Cacín Valley and El Temple, Granada Province, Spain.

Back out into the field with Graham.

Ebird List for El Temple.

Just a little bit of snow left on the Hill.

I was up and around earlier than planned so I did a few bits and as I did I saw and heard Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) and several extremely noisy Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus).

Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirundo daurica).

I met Graham up at the Cortijo and after we had breakfast we headed out to Moraleda and then out on to the fields where we had good views of a Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirundo daurica) which sat nicely in the early morning sun, Crested (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Thekla (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) and Greater Short-toed Lark (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei), Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius) heard only, Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) and Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica).

Short-toed Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus) immature.

We dropped down off the very dusty, dry fields and into the Cacín Valley where we parked in amongst the Pines and had a walk across the road to a spot where we could scan the slopes over the valley, whilst there we saw and heard Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus), Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus), Woodlark (Totovia / Lullula arborea), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Coal Tit  (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater), Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli) and Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla).

Red-throated Pipit (Anthus cervinus / Bisbita Gorgirrojo).

A little further down the valley we stopped again and checked the more mixed woodland out Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), a drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major) and a soaring Short-toed Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus).

Red-throated Pipit (Anthus cervinus / Bisbita Gorgirrojo).

Just up the road we made another stop over looking the Contra Embalse, the water level was quite a lot higher than on my last visit but there was still a single Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus) heard only, Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Reed (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus) and Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) and Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur).

Red-throated Pipit (Anthus cervinus / Bisbita Gorgirrojo).

We drove further down the valley and tried to get down to the gorge but there was a large digger blocking the road so we turned around and went into the village for a coffee adding White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and then up on to the ridge and to the watch point.

Red-throated Pipit (Anthus cervinus / Bisbita Gorgirrojo).

We spent sometime scanning the ridges picking up several more Short-toed, a couple of Booted (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus) and a single Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos) and Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo).

While we were there I got a phone call from friend Juan Perez but the signal at the spot was really bad so I could not pick it up until quite a way down the road towards and then I saw that he had found a flock of 5 summer plumage Red-throated Pipit (Anthus cervinus / Bisbita Gorgirrojo) and the spot was only just up the road, so after getting a sandwich to take away we made our way to the area and with the directions received we were soon watching the superb Pipit.

Red-throated Pipit (Anthus cervinus / Bisbita Gorgirrojo).

At first there was just one but after watching this stunning bird for a couple of minutes the other four suddenly came into view and walked past us but unfortunately they were always behind a chain-link fence in a private area.

After the birds had all walked passed we dropped down to the nearby ruin where we had good views of a pair of Rollers (Carraca / Coracias garrulus) before sitting in the shade to eat our sandwich before heading out along several more tracks, as we went we saw Calandra Lark (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator) but little else.

Roller (Carraca / Coracias garrulus).

By now it was getting extremely hot so we decided to head off the fields to have a look at a nearby Cortijo for some Lesser Kestrel (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni) but not before having to change another tyre after getting a second puncture in two days, once we reached the Cortijo we had views of both male and female Lesser Kestrels before heading into the city where I dropped Graham as close to his hotel as I could.

I returned home via the tyre Guys again but this time I was not so lucky as it was a new tyre not a repair, them's the breaks.