Moraleda Fields, El Temple and the Cacín Valley, Granada Province, Spain.

Out on the Steppe and down into the Valley.

Pam and John, Day Five.

 

Greater Short-toed Lark (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla).

We headed out earlier today as we knew the heat would get a bit oppressive, on the way out on to the fields near Moraleda we heard and saw Greater Short-toed (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla) and Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica) and futher out into the main area of cereal fields a Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris),a pale morph Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus) and a youngster from on of the families of Rock Pile Little Owls (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).

We dropped down off the site and headed towards Chimeneas, on the way we stopped on the roadside where we saw another Little Owl, Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Bath White (Pontia daplidice), Clouded Yellow (Colias corceua) and Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris).

We continued on and took to the El Temple fields but even this early it was getting warm, we did see and hear Short-toed Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus), Roller (Carraca / Coracias garrulus), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and best of all a Common Quail (Codorniz Común / Coturnix coturnix) which flew up from the edge of one of the cereal fields.

Our next stop was at the bar in Ventas de Huelma before we crossed the ridge over to Cacín and then drove norh to the Contra-embalse, on the way there we added Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) and another Roller.

The water level at the Embalse was very low so there were a small number of waders including Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius) and Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) as well as Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) and Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus).

Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus).

We made our last stop of the day as it was quite hot now just down the road by the river, as we walked we checked the Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus) nest which was right on the roadside and the male was sitting nicely, we also saw Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Coal Tit  (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla) and Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla) before we returned to the house and saw a nice male Epaulet Skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens) on the garden pool.