Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

A short walk on the patch.

Ebird List for Lucerne Fields.

Ebird List for Town Fields.

Not feeling great but going down the fields with a hot coffee in the travel mug Deb and Ian gave me as a present back in Australia made it better.

I was still not feeling 100% so I didn't go far but felt I needed a walk so I just popped down to the fields but there was nothing exciting.

The distant Sierra Nevada with a bit of Snow.

The Lucerne fields.

Species seen included Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Merlin (Esmerejón / Falco columbarius), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Common Starling (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris), Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), a small flock of Siskin (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus) and a couple of Small Whites (Pieris rapae).

Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis).

Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina).

On the way back I popped into Mercodona and picked up a few bit and then stopped on the fields near the town finding 12 Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), 35 or so Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) and 60 odd Northern Lapwings.

Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus).

 

Zapata, Alhaurín de la Torre in Malaga Province, Spain.

Plant shopping down on the coast.

Ebird List for Zapata.

The nice peaceful weir before the photographer arrived and flushed everything.

I was feeling somewhat better than I had for the last few days so I went down the coast and met friends Barbara and Derek near the village of Zapata and then we went and spent a nice hour just sat at the side of the Rio Guadalhorce just above the ford where there is a broken concrete weir and waited to see what arrived and left as the sun came up, Common (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) and Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) were the only waders but we also had Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Night Heron (Marinete Común / Nycticorax nycticorax), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus), Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis), Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti).

Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) before the sun came over the trees.

RANT:

We were having a very pleasant time watching some nice birds until an inconsiderate asshole of a photographer just walked straight out in front of us onto the concrete weir flushing everything with out saying a word and set up his hide and the walked back again to chat with a friend who had also arrived.

I couldn't believe this tosser was just so blatantly oblivious to us and to the disturbance he had caused to the feeding birds, total P****K.

RANT OVER:

Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) after the sun came over the trees.

We gave up at this spot as everything had been flushed and went down to the Ford and across to a large drainage channel nearby where Derek and I had a walk checking the reeds and the gaps in between them, here we added Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Common Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Hobby (Alcotán Europeo / Falco subbuteo), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala).

Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta).

We continued on around the site to the reed filled channel near the back of the airport and checked the small cutting made by the ringer through the reeds and found at least 3 male Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis).

Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis).

We left the site across a track I had not used before and picked up Spotless (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and Common Starling (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) and lots more Black Redstarts on the way back to my car. 

Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis).

The next stop was at a cafe near by where we had coffee and a Bacon and Egg Mollete before going to the Guzman Garden Center where I got a nice selection of plants for the garden.

Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) female.

I said bye to Barbara and Derek and headed home and crashed for the rest of the day as I was not fully over the bug unfortunately.

Near Huétor Tajar, Granada Province, Spain.

Moth Records for the 10th Dec 23. 

4x 2Watt LED lights.

 

7694 Agriopis bajaria.

Dave and I headed up to Hacho but I was not on top form and felt rough due to the growing cold, however we made it around three of the four traps before I had to do a runner as the next stage of this bug showed up.

7694 Agriopis bajaria.

8944 Autophila dilucida.

8610x Chesias rufata agg (Broom-tip agg).

9725 Polymixis flavicincta (Large Ranunculus).

The numbers of moths in the traps was far better than I had expected and with Dave working through them the species total grew quite nicely and included 0735 Eriocottis paradoxella x1, 1695 Agonopterix thapsiella x1, 3503 Mirificarma interrupta x1, 6619 Uresiphita gilvata x1, 6719 Nomophila noctuella (Rush Veneer) x1, 7691 Chemerina caliginearia x36, 7694 Agriopis bajaria x2, 8328 Nebula ibericata x3, 8376 Colostygia multistrigaria olbiaria (Mottled Grey) x64, 8610x Chesias rufata agg (Broom-tip agg) x3, 8944 Autophila dilucida x1, 9522 Callopistria latreillei (Latreille's Latin) x3, 9651 Aporophyla nigra (Black Rustic) x3, 9565 Agrochola lychnidis (Beaded Chestnut) x12, 9684 Allophyes alfaroi x23, 9699 Dryobotodes eremita (Brindled Green) x1, 9714 Ammopolia witzenmanni x1, 9725 Polymixis flavicincta (Large Ranunculus) x8, 10035 Mythimna unipuncta (White Speck) x2, 10226 Cerastis faceta x12 and 10351 Agrotis segetum (Turnip Moth) x1.

8376 Colostygia multistrigaria olbiaria (Mottled Grey).

6619 Uresiphita gilvata.

9725 Polymixis flavicincta (Large Ranunculus).

Whilst we were there we also headed and saw Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus), Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala).

7691 Chemerina caliginearia.

9699 Dryobotodes eremita (Brindled Green).

We finished the Moths off and released everything before we headed to the house, Dave packed his stuff and then headed off for a nights Mothing in Sierra Nevada and I popped into Loja and then back home and to Bed.

9714 Ammopolia witzenmanni.

1695 Agonopterix thapsiella.

3503 Mirificarma interrupta.

Huétor Fields and Hacho, Granada Province, Spain.

Out and about with Dave on the patch.

I had a bad night as I had started to develop a cough which was getting worse but we still decided to head out for a walk on the fields, we parked at the Walnut trees as it was quite muddy where I usually park.

Main species seen included Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis) and Small White (Pieris rapae).

One of four of Dave's Traps.

We returned to the house and did some Laptop work before going up to Hacho to set 4 LED traps and then later we went down to 3 Calle's for some food and a beer, by know my cough was driving me nuts and the bunged up head didn't make it any better.