Cerro Hacho, Loja, Granada Province, Spain.

A walk around the lower loop of Hacho.

Ebird List.

Almond blossom with a nice blue sky as a back ground.

I parked near the puddle above the quarry and did a loop on the lower track, bird species seen included Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), Coal (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater), Crested (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus), Blue  (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) and a very rapid flyover by a hunting Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus).

Somber Bee Orchid (Ophrys fusca / foresteri).

Giant Orchid (Himanthoglosum Robertiana).

On the stretch along the side of the Quarry there were 50 or so spikes of Somber Bee Orchids (Ophrys fusca / foresteri) in flower along with a couple of early Giant Orchid (Himanthoglosum Robertiana) and in the row of flowering Almond trees I picked up a pair of Hawfinches (Picogordo / Coccotraustes coccotrauetes), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Brambling (Pinzón Real / Fringilla montifringilla), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and a few Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos).

Hawfinch (Picogordo / Coccotraustes coccotrauetes).

Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris).

Down in the Quarry there were males of both Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura) and Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) as well as a small group of 5 Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica).

Siskin (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus) male.

Siskin (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus) male.

Siskin (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus) male.

Siskin (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus) male.

I walked back up from the road towards the car and the ground was carpeted with hundreds of Broad-leaved Iris (Iris planifolia) with flowers varying from deep purple through different shades of blue, there were also good numbers of white flowered plants scattered through the populations.

Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra).

Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra).

Once I was back at the car I moved it into a spot near the puddle and used it to photograph some drinking Common Crossbills and Siskin (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus) before heading home later.

Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus).