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Saturday 26 February 2022

Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

A late afternoon walk under threatening Skies but I knew I would regret not taking the Camera.
Ebird List.

I parked at usual spot and walked out around the Lucerne Fields, I then took the track along the Arroyo from the Walnut trees, went under the road bridge and on as far as the Railway line.
High Lights were my first Jack Snipe (Agachadiza Chica / Lymnocriptes minimus) of the year which flushed up from the drainage channel to the left of the track, the Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) which sat really nicely in one of the Walnut trees allowing me to walk up to it along the track and on the far section the biggest surprise was a stunning adult male Penduline Tit (Pájaro Moscón / Remiz pendulinus) in its full breeding colours, the first record for me of this species on the Patch.
I was right that I was going to regret not taking the Camera, the Kites sat brilliantly as did the Penduline. The full list of 47 species can be seen on the link above.

Friday 25 February 2022

Punta del Santo, Los Moriscos Club de Golf and Playa Granada, Motril, Granada Province, Spain.

A bit of Sea Watching and a walk around the Golf Course area.
 
Ebird List for Punta del Santo.
Ebird List for Golf Los Moriscos.
Ebird List for back of Golf Course.
Ebird List for Playa Granada.

Mediterranean Gull (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus).
I drove down to the coast to meet up with Juan for a bit of sea watching at Punta del Santo, I arrived a little late due to having to go through a Guardia Civil road block but after presenting all my papers I was on my way after about 10 minutes.
Audouin's Gull (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii).
Juan, Olivia and Vanessa were already there, so I got set up and started to scan for Sea Birds but at this point it was rather quite but we had a few Balearic Shearwaters (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus), Northern Gannets (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus), a single Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Audouin's (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii), Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), several Sandwich Terns (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis) and a pair of Little Ringed Plovers (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius) which flew passed out to sea.
Balearic Shearwater (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus).
In the same area we also saw Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Grey (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).
Monarch (Danaus plexippus).
Olivia and Vanessa headed off and Juan and I walked around to the Golf Course where we checked the pools and the reed beds and the first bird we heard was a singing Sedge Warbler (Carricerin Común / Acrocephalus schoenobaenus), which was followed by Barn Swallows (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Crag (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and Sand Martin (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), 2x Hoopoes (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Common Chiffchaffs (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) and a good number of Meadow Pipits (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis).
Monarch (Danaus plexippus).
We were joined by Beatriz and Chika before we walked further around the paths adding 3x
Cirl Buntings (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus) which was a species Juan had not seen in the area before. We also added a few butterfly species including 2 Monarchs (Danaus plexippus), Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) and Small White (Pieris rapae). 
Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui).
Plants seen included Common Fumitory (Fumaria officinalis), Ramping Fumitory (Fumaria capreolata), Purple Bugloss (Echium plantagineum), Pitch Trefoil (Psoralea bituminosa), Hollow Stemmed Asphodel (Asphodelus fistulosus), Common Vetch (Vicia sativa) and Bermuda Buttercup (Oxalis pes-caprae).
Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui).
We looped back around to Playa Granada and sat on the benches there for a while seeing lots of movement including lots of Sandwich Terns, Balearic Shearwaters and Northern Gannets.
We walked back along the beach towards the cars, on the way we were scanning the sea and added 2x Scopoli’s Shearwaters (Calonectris diomedea) and a fast flying Arctic Skua (Págalo Parásito / Stercorarius parasiticus) which passed of West. We returned to the cars and then I headed off home.

Thursday 24 February 2022

Cerro Hacho, Loja, Granada Province, Spain.

A sit by the Puddle and later a walk.

Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra) female.
I parked next to the puddle but there were not many birds around but I did see a couple of female type Common Crossbills (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra) and the two usual Red Squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris), one of which came for a drink.
Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra) female.
Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata).
As it was so quiet I went for a walk around the lower loop, there were a few butterflies including 2x
Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) x5, Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus) x5, Large (Pieris brassicae) x1 and Small White (Pieris rapae), Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) x1 and Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera) x1, I also flushed up a single 6719 Nomophila noctuella (Rush Veneer) x1.
Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris).

Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris).

Birds included Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Brambling (Pinzón Real / Fringilla montifringilla), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Blue (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Long-tailed (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Dartford (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).
Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus).
Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas).
Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera).
As I walked I also saw
Giant (Himanthoglosum Robertiana) and Somber Bee Orchids (Ophrys fusca / foresteri), Amethyst Toadflax (Linaria amethystea), Field marigold (Calendula arvensis) and Erophila verna.
6719 Nomophila noctuella (Rush Veneer).

 

Wednesday 23 February 2022

Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

A short walk along the Lucerne Fields.

Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) x8.
I need to have a walk so I went down to the fields and just did the first part along the now dry Arroyo Vilano and the Lucerne fields. 
The only birds of note were the 9 Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) which had been flushes by dogs a couple of days ago but today I couldn't see the course of there flight but at least today they circled back around and settled straight into the Lucerne and disappeared completly.
I returned home and later had a short stretch of the legs outside the house hearing Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Little (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) and Eurasian Eagle Owl (Búho Real / Bubo bubo) and also saw that the two male Black Redstarts (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) which were roosting under the porched had been joined by a female.

Tuesday 22 February 2022

El Temple and Bobadilla, Granada Province, Spain.

A bit of birding on my way to get some Logs in Bobadilla.

I drove towards Granada to get a boot load of logs so did not take my birding kit with but decided to take a route which went via part of the El Temple area and used my spare bins which I always keep in the car.
I parked at the crossroads at the middle of the site where I had views of Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), calling Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Calandra (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis) and Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius).
I moved just along the road to another high spot where I saw 2 Black-winged Kites (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa) and Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).
I crossed the valley and took another track back towards Chimenears, as I crossed a area of cereal fields I added a couple of Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Ganga Ortega / Pterocles orientalis) and distant views of an immature Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti) as it flew along the horizon.
I went ack to the A92 and to Bobadilla where I went to the wood yard where I saw several Monk Parakeets (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus) and a small flock of Common Waxbills (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild).

Monday 21 February 2022

Huétor Fields, Cacín Valley and back Huétor Fields, Granada

Out and about with Barbara, Barbara, Derek and Jerry.
Ebird List from Derek Etherton.
 
Very distant Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti) Photo Derek Etherton.
We all met at the Cortijo de Tajar and after a coffee we headed out to the furthest point of our days birding which took us to Ventas de Huélma where we started off well with a very distant immature Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti) along the road to Cacín, I suspect it was one of the birds from the El Temple area as it flew off in that direction.
Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius), Photo Derek Etherton.


Along the same road we had the first of a good number of Great Spotted Cuckoo's (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), several Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) which we kept adding to all along the valley, the first female Hen Harrier (Aguilucho Pálido / Circus cyaneus) of the day and at the view point near the Cortijo further along the road an immature Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos), Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis) and Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae).
Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius), Photo Derek Etherton.
We drove on towards Cacín seeing a Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) which had been around for a while, Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Rock Dove (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Bath (Pontia daplidice) and Small White (Pieris rapae).
Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos).
We went through the village and took the road south to the Roman bridge where we had good numbers of Song Thrushes (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Blackbirds (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and a couple of Mistle Thrushes (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Jackdaws (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), some Crag Martins (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).
Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus).
As we crossed the bridge we had a Bonelli's Eagle (Aguila Perdicera / Aquila faciatus) fly south and a Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) over head.
We turned around and headed back North, Barbara and I were in the front  car and missed a Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura) which crossed the road behid us but whilst Derek, Barbara and Jerry were watching it we had Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), 2 Jays (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius) and a Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia).
Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius).
We pushed on North to the Contra Embalse where we saw 3 more Marsh Harriers, a couple more Buzzards, Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).
Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius).
We moved just up the road to the bridge over the Rio Cacín where we parked and looked from the bridge first adding Redwings (Zorzal Alirrojo / Turdus illacus), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla), Coal (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Blue (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus) and Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus) and Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita).
Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae).
Up the road we again stopped in the pine woods and spent a while waiting to see what came passed and we added
Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Lophophanes cristatus), Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula).
Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus).
We made a brief stop at Moraleda Cliffs but did not add anything so we went up onto the fields nearby and took to the tracks again, as we drove we had 2x flying Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) but they were only heard, a single Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), 2 more female type Hen Harriers and Marsh Harriers which just kept popping up all over place today and the last of several Great Spotted Cuckoo's.
Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus).
Barbara swapped back into the other car and we all headed off after a really good days birding, I stopped off on the fields on my way back home as I felt like I needed a walk, along the Lucerne Fields I picked up another Black-winged Kite, Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) and a Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae). 

Sunday 20 February 2022

El Purche, Sierra Nevada, Granada Province, Spain.

A really nice mornings walk with Beatriz, Juan and Chika.
Ebird List by Juan.

Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica).
I met Beatriz, Juan and Chika near the Camping site at El Purche and we walked up towards the site but took a turn to the right and went up on to a neaby hill side with some ice views out towards Granada.
Later we walked the usual track to the crags and then down through the Hawthorn scrub and through the fruit and Walnut trees.
Three-leaved Crocus (Colchicum triphyllum).
High Lights were Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei), Woodlark (Totovia / Lullula arborea), Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata), Redwing (Zorzal Alirrojo / Turdus illacus) x12, Ring Ouzel (Mirlo Capiblanco / Turdus torquatus) x3, Hawfinch (Picogordo / Coccotraustes coccotrauetes) x4, good numbers of Cirl (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus), Corn (Triguero / Emberiza calandra) and Rock Buntings (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia) but birds of the day were a flock of 15 or so Alpine Accentors (Acentor Alpino / Prunella collaris) which flew along the crags calling.
Three-leaved Crocus (Colchicum triphyllum).

Beatriz also found a couple of spikes of the uncommon and beautiful Three-leaved Crocus (Colchicum triphyllum), there were also lots of flowering plants of Stinking Hellebore (Helleborus foetidus) and early in the walk we had a nice group of Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica).
Hide on the right and Partridge behind the cut plants ust to the left.
We had a really nice walk and saw some nice species, the only down side was seeing a hunter set up with a Hide and caged Red-legged Partridge which he hid with plants ready to shoot the attracted birds, Very Sad and not sure how leagal it is these days ?????