Sierra de Loja and Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

A Sunny but Windy and Cold visit to the Sierra.

Ebird List for the Sierra.

Ebird List for the Fields.

 

Looking south.

I left the house early and went for breakfast down in Huétor before heading along the motorway and then up the wonderful Sierra de Loja, my main objective was to get to the far side of the area to see if I could find the Ring Ouzels (Mirlo Capiblanco / Turdus torquatus) and Alpine Accentors (Acentor Alpino / Prunella collaris).

Looking to the East.

On the way over to the crags I picked up White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real / Lanius meridionalis).

Looking to the West.

I arrived in the area but it was surprisingly cold and windy with a heavy cloud over the ridges, I dropped down into the Hawthorn area where I found several Ring Ouzel of the ssp alpestris still feeding in the area but the wind made it difficult to get decent views.

Ring Ouzel (Mirlo Capiblanco / Turdus torquatus) male of the ssp alpestris.

Ring Ouzel (Mirlo Capiblanco / Turdus torquatus) male of the ssp alpestris.

Other species seen included a single Hawfinch (Picogordo Común / Coccotraustes coccotrauetes) which I was not expecting this high at this time of the year, Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Song (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos) and Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus).

Hawfinch (Picogordo Común / Coccotraustes coccotrauetes).

Hawfinch (Picogordo Común / Coccotraustes coccotrauetes).

I started to make my way back toward the upper crags where I spent a couple of hours searching for the Alpine Accentors we saw a few days ago but I only managed flight views but it was of 5 birds instead of the 2 we saw last time.

Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax).

I headed back down the hill adding Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus), Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica), Small White (Pieris rapae) before heading over to Huétor Fields.  

European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis).

I did a walk from my normal parking spot out to the crossroads and then back again picking up Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Eurasian Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) and Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).