Rio Jándula and La Caracola, Sierra Morena, Jaen Province, Spain.

The first day of three in Sierra Morena with friend Steve Powell.

Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti).

Steve had driven up to Salar yesterday so that we could get off North fairly early, on the way up westarted the list off with Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), a couple of Gull-billed Tern (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica) which were flying over a cereal field, Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki). 

Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula).

Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea).

Lesser-spotted Woodpecker (Pico Menor / Dryobates minor) a distant view of a nice male.

We parked at the Área recreativa del Encinarejo and soon had two new species for the year, calling Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus) and Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus).

Blue Hound's Tongue (Cynoglossum creticum).

Spotted Rockrose (Tuberaria guttata).

Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum baeticum).

Pale Poppy (Papaver argemone).

Grey-leaved Cistus (Cistus albidus).

Other species included Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus) and Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major).

Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus).

Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus).

Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major).

We came to the river and scanned up and down stream adding Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), lots of passing European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi) and Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa).

Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea).

Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea).

Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea).

Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea).

We continued on over the bridge and just by chance I scanned back to the opposite bank and in one of the dead Poplar trees I picked up a tiny Lesser-spotted Woodpecker (Pico Menor / Dryobates minor) but when we walked back around to the area we could not relocate it so we returned to the other bank again.

Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki).

Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki).

Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki).

Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki).

As we walked through the grassland there we saw some nice plants including Grey-leaved Cistus (Cistus albidus), Spotted Rockrose (Tuberaria guttata), Pale Poppy (Papaver argemone), Blue Hound's Tongue (Cynoglossum creticum), Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum baeticum), Common Fumitory (Fumaria officinalis), Mallow-leaved Convolvulus (Convolvulus althaeoides), Southern Red Bartsia (Parentucellia latifolia), Wild Clary (Salvia verbenaca) and Purple Bugloss (Echium plantagineum).

Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) male.

Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) female.

We returned to the car hearing a Scops Owl (Autillo Europeo / Otus scops) and then drove up to the Presa de El Encinarejo, on the way we picked up Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator) and Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus).

Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) male before a bath.

Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) male after a bath.

We walked out onto the bridge below the dam and soon added Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and as it had warmed up nicely we also so a few butterflies including Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra), Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria), Common / Southern Blue (Polyommatus icarus / celina), both Small (Pieris rapae) and Large White (Pieris brassicae) along with Ramping Fumitory (Fumaria capreolata), Tassel Hyacinth (Leopoldia comosa) and Large Psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus).

Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris) male.

Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris) male.

We returned to the car and headed for La Caracola where we popped down to the hide and spent a couple of hours photographing the birds coming to the water there but only added Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), a couple of flyover Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) and a flyby Hawfinch (Picogordo / Coccotraustes coccotrauetes) which unfortunately did not come to the water.