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Saturday 5 November 2022

Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

A set of five Raptors on the Fields.
Ebird List.

female / immature Merlin (Esmerejón / Falco columbarius)
I did the usual walk but kept going out as far as the road to Mesia, along the Lucerne Fields I was very pleased to see a female / immature Merlin (Esmerejón / Falco columbarius) which was hunting Meadow Pipits (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis).
Female / immature Merlin (Esmerejón / Falco columbarius).

Other highlights seen were
Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Northern Goshawk (Azor Común / Accipitor gentillis), 1x immature Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata), Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius) and Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).
Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).

 

Friday 4 November 2022

Santo Domingo de Silos, Burgos Province, Spain.

A walk around the Village.

Hummingbird Hawkmoth (Macroglossum stellatarum).
After the visit to the Bakery I went for a walk around the village including, it was quiet but I did see a Hummingbird Hawkmoth (Macroglossum stellatarum) and lots of Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).
Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

 

Thursday 3 November 2022

Santo Domingo de Silos area, Burgos Province, Spain.

A looped walk out towards La Yecla and back.
Ebird List.

Coal Tit  (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater).
As usual we started the day by going down to the Bakery, from there I did a walk out along the road towards La Yecla and then back to town along the Rio Mataviejas through the Allotments.
Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus).
Highlights included Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), 2x Red Kites (Milano Real / Milvus milvus), Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus), Coal (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater) and Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Dunnock (Acentor Común / Prunella modularis), Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus) and Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).

Wednesday 2 November 2022

Sad Hill, Santo Domingo de Silos, Burgos Province, Spain.

A walk around a special Place for me.

Santi and I headed up to the Sad Hill Cemetery, on the way we could see the devastation the fire earlier in the year had caused, it tore through the area but started quite a way up the valley towards Lerma, I was pleased to see it did not reach the Cemetery.
Alpine Gentian (Gentiana alpina).
Alpine Gentian (Gentiana alpina) and Hoverfly sp.
Alpine Gentian (Gentiana alpina).
We walked around for an hour or so finding lots of what looked like Alpine Gentian (Gentiana alpina) but they were flowering much later than down in the south in Sierra Nevada.




Other species seen were lots of Song (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos) and Mistle Thrushes (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Redwing (Zorzal Alirrojo / Turdus illacus), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei) and Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis).
One of the local Hounds outside the Bakery.
During the evening we again went down to the Bar and had a drink.

 

Tuesday 1 November 2022

Around Santo Domingo de Silos, Burgos Province, Spain.

Another walk around a different part of the Silos area.
 
A view to the Monastery.

Again I picked up a few species in the garden including Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei), Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus), Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) and Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor).
The Gorge.
As yesterday we went down to the Bakery and saw the ladies before dropping back down to the Camping area and the walked out to the gorge along the Rio Mataviejas where we saw Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), 2x Iberian Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) and Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui).

Monday 31 October 2022

Around Santo Domingo de Silos, Burgos Province, Spain.

Santi's Garden and a walk along the Rio Mataviejas late.
Ebird List.

We had a quiet morning, I checked the birds in the garden finding Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Dunnock (Acentor Común / Prunella modularis), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula) and lots of flyover Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).
During the morning we went down to the bakery, had a chat with the two ladies and then went for a walk down along the Rio but as it was quite cloudy and looked like rain I didn't take the camera, which was typical as we saw some interesting species which included Dunnock, Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Great Spotted (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major) and Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei) HO, 2x Red Kites (Milano Real / Milvus milvus), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and both Rock (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia) and Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus).
During the evening we again popped down to Silos, had a beer and met a friend of Santi's called Maria. 

Sunday 30 October 2022

La Yecla, Santo Domingo de Silos, Burgos Province, Spain.

Travelling North to Santi's.
Ebird List.

I set off early heading North via Madrid, on the way I saw Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) and Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis).
Just South of Madrid I pulled off the Motorway and did a short drive over some fields where I regularly stop on the way up North, unfortunately it was a Sunday and the Scum with Guns were out and everything was in the air and continually being flushed but I did manage to see 3x Great Bustards (Avutarda Común / Otis tarda), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and as I went further North I saw several Red Kites (Milano Real / Milvus milvus).
I continued on and made a quick stop just before La Yecla on the roadside at a puddle where I watched birds come into drink, these included Redwing (Zorzal Alirrojo / Turdus illacus), Song (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos) and Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Blue (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus) and Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki).
At La Yecla I did a short walk and added Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes) and Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).
I arrived at Santi's and we spent some time chatting before going down to the Gregorian Chants and then out for a drink.