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Monday 11 April 2022

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 corceua), 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.

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