Near Motril, El Temple, Cacín Valley and Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

Trying to catching up with one I had missed a few weeks ago but with the same results.

Buzzard Species.

I drove down to the coast and having some breakfast before driving up to the fruit tree covered slopes above the town where I had tried to find a Long-legged Buzzard (Busardo Moro / Buteo rufinus) I had miss with Friends Juan and Beatriz on my last visit. 

I arrived at 08.20 and scanned the Pylons but could not find the bird so I walked along the road towards Motril seeing Sardinian (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), White (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula) and down on the fields below there were several Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) and a Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).

Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo).

I walked back towards the car and on one of the Pylons I found a Buzzard which looked the part but different to the bird which had been seen in the area, before I could get conclusive views it flew off straight into the sun.

I walked back arond to the area over the ridge in the direction the bird had flown but all I found was a  Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) so I again left with out a LLB but I did see Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta), Common Fumitory (Fumaria officinalis), Hollow Stemmed Asphodel (Asphodelus fistulosus) and Purple Bugloss (Echium plantagineum).

I waited around until 11.30 but the bird did not show up so I headed back home via El Temple area where I added Lesser Kestrel (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni) on my way through to the main area which was quiet but I did add Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra)  and Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).

Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo).

I drove over the ridge from Ventas de Huelma to Cacín and down into the valley seeing Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius) and Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).

I drove up the Valley to the Contra-Embalse where I parked and scanned the water seeing good numbers of Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra) and Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus).

As I drove further up the valley and out onto the fields near Moreleda I saw Redwing (Zorzal Alirrojo / Turdus illacus), Crested (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and Calandra Larks (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis) and Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki).

Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina).

My last stop of the day was on the fields where I walked the bank of the Arroyo Vilano, new species were Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), my first Sand Martin (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia) of the year, Brambling (Pinzón Real / Fringilla montifringilla), Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus) and Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus).

During the day I also saw Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), Small (Pieris rapae), Large (Pieris brassicae) and Bath White (Pontia daplidice).