El Temple, Cacín Valley and Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

After staying local I ventured out a bit further to the far end of the Patch.

 

Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis).

I got up early and was out on the fields of the El Temple area just as it was getting light and I started my list on a track to some Olive Oil pools finding Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) and a nice male Hen Harrier (Aguilucho Pálido / Circus cyaneus).

Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis).

Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis).

I dropped back to the road and went a bit further before taking another one of the many track, along here I found Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Crested (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Calandra (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra) and Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Spotless (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and Common Starling (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Mistle (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus) and Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos),  Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), on a chainlink fence I saw House (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Rock (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia) and Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) and a Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus).

Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo).

Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo).

I moved off the site heading for the Cacín Valley via another set of tracks and was pleased to get views of two different Merlins (Esmerejón / Falco columbarius), the first was a low flying male and the second a larger female which was perched on a fence post before flying off low in pursuit of a small passerine, probably a Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis).

One of two late Barn Swallows (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica).

On my way to the Cacín Valley I had Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax) and Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae)in the hills and Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Long-tailed (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus) and Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) along the Rio Cacín near the village.

Male Desert Darter (Sympetrum sinaiticum).

I dropped South down the Valley adding Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius) and Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) before heading back North to the Contra- Embalse where I boosted the list with Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), 2x Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera) a species I don't often see here, Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), flyover Siskins (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus), 2x Barn Swallows (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) and an immature Northern Goshawk (Azor Común / Accipitor gentillis) which flew the full length of the lake upsetting everything and perched in a Pine tree on the opposite bank for a moment.

Desert Orange-tip (Colotis evagore) male.

Desert Orange-tip (Colotis evagore) female.

My next stop was just down the road at the bridge over the Cacín where I did a walk to the fence near the Dam for the Embalse, on the way I saw Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Coal Tit  (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater) as well as Red-veined Darters (Sympetrum fonscolombii) x4, a male Desert Darter (Sympetrum sinaiticum) x1 and Desert Orange-tip (Colotis evagore) x4.

Golden Plover (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia).

I made a brief stop at the crags below Moraleda where I had a Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura) right up on the top rocks before heading out onto the Fields nearby and finding 2x Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Ganga Ortega / Pterocles orientalis), Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata) and a small flock of Common Waxbills (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild).

Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax).

Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax).

I called in at Balsa de Rigedor but did not find anything new so I pushed on to my last stop which was my usual patch around the Lucerne fields where I found Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), a single Golden Plover (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia), Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus), Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago) and a Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) before heading home with a total of 80 species on the bird list.