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Thursday 2 March 2023

El Temple, Cacín Valley and Sierra de Loja, Granada Province, Spain.

Out on the Plain, along the Valley and up the Hill.

Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius).

Steve and I headed out East along the A92 and then on to the fields, on the way there we had two Black-winged Kites (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus), one near the junction at exit 225 and another a bit nearer to the fields.
Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).
Once we were out on to the fields we picked up Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra) and Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).
Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).
As we dropped down on to the road we added Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), a male Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), Calandra Lark (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra) and on another nearby track we picked up 14 Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Ganga Ortega / Pterocles orientalis) and our 3rd Black-winged Kite which flew in landed in a small Almond tree for a few seconds and then flew off before either of us reached the cameras which should have been with us, Muppets.
Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops).
Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops).
We returned to the main road and then onto more tracks finding more Great Spotted Cuckoo's which we spent quite a while trying to photograph, Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), 10+ Hoopoes (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), a Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) and 2x Long-eared Owls (Búho Chico / Asio otus) which we dropped on luckily as we searched for more Cuckoo's.
Sierra Nevada from El Temple.
As we headed off the site we saw Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and a couple of male Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus).
Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).
Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).
Steve decided that he wanted to spend the afternoon up on Sierra de Loja so we headed back to the motorway getting views of yet another Black-winged Kite on the way.
Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica).
Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica).
Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica).
Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica).
Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica).
Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica).
We went up the Sierra via the town and then drove out as far as the Casilla del Buitre where we turned around, on the way out we had 2x Golden Eagles (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), another Little Owl which was sat on a track side rock pile and a sizeable herd of Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica) which behaved very well for the camera.
Three-leaved Crocus (Colchicum triphyllum).
Narcissus bugei.
Sierra Nevada Crocus (Crocus nevadensis).
At the furthest point we had several Rabbits (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus), a passing Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus), Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) and as we dropped back down to Charca del Negro a couple of pairs of Black Wheatears (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura) and a good number of Three-leaved Crocus (Colchicum triphyllum).
On the crags around the Charca we found a couple of
Sierra Nevada Crocus (Crocus nevadensis) and quite a few flowering Narcissus bugei.
The Moon from the lower Crags.
As we continued on down we added 2x Small Coppers (Lycaena phlaeas), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia) and down near the motorway several spikes of Giant Orchid (Himanthoglosum Robertiana).
Later we went down to La Fabrica and in to Jose's bar for some food and a few drinks.

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