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

Catching up with a few lifers and Western Pal ticks for Sue and Dave.

Sue and Dave, Day two.

Ebird List for Huétor Fields.

Ebird List for Chimeneas area.

Ebird List for El Temple.

Ebird List for El Temple 2.

Ebird List for West of Ventas de Huelma.

Ebird List for Cortijo Ochíchar.

Ebird List for above Cacín.

Ebird List for above Cacín 2.

Ebird List for Contraembalse de los Bermejales.

Ebird List for Moraleda Crags.

Ebird List for Laguna del Regidor.

Ebird List for Realenga de Agicampe.

European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola).

We started the day with Breakfast up on the terrace and then dropped down onto the fields and walked out along the Lucerne fields as far as the Walnut Trees, on the way we saw European Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Cecropis daurica), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae) and Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax).

We moved on and headed for Chimeneas where we spent a while searching some of the many tracks around the site finding Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), Eurasian Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), a pale morph Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas), Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

A pale morph Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas).

We dropped down to the road which crosses the site where we were looking one of the main targets for Sue and Dave on the trip, on one of the ploughed fields Sue spotted a group of 11 winter plumage Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax).

Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus).

As we crossed the rest of the site we picked up Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), European Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus), 6x European Honey Buzzards (Aberjero Europeo / Pernis apivorus), Booted Eagle, Western Marsh Harrier, Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Eurasian Hoopoe, Woodchat and Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real / Lanius meridionalis), Crested (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata) and Greater Short-toed Lark (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla), Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) bird wise along with Small White (Pieris rapae) and Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus).

We moved on again and made our way to Bernardo Restaurante where we had a drink and some food before continuing on towards Cacín but called in at Arroyo de los Frailes after Sue picked up a stunning, huge female Northern Goshawk (Azor Común / Accipitor gentillis) sat in a dead tree along the line of the Arroyo.

Other species seen here included Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito ibérico / Picus sharpei), Short-toed Snake Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus), Squirting Cucumber (Ecballium elaterium) and Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli).

Not posed at all 😃😃😃😃 Dave's really like this when he's watching a Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos).

Further along the road we stopped at a view point near Cortijo Ochíchar, as we scanned the skies and the ridges we picked up a pair of Golden Eagles (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos), another Short-toed Snake Eagle and Pallid Swifts.

On the way to Cacín we turned off to check out the Ghost town of La Zahora, as we drove there through the Almonds we picked up 5x Eurasian Stone Curlew but little else only adding Tawny Pipit (Bisbita Camprstre / Anthus campestris) and Thekla's Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae). 

We dropped down into the valley and made our way up to the Contraembalse de los Bermejales, out on the water and around the margins we saw Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), a heard only Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and White Wagtails.

In the air we saw another Northern Goshawk, Booted Eagle, Western Marsh Harrier, Eurasian Magpie, Barn Swallow and Western House Martin.

We continued on up the valley and made a couple of stops along the crags near Moraleda picking up a third Golden Eagle, 2 more Booted Eagles, Black Kite, a Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) as well as a few Eurasian Crag (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and Western House Martin.

The immature Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

The immature Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

Our last stop of the day was at the Laguna de Regidor where we were surprised to see an immature Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), as well as Mallard, Common Pochard, Little Grebe, Common Moorhen, Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Common (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) and Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Thinornis dubius), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta), Common Buzzard, Barn and Red-rumped Swallow, Spotless Starling and White Wagtails.

Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Cecropis daurica).

Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Cecropis daurica).

Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Cecropis daurica).

At the pool we also had Blue / Common (Anax imperator) and Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope), Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii), Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata), Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa) and Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi).

Down at 3 Calle's.

We returned to the house and chilled up on the Terrace for a while where we had the fourth Golden Eagle of the day before headed down to 3 Calles for a beer and some food.