El Temple and Cacín Valley, Granada Province, Spain.*

Out early with Paula and Kevin.

One of at least 7 Booted Eagles (Aguila Calzada / Aquila pennatus) seen during the day.

We headed out early as it was going to be a hot afternoon, we were on site and watching several Lesser Kestrels (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni) at a semi-derelict Cortijo on the far side of the El Temple area by 06.50

It was just about light enough for birding when we first arrived and we had several of these cracking little falcons in the area along with plenty of Western Jackdaw (Grajilla occidental / Corvus monedula), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito ibérico / Picus sharpei) but heard only, Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and some pretty convincing Rock Dove (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia) but also some Feral Pigeon (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia) unfortunately.

6843 Macroglossum stellatarum (Hummingbird Hawkmoth) easier to get shots of like this.

We continued on out to the fields of El Temple and made several stops along the road and on some of the track crossing the area, we started by seeing 2 Short-toed Snake Eagles (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus) sat up on the large Pylons waiting for things to warm up, in the same area we saw Crested (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Greater Short-toed (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla) and Calandra Lark (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra), at least 5x Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila pennatus) 2 of which were dark morph birds, Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), 2x European Roller (Carraca / Coracias garrulus), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) x3 or 4, Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), European Turtle (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur) and Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis), an immature Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius), a good number of Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), Eurasian Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), a pair Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator) which were mobbing a Little Owl, Ocellated Lizard (Timon lepidus), Macroglossum stellatarum (Hummingbird Hawkmoth), Iberian Brown Hare (Liebre ibérica / Lepus granatensis) and big numbers of Rabbits (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus).

Cone Headed Grasshopper (Truxalis nasuta).

We drove off the site, stopped for a coffee in Ventas de Huelma before heading towards the Cacín area, we stopped on the way finding Squirting Cucumber (Ecballium elaterium), Small White (Pieris rapae) x3, Lang's Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous) x1, Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) x2 and Bath White (Pontia daplidice) x1.

We continued on out through the new solar desert to the Cacín Valley, on the way we stopped on the roadside just above the village of Cacín where we checked the verges finding lots of Wild Caper (Capparis spinosa) including a hypochromatic bush, Common Mallow (Malva sylvestris), Corn Poppy (Papaver rhoeas), Mallow-leaved (Convolvulus althaeoides) and Field Convulvulous (Convolvulus arvensis), Cone Headed Grasshopper (Truxalis nasuta), Ornate Shieldbug (Eurydema ornata), Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli) and then just as we started to walk back towards the car Kevin picked up several raptors above us, amongst there a Cinereous Black (Buitre Negro / Aegypius monachus) x1 and 8x Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) and 2 more Booted Eagles. 

On the far side of the town we checked the Rio Cacín and found Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Melodious Warbler (Zarcero Común / Hippolais polyglotta), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Alfalfa (Medicago sativa), Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum), Mammoth Wasp (Megascolia maculata), Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina) x1, Mallow Skipper (Carcharodus alceae) x1 and Large White (Pieris brassicae) x2.

Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata).

Our next stop was at the Contra-embalse where we picked up Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata) x2, Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) x2, CommonReed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Globe Thistle (Echinops ritro), Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi), Swallowtail (Papilio machaon) x1, Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera) x1 and a delicate looking Thread-winged Lacewing (Nemoptera bipennis) which was being battered by the strengthening breeze.

Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata).

We drove around to a spot near the dam where we added Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Eurasian Golden Oriole (Oropéndola Europea / Oriolus oriolus), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus), Orange-winged (Trithemis kirbyi) and Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata), Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina) x2, Mallow Skipper (Carcharodus alceae) x1 and Spanish Gatekeeper (Pyronia bathseba) x4.

On the way back to Granada we added Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus) and European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).