Cacín Valley, Balsa de Regidor and Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

Out a bit further afield on the Patch.

Ebird List for Contra Embalse de Bermejalis.

Ebird List for Balsa de Rigedor.

Looking South over the Reed Bed.

I couldn't make my mind up whether to go up the Sierra de Loja or down the Cacín Valley but seeing the frozen puddles on my way down to Huétor I decided on the Cacín as I though the road up the Sierra might be a tad dodgy so I made my way down to the Contra Embalse de Bermejalis, just before I left the house I had 3 Siskins (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus) land in the fig tree.

The nice new road surface on the GR-4303 down through El Turro to Cacín made the drive a whole lot easier and quicker so I was soon at the parking slot beside the Embales and birding, on the water there were good but smaller than usual numbers of Duck including Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) and Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata).

Looking to the Northern end of the Embalse.

Also on and over the water I added Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo) and in the reeds there were smaller birds which included Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Reed Bunting (Escribano Palustre / Emberiza schoeniclus) x2, Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and White Wagtails (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

Male Desert Darter (Sympetrum sinaiticum).

I decided to walk around the edge of the Embalse through the woods and then on the road getting as far as the dam, on the way I saw Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Thekla (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) and Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Song (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos) and Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus), 2x Small White (Pieris rapae) and a surprise male Desert Darter (Sympetrum sinaiticum).

I walked back to the car and then drove back up the valley to El Turro and the out onto the fields to the north of there but it was extremely and I only added Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and another couple of Little Owls.

I dropped through the site and crossed the motorway and went to the Balsa de Regidor where i saw more Common Pochards, Northern Shovelers, Mallards, Little Grebes, Eurasian Coot, Common Moorhens, Great Cormorants, Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula) but nothing else new.

The Sierra Nevada from the fields near Moraleda de Zafayona.

I made my way back towards the fields near to the house and came into them from the Mesia road where I checked the Irrigation Channels and found a Jack Snipe (Agachadiza Chica / Lymnocriptes minimus) along with 2 Common Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago) and a couple of Black-winged Kites (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus).