Fuente de Piedra, Malaga Province and Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

A mornings birding with Barbara, Derek and Andy.

Ebird List for Fuente.

Ebird List for the Fields.

Eurasian Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus).

I was off early and on my way out to our meeting point I picked up Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki), Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) and Eurasian Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) on the fields near Huétor and a flock of Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) which were coming out from a roost somewhere near Antequera.

Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus)

I arrived at Fuente and the others were not far behind so we were soon have breakfast in Bar Panymá and then we made our way down to the reserve where we first checked the field to the right of the entrance track finding 30 odd Eurasian Stone Curlews in a line next to a large flock of around 250 or so Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) along with a few Western Jackdaw (Grajilla occidental / Corvus monedula) and a more distant Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) on one of the many Pylons.

Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus).

We drove slowly along side the pool on the left but there were just a couple of Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata) so we headed up to the car park and then walked down to the boardwalk but it was fairly quiet as well and but we still added Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Eurasian Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola) and a small group of Common Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago).

Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki).

Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki).

Iberian  Magpies (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki).

We walked around the lower track and then up to the Mirador, on the way we heard and saw a Bluethroat (Ruiseñor Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica) before we scanned the main lagoon and seeing Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Common Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Pied Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Dunlin (Correlimos Común / Calidris alpina), Common Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus) and surprisingly 6 more Eurasian Stone Curlews.

Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus).

Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus) being chased by Starlings.

Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus) being chased by Starlings.

We walked around to the two hides over looking the freshwater lagoons but they looked horribly green and bird numbers were low which I am guessing was due to the bad water quality.

Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus).

However we did see Gadwall (Anade Friso / Mareca strepera), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Common Buzzard and Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus).

Common Crane (Grulla Común / Grus grus).

We returned to the cars and I said goodbye to the others and headed back home whilst they headed on to Navahermosa for some more birding, I got home and did a few jobs before going for a late walk around the fields where the best species was a single Common Crane (Grulla Común / Grus grus) which was on the Lucerne Fields but it was soon flushed by a tractor which was collecting in the silage.

Common Crane (Grulla Común / Grus grus).

Common Crane (Grulla Común / Grus grus).

Other species included 20 odd Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Green Sandpiper, Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), a Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus) which was being seen off by a large flock of Spotless Starlings, Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra) and a large flock of Iberian  Magpies (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki).

Common Crane (Grulla Común / Grus grus).

As I walked I also saw Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) x1, Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) x2 and Small White (Pieris rapae) x5.