El Temple, near Ventas de Huelma, Contraembalse de Cacín, Camino del Turro al Castillo, Moraleda Fields and Balsa de Regidor, Granada Province, Spain.

Out on the fields of El Temple and then up the Cacín Valley.

Deb and Ian, Day Twelve.

Ebird List for El Temple.

Ebird List for near Ventas de Huelma.

Ebird List for the Contraembalse de Cacín.

Ebird List for Camino del Turro al Castillo. 

Ebird List for Balsa de Regidor.

 

Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans).

We Started by heading along the A92 and the taking to the El Temple tracks near to Chimenears where we were soon Started the list with a very smart Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), a very concealed Long-eared Owl (Búho Chico / Asio otus), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris) and European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).

Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus).

Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax).

Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax).

Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata).

We dropped down onto the cereal fields and took another track which crossed to the road through the center of the site, on the way we had Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos), a second Long-eared Owl but this was sat almost in the open, European Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), a Montagu's (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus) and at least 4 Western Marsh Harriers (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Ganga Ortega / Pterocles orientalis) heard only, Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), Eurasian Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Europeo / Merops apiaster), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Cecropis daurica), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Calandra (Calandria Común / Melanocorypha calandra) and Greater Short-toed Lark (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla), Sardinian (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala) and Melodious Warbler (Zarcero políglota / Hippolais polyglotta), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Bath (Pontia daplidice) and Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi).

Long-eared Owl (Búho Chico / Asio otus).

Whinchat (Tarabilla Norteña / Saxicola rubetra).

We drove along the road a short way and then drove another couple of tracks out to the Ventas de Huelma side of the area, during this drive we had Corn Poppy (Papaver rhoeas), Roemeria hybrida, Roemeria sicula, Corn Gromwell (Buglossoides arvensis), Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum), a Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius), Western Jackdaw (Grajilla occidental / Corvus monedula), Whinchat (Tarabilla Norteña / Saxicola rubetra) and Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis).

Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius).

Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius).

Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius).

Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius).

Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius).

Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius).

After stopping for a bit of lunch at Bernardo Restaurante and the made a stop just outside the village where we could hear a Eurasian Scops Owl (Autillo Europeo / Otus scops) calling from some distant Almonds, we also had Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Common Nightingale, Eurasian Golden Oriole (Oropéndola Europea / Oriolus oriolus) and Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia).

Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi).

Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi).

We continued on through the Solar Desert and down into the Cacín Valley and up to the ContraEmbalse de Bermejalis seeing Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas), Western Marsh Harrier, Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Thinornis dubius), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Grey (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and Purple Heron (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki), Common Reed (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus) and Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Bath and Small White (Pieris rapae), Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi) and Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa).

We continued on a short way to check in on an Eurasian Eagle Owl (Búho Real / Bubo bubo) which was still in the same place as on my last few visits, here we also added Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Long-tailed (Mito Común / Aegithalos caudatus), Eurasian Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus) a small Viperine Snake (Culebra Viperina / Natrix maura).

Viperine Snake (Culebra Viperina / Natrix maura).

Further up the valley in El Turro we headed up to a higher point in the Almonds and checked some old roadside trees looking for Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) but turned up 2x European Roller (Carraca / Coracias garrulus) instead along with Woodchat (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator) and Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real / Lanius meridionalis).

Corn Poppy (Papaver rhoeas) field.

Looking out to the South.

We turned around and went out onto the fields near Moraleda but it was generally quiet but we did see Little Owl, a female Common Redstart (Colirroja Real / Phoenicurus phoenicurus), Thekla's Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina), Bath White and  before heading to the nearby Balsa de Regidor.

Roemeria hybrida.

At the Balsa we recorded Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathinerum), Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii), Common Pochard, Common Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna) x3, Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Western Marsh Harrier and Eurasian Golden Oriole but didn't find the male Tufted Duck (Porrón Moñudo / Aythya fuligula) before heading back to the house and chilling on the Terrace again.