice) and Small White (Pieris rapae).

Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos).

We went through the village and took the road south to the Roman bridge where we had good numbers of Song Thrushes (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Blackbirds (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and a couple of Mistle Thrushes (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Jackdaws (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), some Crag Martins (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).

Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus).

As we crossed the bridge we had a Bonelli's Eagle (Aguila-azor Perdicera / Hieraaetus faciatus) fly south and a Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) over head.

We turned around and headed back North, Barbara and I were in the front  car and missed a Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura) which crossed the road behid us but whilst Derek, Barbara and Jerry were watching it we had Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), 2 Jays (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius) and a Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia).

Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius).

We pushed on North to the Contra Embalse where we saw 3 more Marsh Harriers, a couple more Buzzards, Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius).

We moved just up the road to the bridge over the Rio Cacín where we parked and looked from the bridge first adding Redwings (Zorzal Alirrojo / Turdus illacus), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Coal (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Blue (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) and Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus) and Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita).

Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae).

Up the road we again stopped in the pine woods and spent a while waiting to see what came passed and we added Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus), Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula).

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

We made a brief stop at Moraleda Cliffs but did not add anything so we went up onto the fields nearby and took to the tracks again, as we drove we had 2x flying Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) but they were only heard, a single Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), 2 more female type Hen Harriers and Marsh Harriers which just kept popping up all over place today and the last of several Great Spotted Cuckoo's.

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

Barbara swapped back into the other car and we all headed off after a really good days birding, I stopped off on the fields on my way back home as I felt like I needed a walk, along the Lucerne Fields I picked up another Black-winged Kite, Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) and a Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae).