Belchite, Zaragoza and heading South, Spain.

Starting the trip back South.

Ebird List for Belchite.

Way marker with the bird everyone wants, we didn't find it but we weren't confident as it was too late in the year for the bird to be calling.

We were up and out of the accommodation early and on our way down to the well known reserve of El Planerón on the plains near to Belchite, on the way we saw Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) and Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax).

Mediterranean / Lesser Short-toed Lark (Terrera Marismena / Calandrella rufescens).

Mediterranean / Lesser Short-toed Lark (Terrera Marismena / Calandrella rufescens).

We arrived in the area and as we approached the turn off onto the dirt tracks we passed a couple of small raodside pools adding Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster) and Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis).

Greater Short-toed Lark (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla).

Mediterranean / Lesser Short-toed Lark (Terrera Marismena / Calandrella rufescens).

We turned off the road and parked almost straight away and just after we got out of the cars we had the first of several Mediterranean / Lesser Short-toed Larks (Terrera Marismena / Calandrella rufescens) as well as Greater Short-toed (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla) and Calandra (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra), 2 distant Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Ganga Ortega / Pterocles orientalis) with 2 more at least being heard later, we also heard Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (Ganga Ibérica / Pterocles alchata) at least 3 times but could not locate the birds, Booted (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus) and Short-toed Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus), Black-eared Wheatear (Collalba Rubia / Oenanthe hispanica), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), a calling Western Orphean Warbler (Curruca Mirlona / Sylvia hortensis) which was heard over the road in some Almond trees and just as we were leaving a Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius) did a flyby.

Ricky off for a stroll.

Some tracks in the Mud, don't what made them yet.

As we drove around the rest of the site we did pick up Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Black Kite, our first Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus) of the trip, Bath White (Pontia daplidice), Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera) and a good number of Rabbits (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus).

Defiantly seemed to be more agricultural and less wild areas since my last visit.

Bath White (Pontia daplidice).

The rain started to fall so we started off South for our overnight stop in Horche, near Guadalajara, on the way we made a stop at the Civil War ruins in Belchite and picked up Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus) and as we drove down the A2 at KM263 / 4 I saw a big raptor which turned out to be a very smart Cinereous / European Black Vulture (Buitre Negro / Aegypius monachus).

The Storms starting to build again.

Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans).

We arrived and checked in at the Hotel, wouldn't go there again as there were a few problems with the food and the bill but it did the job for one night.