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Thursday, 7 March 2024

Loja, near Moraleda and Huétor Fields

ITV first and then a bit of Birding / Orchid hunting.
Ebird List for Huétor Fields.

Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).
I started the day at the ITV station where the car passed the equivalent to the MOT for another year and then went to check on an area of fields near Moraleda but it was quiet and I only found Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) and Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs).
I stopped as I was leaving the area to check an abandoned section of Almonds for Orchids but I only found a few spikes of Fan-lipped Orchids (Anacamptis collina) x6 along with singles of Western Dappled White (Euchloe crameri) and Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus).
I returned to Huétor Fields where I parked at my usual spot and walked the track between the Lucerne fields and the Arroyo as far as the Walnut trees and then I followed the Arroyo to the road, turned left and left again and returned to the car, on the way interesting species were Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus), Northern Goshawk (Azor Común / Accipitor gentillis), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Sand Martin (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Spanish (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis), Tree (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus) and Rock Sparrows (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia) and Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae).
Wild flowers included Common Stork's-bill (Erodium cicutarium), Eruca (Eruca sativa), Field Marigold (Calendula arvensis), Henbit Deadnettle (Lamium amplexicaule), Mallow-leaved Convolvulus (Convolvulus althaeoides), Wild Grape Hyacinth (Muscari neglectum) and Common Fumitory (Fumaria officinalis).
I returned home to find that there were still at least 6 Siskin (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus) and a couple of dozen House Sparrows (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) on the feeders and in the fig tree.

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