Sierra de Loja, Granada Province, Spain.

A nice days birding with Jenny and John Wainwright, shame the weather didn't play nice.

I had some breakfast down in Huétor before picking friends Jenny and John up in Salar and we went up on to Sierra from their end, as we drove up through the Olives we came to an area of Gorse scrub where we started the list off with a smart male Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus) along with several Blackcaps (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) and Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs).

Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis).

We continued on up adding Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops).

Iberian Grey Shrikes (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis).

Once up on the tops we picked up the first of several Iberian Grey Shrikes (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis) as well as Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) and several Rabbits (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus).

Three-leaved Crocus (Colchicum triphyllum).

We went up over the top and around to Charca Negro and then out to the far Hawthorn area but at this point the weather started to deteriorate but we continued, on the way we saw lots of Broad-leaved Iris (Iris planifolia) and a few just about open Three-leaved Crocus (Colchicum triphyllum), we also Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) and Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos).

Broad-leaved Iris (Iris planifolia).

We didn't find any of the wished for Ring Ouzels (Mirlo Capiblanco / Turdus torquatus) or Alpine Accentor (Acentor Alpino / Prunella collaris) but did get a fly through Fieldfare (Zorzal Real / Turdus pilaris) before we decide to make our way down to lower levels hoping the weather.

Broad-leaved Iris (Iris planifolia).

On the way down we stopped in the Pine Woodlands and found Brambling (Pinzón Real / Fringilla montifringilla), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) and down by the side of the motorway we found a few spikes of Giant Orchid (Himanthoglosum Robertiana).

On our way back to Jenny and John's we picked up a couple of Common Buzzards (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) and Common Magpies (Urraca / Pica pica).