El Temple, Granada Province, Spain.

A day out with friends from the Alpujarra's.

 

A view out over the fields.

I was early at the meeting point so I checked the fields nearby finding Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Greater Short-toed (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla) and Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Feral Pigeon (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus) and European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster).

A pale morph Booted Eagles (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus) mobbing an immature Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti).

I arrived at the meeting point and had a coffee before, Kiersten, Polly and Anne arrived and we headed out towards the El Temple area, on the way we made a brief stop at a semi-disused Cortijo seeing several Lesser Kestrels (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), European Bee-eater, Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei) and a couple of pale morph Booted Eagles (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus) which were mobbing an immature Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti).

Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur).

Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur).

Bath White (Pontia daplidice).

As we entered the main area and had Collared Dove, Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Corn Bunting and as we drove out into the fields and along the tracks we saw Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Calandra Lark (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra) and then in a fallow field we photographed Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus), Adonis annua, Corn Poppy (Papaver rhoeas), Red-horned Poppy (Glaucium corniculatum), Roemeria sicula, Roemeria hybrida, Hypecoum imberbe, Silene muscipula and Bath White (Pontia daplidice) x1.

Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus).

Adonis annua.

Red-horned Poppy (Glaucium corniculatum).

Roemeria sicula.

Corn Poppy (Papaver rhoeas).

Roemeria hybrida.

Silene muscipula.

We finished the plant photo's we continued on around the tracks seeing Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica) and Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis).

Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax).

Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax).

Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax).

Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax).

We crossed to the upper side of the area and spent some time searching for and then watching a male Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) as well as Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Short-toed Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus) and Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe).

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

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

Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

We crossed back to the far side of the area again and headed for some lunch in Ventas de Huelma, on the way out we found Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum), Maritime Squill (Urginea maritima), Clouded Yellow (Colias corceua) x3, Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) x2, Small White (Pieris rapae) x7, Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirundo daurica) and House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica).

Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops).

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

Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

Corn Poppy (Papaver rhoeas) Field.

Kiersten amongst the Poppies.

Kiersten and Anne Photographing the Poppies.

We had a drink and some food before we started to head back towards Padul but via a few tracks where we added a second Short-toed Eagle but this time a younger paler bird, Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina) and Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula). 

Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum).

We returned to Padul and the ladies headed off and I went home after a very pleasant few hours.