Osuna and Brazo del Este in Sevilla Province,

Heading out West for a couple of days.

Deb and Ian, Day Thirty Four.

Ebird List for Osuna.

Ebird List for Brazo del Este. 

 

We headed out west along the A92 towards Sevilla and came off for some breakfast at Restaurante El Algarrobo and also picked up several Alpine Swifts (Vencejo Real / Apus melba) on the cliffs on the other side of the motorway.

Northern Raven (Cuervo grande / Corvus corax).

We continued on to KM80 and took to the minor roads from there and we were soon up on the first of the Railway bridges that give views of the surrounding fields but it was fairly quiet and we only saw Northern Raven (Cuervo grande / Corvus corax), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), European Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Calandra Lark (Calandria Común / Melanocorypha calandra) and Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

Great Bustard (Avutarda Euroasiática / Otis tarda).

We dropped down off the bridge and drove the track out towards the Arroyo del Peinado, on the way we had a big bird flying towards us which turned out to be our only Great Bustard (Avutarda Euroasiática / Otis tarda) of the day. 

European Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur).

Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

We also saw Western Orphean Warbler (Curruca Mirlona Occidental / Curruca hortensis) which was singing from some Olives, Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Europeo / Merops apiaster), Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris) and European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis).

Nepeta tuberosa (Spanish Cat Mint).

Nepeta tuberosa (Spanish Cat Mint).

Dasyscolia ciliata, I think.

Out along the Arroyo we found good clumps of Nepeta tuberosa (Spanish Cat Mint), Artichoke Thistle (Cynara cardunculus) and saw Dasyscolia ciliata, several White Storks (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia) which landed in the crops and disappeared completely, a smart Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) and European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).

White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia).

We turned around and made our way back but took the right turn up to the second bridge where we again parked and scanned the fields but again it was quiet and we soon moved on and turned left to go and check the farm buildings along the track.

Melanistic Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).

Melanistic Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).

On the first ruin we found a strange melanistic Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) and just a little further on we had a couple of European Roller (Carraca / Coracias garrulus), several Lesser Kestrels (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni), Ocellated Lizard (Timon lepidus), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui),and a Monarch (Danaus plexippus).

Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops).

European Roller (Carraca / Coracias garrulus).

European Roller (Carraca / Coracias garrulus).

European Roller (Carraca / Coracias garrulus).

Lesser Kestrel (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni).

We returned to the road and continued along it for a short way before turning right and then up over the third bridge and out to a nearby ruin where we saw a few more European Roller,  15+ more Lesser Kestrels, Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops) and out in the Olives near by Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki) and Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito ibérico / Picus sharpei) heard.

Spanish Oyster Thistle (Scolymos hispanicus).

Fennelflower (Nigella papillosa).

Fennelflower (Nigella papillosa).

Wild Carrot (Daucus carota).

It was now getting hot so we decided to stat to make our way out to Braza del Este but on the way we made a roadside stop to photograph Fennelflower (Nigella papillosa), Spanish Oyster Thistle (Scolymos hispanicus) and Wild Carrot (Daucus carota).

The Falcon.

We reached Los Palacios y Villafranca and headed out towards the main birding area, as we drove we saw a falcon sat on one of the Pylons and straight away it looked odd so we turned around and came back to get some photo's, as we watched it, it just didn't have the jizz of a Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus) but after asking a few good birders I have had mixed responses so at the moment it remain unidentified.

Black-crowned Night Heron (Marinete Común / Nycticorax nycticorax).

Black-crowned Night Heron (Marinete Común / Nycticorax nycticorax).

As we continued on out along the SE-9020 and on the channel which runs all the way along this road we had several Black-crowned Night Herons (Marinete Común / Nycticorax nycticorax), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta), Purple Heron (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea) and a calling Eurasian Golden Oriole (Oropéndola Europea / Oriolus oriolus).

We turned right at the end of the road and drove the track from there but we saw very little along here which is usually the best area as it was pretty much dry and birdless, on the one small area of water we did find a Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), 3x Pied Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus) and over head a couple of Black Kites.

Western Olivaceous Warbler (Zarcero bereber / Iduna opaca).

Western Olivaceous Warbler (Zarcero bereber / Iduna opaca).

Black-headed Weaver (Tejedor Cabecinegro / Ploceus melanocephalus).

Black-headed Weaver (Tejedor Cabecinegro / Ploceus melanocephalus) and nest.

We reached the sluices at the far end of this area where there was lots of water and took a track along a water filled channel where we saw Western Olivaceous Warbler (Zarcero bereber / Iduna opaca), Whiskered Tern (Fumarel Cariblanca / Chilidonias hybridus), Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus), Common Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Black-headed Weaver (Tejedor Cabecinegro / Ploceus melanocephalus), Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum) and masses of Red-veined Darters (Sympetrum fonscolombii).

Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) female.

Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) male.

Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) bush.

We took a different track out which took us along another channel where we saw some male Black-headed Weaver, Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Cecropis daurica), Lesser (Anax parthenope) and Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator).

Black-headed Weaver (Tejedor Cabecinegro / Ploceus melanocephalus) a male.

We drove over to Lebrija where we were staying, during the evening we went to Restaurante Miano where we had a very pleasant evening with some good food and a few beers.