Huétor Fields, Balsa de Regidor, Cacín Valley and El Temple, Granada Province, Spain.

A days birding with Roberto and Anne.

Arroyo Vilano in flood.

We started the day out on the fields near Huétor Tajar where we parked at my usual spot after driving through a rather swollen Arroyo Vilano, the Montifrio area must have got more rain than we did.

As we walked the fields we picked up Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) x25 or so, Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) x2 and Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus).

We drove out across the fields on our way around to the Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) area adding Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) before we parked and scanned the fields just North of the town finding 9+ Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), a single Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Feral Pigeon (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto).

Our next stop was at the man made Balsa de Regidor where we scanned the pool adding Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) and a surprise immature Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos).

Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis) male.

We continued on and after making a quick call at a nearby pharmacy to get me some painkillers as I had pulled my back earlier we made a stop at the crags below the town of Moraleda where had good but distant views of a male Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura) and just a little way along the road we had several Common Starlings (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris) up on a wire.

Our next stop was further down the valley amongst the Pine trees that line the main irrigation, here we found Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and further towards the Embalse near the dam we walked again and had a small flock of Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes) and heard Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti).

Just up the road we checked the Contra-embalse de Bermejalis but it was fairly quiet but we did find White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) x2, Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo) and Crag Martins (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris).

Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis) male.

We dropped further down the valley to check the gorge but it was getting rather windy and we only added Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia) and Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica) before coming back up the valley and having lunch next to the Rio Cacín near the village of Cacín, here we saw Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major) and Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) before crossing the ridge to Ventas de Huelma where we stopped for a coffee before we headed out on to El Temple.

As we drove around the site we picked up Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa) and a large flock of around 300+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus).

We started to head towards Granada City where I was dropping Anne and Roberto off but not before we popped into a semi-abandoned Cortijo where we picked up a couple of Lesser Kestrels (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni) before finishing the day.

Near Huétor Tajar, Granada Province, Spain.

Moth Records for the 8th Feb 24.

15W Actinic on the terrace.

 

6775 Phyllodesma suberifolia.

As usual I set the light up on the terrace but as the weather was pretty abysmal all night I was not expecting much and I was right 3 Moths of 3 Species which included 6496 Evergestis isatidalis x1, 6775 Phyllodesma suberifolia x1 and 9460 Spodoptera exigua (Small Mottled Willow) x1.

9460 Spodoptera exigua (Small Mottled Willow).

Huétor Fields, Cerro Hacho and Huétor Loop, Granada Province, Spain.

Around the local Patch.

Ebird List for Huétor Fields, 29 Species.

Ebird List for Cerro Hacho, 11 Species.

The Lucerne fields.

I headed down to the fields at around 10:30 and did the walk out passed the Walnut Trees and along the track to the goat paddock, things were generally quiet but I did see my first Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus) of the year as well as Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and a good number of Corn Buntings (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

The Lucerne Fields.

Corn Buntings (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

I popped down town where I did a bit of shopping before heading up to Cerro Hacho where I did a short walk as the area has been churned up by lots of on going forestry work, as I walked I saw Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), Coal (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura) and Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).

Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula).

Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).

Also seen were around 50 spikes of Giant Orchids (Himanthoglosum Robertiana), 1000s of Broad-leaved Iris (Iris planifolia) flowers and lots of Almond Tree (Prunus dulcis) blossom.

Giant Orchid (Himanthoglosum Robertiana).

Giant Orchid (Himanthoglosum Robertiana).

Broad-leaved Iris (Iris planifolia).

Broad-leaved Iris (Iris planifolia).

Almond Tree (Prunus dulcis) blossom.

As I drove back to the house I checked the old Olive trees where I picked up a couple more Little Owls and several Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki).

Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).

Shrewsbury, Shropshire, Britain.

Out with Sharon and John again.

Ebird List for Pole Mere, 28 Species.

Ebird List for Battlefield, 2 Species.

Ebird List for Venus Pool, 54 Species.

Canada Geese (Barnacla Canadiense /Branta canadensis) at Pole Mere.

Sharon and John came over to Albrighton and we headed out along the M54 and A5 to Pole Mere a place none of us had been before where we were looking for a male Green-winged Teal (Cerceta americana / Anas carolinensis). 

Eurasian Wigeon (Sibón Europeo / Anas penelope) and Greylag Geese (Ansar Común / Anser anser).

Eurasian Wigeon (Sibón Europeo / Anas penelope).

We arrived and walked down to the hide were we started the day list off with Greylag (Ansar Común / Anser anser) and Canada Geese (Barnacla Canadiense /Branta canadensis), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Eurasian Wigeon (Sibón Europeo / Anas penelope), Tufted Duck (Porrón Monudo / Aythya fuligula), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus) and Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo) out on the water but there was no sign of the main target unfortunately.

Venus Pool from the main hide.

Venus Pool from the main hide.

Away from the water we saw Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Common Starling (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Fieldfare (Zorzal Real / Turdus pilaris), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Dunnock (Acentor Común / Prunella modularis), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) and a distant Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) which flew over the fields where most of the geese had gone to feed.

Egyptian Goose (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca).

Egyptian Goose (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca).

We had given the Teal a good try but decided we would cut our losses and head for Battlefield on the outskirts of Shrewsbury where I had my first Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) for Shropshire which had been my original birding patch.

Common Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago).

There were 7 Western Cattle Egrets as well as 2 Little Egrets (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) in the flock and in the same area we had Rook (Graja / Corvus frugilegus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) and whilst here we met a couple more birders who gave us some extra info about birds at Venus Pool and also put me on the Shropshire Whatsapp group which will be good for future visits.

Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta).

From here we went to Venus Pool, one of my fairly regular birding spots twenty years or so ago, we started in the main hide below the car park where we saw lots of the species we had already seen but added Egyptian Geese (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca) which was a new species for Shropshire, Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), a female Goldeneye (Porrón Osculado /Bucephala clangula), Common Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and another Little Egret.

Egyptian (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca) and Canada Geese (Barnacla Canadiense /Branta canadensis).

After a while we decided to go for a walk around the field nearby where we were told there had been a flock of around 30 Corn Buntings (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), as we walked new species for the day included the first of 3 Red Kites (Milano Real / Milvus milvus), Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Pheasant (Faisán Vulgar / Phaisanus colchicus), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Reed Bunting (Escribano Palustre / Emberiza schoeniclus), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus) and then we had part of the Corn Bunting flock fly up and quickly drop back into the weedy field.

Corn Buntings (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

As we continued on around the field edge we added a European Green Woodpecker (Pito Real euroasiático / Picus viridis), Stock Dove (Paloma Zurita / Columba oenas), Meadow Pipits (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) and at the point where we could see out over the fishing lake we saw Great Crested Grebe (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus) and a fly over Common Gull (Gaviota Cana / Larus canus).

Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus).

We walked back along the roadside edge of the field and then at the first corner we dropped down to the river seeing a distant European Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus) a couple of fields away, down by the river we saw nothing new bird wise but found some Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis).

Mute Swans (Cisne Vulgar / Cygnus olor).

Mute Swan (Cisne Vulgar / Cygnus olor).

We returned to the car park again seeing a Goldcrest (Reyezuelo Sencillo / Regulus regulus), and after getting a coffee / tea we walked back down to the main hide again where we spent the rest of the time before dusk adding Mute Swan (Cisne Vulgar / Cygnus olor), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and European Herring Gull (Gaviota Argéntea Europea / Larus argentatus), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and as the light dropped the first of two Great Egrets (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba) dropped in.

Canada Geese (Barnacla Canadiense /Branta canadensis).

Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus).

Sharon and I walked back to the car while John chatted in the hide and whilst he was there 3 Little Egrets and another Great White. 

Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna).

We made our way back to Albrighton where we said bye after another really good days birding, thanks to you both and look forward to our next trip out birding.

Greylag Geese (Ansar Común / Anser anser).