Huétor Fields, El Temple area, Cacín Valley and Huétor Fields and Near Huétor Tajar, Granada Province, Spain.

Out on to the fields into the Valley with Bob.

Ebird List for El Temple.

Ebird List for Contraembalse de los Bermejalis.

Calandra Lark (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra).

We set off and headed down onto the fields near Huétor, on the way we started the list with Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and once on the fields we picked up the calling male Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), a distant Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator) and Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula).

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

We moved on and headed for the area called El Temple, on the way we saw Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica) and Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) before we hit the tracks.

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

On the first section we which had a few trees we saw Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Nightingale and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala).

Roller (Carraca / Coracias garrulus).

Once we were out on the more open area we were very pleased to find a good number of Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) along with 2x Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Ganga Ortega / Pterocles orientalis), plenty of Calandra (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra) and Greater Short-toed Lark (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla), Short-toed Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus) and Lesser Kestrel (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni) as well as Bath (Pontia daplidice) x6 and Small White (Pieris rapae) x8+, Clouded Yellow (Colias corceua) x4+ and Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) x2.

Whilst we were out on the area we watched a good number of Military type aircraft circle several times practicing for an upcoming event in Motril.

We dropped down off this section and as we were driving between spots we bumped into Good friend Juan Perez who was out for a bit of birding as well, after a chat we were on our way and the next species we connected with was a very smart looking Roller (Carraca / Coracias garrulus) which was followed by Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus) and Ocellated Lizard (Timon lepidus).

At this point we got a call from Juan to say he had relocated the female Red-footed Falcon (Cernícalo patirrojo / Falco vespertinus) and that there was a Hobby (Alcotán Europeo / Falco subbuteo) in the same area, so armed with some directions we went to the area and soon found Juan who said the Hobby had gone but both the Male and female Red-foots were in the area but distant.

Juan kindly let Bob and I have views of the cracking birds through his scope, they were some distance a way but with the scope they looked great as they hunted over an area of cereal fields and sat resting in the Olives which bordered the area, whilst in this area we also had Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus) and Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus).

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

After thanking Juan for the call and the use of his scope we headed off for some Lunch and the headed out to the Cacín Valley, on the way out there we saw European Bee-eater, lots more Turtle Doves which seem to be in very good numbers locally, Common Buzzard, Booted Eagle, Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), Melodious Warbler (Zarcero Común / Hippolais polyglotta) and Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae). 

Melodious Warbler (Zarcero Común / Hippolais polyglotta).

Along the Rio Cacín just out side the village we saw Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Golden Oriole, yet another Booted Eagle, Nightingale, Blackcap, Lang's Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous) x1, Clouded Yellow x2 and Small White x3 before heading up the Valley to the Contraembalse where we added Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Cetti's (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Reed (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus) and Great Reed Warbler (Carricero Tordal / Acrocephalus arundinaceus) which was a year tick, Iberian  Magpie, another Short-toed Eagle and a male Epaulet Skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens).

Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae).

Just before we were about to head off friends Jane and Bob pulled so we had a bit of a catch up before they headed off home and we made our way to a spot in the Pine woodlands a bit further up stream, here we picked up a single Honey Buzzard (Aberjero Europeo / Pernis apivorus), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata), Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Woodlark (Totovia / Lullula arborea), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra) and Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus).

Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae).

We moved up the Valley again to the cliffs below Moraleda were we looked for but missed Eurasian Eagle Owl (Búho Real / Bubo bubo) but we did pick up Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura) and Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius) before we headed for the Fields again adding Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus) and Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus).

Looking out towards Parapanda.

We returned to the house and spent a while sat out on the terrace even though it was raining at times.