Sierra Nevada (well almost) and Sierra de Loja, Granada Province, Spain.

Well not every day goes as planned and this one didn't.

Ebird List for Sierra de Loja.

 

Looking back to where were hoping to go.

We set off up towards Granada and then on wards towards El Purche where we were hoping to find some Ring Ouzels (Mirlo Capiblanco / Turdus torquatus) but somewhere near Mirador de los Enamorados were we hit heavy traffic and were stuck in it for well over an hour before we started to move again but that was short lived and we hit traffic again just before the junction to El Purche.

Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica).

We eventually reached the junction but found it impassable due to traffic coming from El Purche blocking it so we turned around and gave up and headed for Sierra de Loja instead.

Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica).

Once there we drove quickly over to the area of Hawthorns where any Ouzels were going to be but we found all the trees cleared of Berries and no Ouzels.

Cueva Horadada.

We drove out passed my normal turning point to check the far Valley as far as the track went and then turned around and made our way back down the hill.

Cueva Horadada.

Species seen during the drive up and down included Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Western Jackdaw (Grajilla occidental / Corvus monedula), Feral Pigeon (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Thekla's Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina),  European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris), European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

Three-leaved Crocus (Colchicum triphyllum).

Steve photographing the Three-leaved Crocus (Colchicum triphyllum).

We also had Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica), Three-leaved Crocus (Colchicum triphyllum) and Broad-leaved Iris (Iris planifolia).

Looking out West.

As far as we went.