Huétor Fields, Arroyo Vilano, Rio Cacín an Balsa de Regidor, Granada Province, Spain.

A run around the local area with Lynn and Steve.

Ebird List for the Fields. 

 

I started the day with a short walk along the ring road and then popped to see if the mechanic's were working so that I could pay them for the new shockers on the back of the car but they weren't there so I popped back into town for a coffee and then met Lynn and Steve at the car park next to Mercodona.

European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Europeo / Merops apiaster) and Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor).

From here we headed up to the fields where we parked by the Walnut Trees and walked back along the track to just past the Fig Tree, during the walk we recorded Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Europeo / Merops apiaster), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki) and Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Sand (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia) and Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Red-rumped (Golondrina Dáurica / Cecropis daurica) and Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Whinchat (Tarabilla Norteña / Saxicola rubetra), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Western Yellow Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis) and Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

Our next stop was down at the town fields via Lynn and Steve's Motorhome, on the fields we saw a couple of the wintering Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) but they disappeared into a spud field before we could do a count.

Arroyo Vilano as it should look if the farmers didn't take all the water.

We went up along the Arroyo de Vilano by the bridge north of La Fabrica but there was no water so we continued on up the valley where there was still a flow as the farmers hadn't extracted everything this high up.

Epaulet Skimmer (Orthetrum chrysostigma) ♂.

Epaulet Skimmer (Orthetrum chrysostigma) ♂ and Southern Skimmer (Orthetrum brunneum) ♂.

 Southern Skimmer (Orthetrum brunneum) ♂.

Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum) ♂.

Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea) ♂.

As we checked the area out we found Iberian Bluetail (Ischnura graellsii) x1, Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator) x1♂, Epaulet Skimmer (Orthetrum chrysostigma) x5♂, Keeled Skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens) x2♂, Southern Skimmer (Orthetrum brunneum) x2♂, Scarlet (Crocothemis erythraea) x3♂ and 1♀, Red-veined (Sympetrum fonscolombii) x1♀, Common (Sympetrum striolatum) x3♂ and 2♀ and Desert Darter (Sympetrum sinaiticum) x2♂, Orange-winged Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) x4♂, False Mallow Skipper (Carcharodus tripolinus) x1, Lang's Short-tailed (Leptotes pirithous) x3 and Long-tailed Blue (Lampides boeticus) x2, Small White (Pieris rapae) x3, Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) x2, 8211 Rhodometra sacaria (The Vestal) x1 and 10535 Crimson Speckled (Utetheisa pulchella) x8.

Epaulet Skimmer (Orthetrum chrysostigma) ♂.

Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum) ♂.

Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum) ♀.

Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum) ♂.

False Mallow Skipper (Carcharodus tripolinus).

Other species included Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi), Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus), Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Grey (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteño / Emberiza cirlus).

Copper Demoiselle (Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis) ♂.

We decided to head for the Balsa de Regidor but called in at a crossing of the Rio Cacín near the village of Mesia where we had some lunch and then checked the river seeing a couple of Copper Demoiselle (Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis) x2♂,  Southern Skimmer x2♂, Orange-winged Dropwing x2♂, Small White (Pieris rapae) x3, Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Iberian  Magpie, Spotless Starling, Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), House Sparrow, Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and European Goldfinch.

Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata) ♀.

Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata) ♀.

Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata) ♀.

Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata) ♀.

We continued on again and parked at the Balsa de Regidor, we walked the eastern side of the lake where we saw Vagrant (Anax ephippiger) x1♂, Blue / Common x3♂ and Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope) x8♂, Red-veined Darter x1♂ and Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata) x2♂ and 1♀.

Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata) ♂.

From the northern shore we added Long Skimmer (Orthetrum trinacria) x1♂, Lang's Short-tailed Blue x3,  Small White x3, Blue-winged Grasshopper (Oedipoda caerulescens), Common Woodpigeon, Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata), Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Eurasian Coot, Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus) x5, Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti) and Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum).

Desert Orange-tips (Colotis evagore) ♂ being eaten by a Wasp.

Desert Orange-tips (Colotis evagore) ♂.

Desert Orange-tips (Colotis evagore) ♂ and ♀.

Desert Orange-tips (Colotis evagore) ♂ and ♀.

We started to make our way back to the Motorhome but we made a stop on the way on the service road between the lake and the Mesia exit where we spent a while watching at least 40 odd Desert Orange-tips (Colotis evagore).