Punta del Santo, Charca de Suarez and Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

Birding on the coast with friend Juan.

Ebird List for Punta del Santo.

Ebird List for Charca Suarez.

Audouin's Gull (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii).

I was up and out early as I was meeting good friend Juan Perez on the coast for a mornings birding, starting at Punta del Santo where we got the scopes set up and did a bit of a sea watch. 

Audouin's Gull (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii).

On the way down it was rather windy so I was very pleased to find it was quite calm at the watch point, I was a few minutes early but I was soon joined by Juan and Chika and we soon started to add a few species to the day list including 20x Balearic Shearwater (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus), 31x Northern Gannets (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus), 1x Great Skua (Págalo Grande / Stercorarius skua) which was bird of the day for Juan, Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis), Audouin's (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) along with 7 ducks which flew east but too far out to sea to be identified.

Balearic Shearwaters (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus).

Balearic Shearwaters (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus).

Other less pelagic species included Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis).

Just before 10.00 we left the beach, joined a few other people and went into Charca, our first stop was at Laguna del Alamo Blanco.

Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus).

We sat in the hide and a very smart pale morph Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus) came in and perched on one of the posts out in the water giving us very nice views, it was followed by another two pale morph birds along with a

Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus).

Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus).

Other species were  Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Common Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), White Wagtail, Cetti's Warbler and Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild).

Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus).

We moved on and checked the hide at the Northern end of Laguna Taraje adding Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), a calling Sedge Warbler (Carricerin Común / Acrocephalus schoenobaenus), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) before walking towards the hide overlooking Laguna de la Caña de Azucar, on the way we saw or heard Siskin (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus), Penduline Tit (Pájaro Moscón / Remiz pendulinus), Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala).

Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus).

We didn't see anything new from the small hide so moved on to the main hide at Laguna de las Aneas, the light was bad but there were plenty of birds which included Little (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) and Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Night Heron (Marinete Común / Nycticorax nycticorax), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus), Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Red-knobbed Coot (Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata), Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Great Cormorant, Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) and Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis).

Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta).

Around at the hide on Northern end of Laguna del Treból where we had another calling Sedge Warbler, lots more Red-knobbed Coot, Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi), Stripe-less Tree Frog (Hyla meridionalis) and several Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria).

Mediterranean Chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon).

As we walked back around to the Laguna de las Aneas hide we saw Mediterranean Chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon) and on our way back around to the other hide at Laguna Taraje and back to Alamo Blanca we picked up Monarch (Danaus plexippus) x3, Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta), Swallowtail (Papilio machaon), 3x Vagrant Emperors (Anax ephippiger), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) and 2x Little Ringed Plovers (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius). 

Mediterranean Chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon).

We made our way to the Exit but had to hang around for a while until Pepe arrived to let us out but in the mean time Beatriz arrived and we had a chat through the gate before we were released and we headed off.

Looking west as the sun drops below Hacho.

Later in the day I went for a walk down onto the fields just before dark but the only species of interest were the 2 Black-winged Kites (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) and a passing flock of 39 Golden Plovers (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia).