Home and Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.*

Some early morning chores and a warm walk later.

Ebird List for the fields, 24 species.

Eurasian Golden Oriole (Oropéndola Europea / Oriolus oriolus).

I got up at 07:00 as always and after opening everywhere up to let in some of the cooler (+24) early morning air in I went up onto the terrace to replace the mosquito netting on the second window, as I was working I could hear good numbers of European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster) and the local Eurasian Golden Oriole (Oropéndola Europea / Oriolus oriolus) which sounded as though they were quite close so I went and got the camera.

Eurasian Golden Oriole (Oropéndola Europea / Oriolus oriolus).

Eurasian Golden Oriole (Oropéndola Europea / Oriolus oriolus).

Getting the camera usually means that everything disappears but today a female / immature Oriole decided it was going to be Figs for breakfast and came into the far side of the tree but as hard as I tried I couldn't get a clear view.

Eurasian Golden Oriole (Oropéndola Europea / Oriolus oriolus).

Eurasian Golden Oriole (Oropéndola Europea / Oriolus oriolus).

I finished the netting and after sweeping the front yard and the road I decided to go and do a walk along the Lucerne fields before it got too hot, I parked at the usual spot but decided to go up stream as far as the small pool in the other wise dry Arroyo, on the way up I had more Eurasian Golden Orioles including another female type which sat out in a tree near the parking spot, Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), European Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), quite a few Common Woodpigeons (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) sat up on the wires, a couple of Little Owls (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) which were annoying a Melodious Warbler (Zarcero Común / Hippolais polyglotta) family in a pine tree, Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis),

Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus).

Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus).

Up by the pool I stood on the top of the bank and scanned the fields, Olives and the Arroyo picking up a female Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus) which flew straight through and off to the west heading for Loja, an adult Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) which was perched up on the pylon amongst the Common Woodpigeons, European Turtle Doves and European Bee-eaters.

A warm looking Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis).

I also had the first decent flock of Corn Buntings (Triguero / Emberiza calandra) for a while with around 70 birds being flushed from the field edge by one of the farm workers in his 4X4, Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Long-tailed Blue (Lampides boeticus) x2, Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera) x3, Small White (Pieris rapae) x2 and Rabbits (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus).

Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera).

I reached the car and continued on around the fields and almost straight away I picked up a Black-winged Kite over the farm so I spun around and checked whether the original bird was still on the pylon and it was so this was a second bird .

Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus).

Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus).

I turned back again to watch the Kite to find there were 2 birds circling together, after a while they drifted off towards my house, I was tempted to shoot off home and see if I could see them from the terrace as its one of the few raptors I haven't seen from up there which is surprising as they breed less than 2km away. 

Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus).

Other species seen before I went back home included Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica) and a fine looking male Montagu's Harrier which as with the female circled a couple of times before pushing off towards Loja.