Punta del Santo and Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

Birding down the Coast with Juan Perez, Olivia (from the USA) and Manolo Marsilio.

Ebird List for Punta de Santo.

 

Razorbill (Alca Común / Alca torda) heading West.

I drove down to a spot Juan had discovered near to Charca Suarea were we were going to do some sea watching, I arrived early and set the scope up on a wooden walkway / bridge and soon had the first of several Razorbills (Alca Común / Alca torda) heading West along with good numbers of Balearic Shearwater (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus) and Northern Gannets (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus).

Razorbill (Alca Común / Alca torda).

About 10 minutes before Juan arived I had a Great Skua (Págalo Grande / Stercorarius skua) also heading West and it was in pursuit of a juvenile Kittiwake (Gaviota Tridáctila / Rissa tridactyla), not a common bird in these waters.

Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo).

Juan arrived followed by Olivia and then Manolo and we continued to count the passage, seeing more Balearic Shearwaters, Northern Gannets, another Great Skua, 2x Arctic Skua's (Págalo Parásito / Stercorarius parasiticus), Audouin's (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis) and Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo).

Balearic Shearwater (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus).

Other none marine species were Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) and 2x Little Ringed Plovers (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius).

Arctic Skua (Págalo Parásito / Stercorarius parasiticus) and a Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis).

Olivia left and Juan, Manolo and I went for a walk over the road to view the pools on the golf course and found Crag (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta).

Arctic Skua (Págalo Parásito / Stercorarius parasiticus) and Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis).

We next had a walk along the beach as part of the dead seabird survey but it was good news today as we found none, as we walked we saw over 100 more Balearic Shearwaters, Razorbills and Northern Gannets.

Common Crane (Grulla Común / Grus grus) Immature.

Before I headed off home we met Beatriz and checked the Golf Course Pools with the same results, on my way home I called in at the Fields near Huétor where I saw the Common Crane (Grulla Común / Grus grus) along with Reed Bunting (Escribano Palustre / Emberiza schoeniclus), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Brambling (Pinzón Real / Fringilla montifringilla), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) and Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) as well as Clouded Yellow (Colias corceua), Bath (Pontia daplidice) and Small White (Pieris rapae).