Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

Walk along the Arroyo.

The view from the parking spot out over the Lucerne fields to the Sierra Nevada.

I parked in my normal spot as the track had dried out quite a bit and then I walked up stream to the damed part of the Arroyo, I was pleased to see that there was a good flow still but expect it will dry up again in the next few days unless we get some more rain.

Barbary Nut (Moraea sisyrinchium).

The view out over the fields to the Sierra Nevada was rather nice and all the better for the good covering of snow that was put down during the recent rains.

Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae).

As I walked I found quite a few spikes of Barbary Nut (Moraea sisyrinchium) amoungst the masses of yellow crucifer plants which cover the area which I think is Field mustard (Brassica rapa) which is atractive to Butterflies as I found Small (Pieris rapae) x3, Bath (Pontia daplidice) x2, Green-Striped (Euchloe belemia) x1 and Large Whites (Pieris brassicae) x1 and Clouded Yellow (Colias corceua) x4 all of which were necturing on it along with  Common / Southern Blues (Polyommatus icarus / celina) x2 which prefured the blue flowered Wild Clary (Salvia verbenaca).

Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina).

Birds included lots of Corn Buntings (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) and a singing Sedge Warbler (Carricerin Común / Acrocephalus schoenobaenus).

Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

At the dam I turned around and walked back to the car adding a Melodious Warbler (Zarcero Común / Hippolais polyglotta) to my year list and just passed the car I saw the Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) which comes and go's but has been seen throughout the winter, calling Common Quail (Codorniz Común / Coturnix coturnix), a couple of Meadow Pipits (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) which was sat in the Fig tree along side the track.

Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild).

As I walked the Lucerne fields I watchd a pair of Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) coming to a small Bramble patch with food for a nest full of well grown chicks which were visible from the track as the leaves all seem to have dropped off the one side of the clump for some reason, don't think it will be long before they are fledged.

Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) the male.

Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) the male.

As I continued on along the track I added  Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), a single White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Sardinian (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Willow (Mosquitero Musical / Phylloscopus trochillus) and Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis) and good numbers of the four regular Hirundines.

Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) the female.

Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) the female.

I reached the Walnut trees and turned around and made my way back to the car, on the way I saw Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli) x1, Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), both Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) and Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus) and a flock of 33 passing European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster).

Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis).

I reached the car where I had the Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) which has been around for a few days, my first 2 Turtle Doves (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur) of the year on the fields after hearing a couple up at the house earlier, Red-legged Partridges (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa) which were flushed by a tractor cutting one of the fodder fields and 2 Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) which were also flushed by the same tractor as he turned around in the Olives at the far end of the field.

Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto).

Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata).