El Temple and the Cacín Valley, Granada Province, Spain.

Out birding with friends Barbara, Derek and Andy.

Ebird List for El Temple.

Ebird List for Cacín Road.

Ebird List for Contra-Embalse.

Ebird List for Moraleda fields.

Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius).

I met Barbara, Derek and Andy at the Cortijo de Tajar, after a coffee and some breakfast we headed out along the motorway and out onto the track on El Temple, on the Northern side of the area we started the list with several high lights including Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius), a cracking Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos) which gave us a great show even though it was getting hassle from a Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), Calandra Lark (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis) and several Western Dappled Whites (Euchloe crameri).

Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos).

Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos) and Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).

Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos).

On the southern side of the site we added Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Ganga Ortega / Pterocles orientalis) but they were heard only, another nice male Little Bustard, Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus), 2x Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), more Great Spotted Cuckoo's and whilst we were looking for them we stumbled upon a stunning Long-eared Owl (Búho Chico / Asio otus) but as it was obvious he knew we were there so we quickly took a couple of photographs from inside the car and moved on swiftly. 

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

Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).

Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius).

Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius).

After a coffee in a nearby bar we drove towards Cacín, on the way we picked up more Great Spotted Cuckoo's,  Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), a feeding flock of at least 7 Lesser Kestrels (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni) and a few Thekla Larks (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae).

Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) male.

Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) male.

We dropped down into the Cacín Valley and then drove North to the Contra-Embalse de Bermejalis where we spent some time scanning the Lake and margins finding Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), 3x Water Rails (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus), 4x Black-winged Stilts (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), 3x Green Sandpipers (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), a male Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), a calling Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and several Vagrant Emperors (Anax ephippiger).

Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops).

Long-eared Owl (Búho Chico / Asio otus).

Again we moved on and headed up onto the fields near to Moraleda and during the drive through the area we picked up yet another Great Spotted Cuckoo, 5x Calandra Larks and 3x Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) which were roosting under some largish Olive trees.

Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus).

Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus).

Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus).

We returned to the hotel and we all headed back off after a drink out on the terrace at the Cortijo.