Osuna area, Sevilla Province, Spain.

A day of a few hits but with a big miss.

Sue and Dave, Day four.

Ebird List for Osuna area 1.

Ebird List for Osuna area 2. 

Coffee near Osuna.

We started by drive over to Osuna where we started by having coffee in Café Bar Las Vegas before heading out onto the fields looking for the Great Bustards (Avutarda Euroasiática / Otis tarda), after clearing the industrial area on our way to the first bridge we saw several Eurasian Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) amongst the many Olive trees as well as several Crested Larks (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata) and European Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur).

We reached the first bridge and scanned the fields but couldn't find any sign of the Bustards, we did however find Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Eurasian Collared (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and European Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Europeo / Merops apiaster), Northern Raven (Cuervo grande / Corvus corax), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata) and loads of Rabbits (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus).

We dropped down off the bridge and checked the fields out as far as the Arroyo del Peinado, on the way we saw Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real / Lanius meridionalis), Calandra Lark (Calandria Común / Melanocorypha calandra), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) an unexpected Cinereous / Eurasian Black Vulture (Buitre Negro / Aegypius monachus) which was sat in a roadside stubble field.

Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real / Lanius meridionalis).

We took the track which ran north following the Arroyo seeing a very smart Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus), Western Marsh (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) and an immature Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus), more Black Kites, Common Buzzards, Northern Ravens, as well as Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Small White (Pieris rapae) and Swallowtail (Papilio machaon).

We turned around and retraced our way back to the main track and then back to a junction in the track which took us out to the second bridge, on the way we saw Melodious Warbler (Zarcero políglota / Hippolais polyglotta) and from the bridge Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala) but nothing else so we dropped to the lower track and went out along another track finding Common Whitethroat (Curruca Zarcera / Sylvia communis), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis) and a largish Ocellated Lizard (Timon lepidus) which unfortunately disappeared off the side of the road.

Black Kites (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans).

We drove down to the next bridge and out to a disuse Cortijo, on the way we saw lots more Black Kites including a couple on the roadside Pylons and one which was snaking on a dead Rabbit. 

Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans).

Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans).

At the first Ruin we saw more Eurasian Hoopoes, a single male Lesser Kestrel (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator) and on the track out to the second disused Cortijo we had another 2 Black-winged Kites and at the second ruin we saw lots more European Bee-eaters, Crimson Speckled (Utetheisa pulchella) and an immature Long Skimmer (Orthetrum trinacria).

European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Europeo / Merops apiaster).

European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Europeo / Merops apiaster).

We returned to the two bridges where we had been earlier but still we couldn't find the Bustards so we headed off back towards the house and chill as it was getting a tad warm.