Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

Another unexpected bonus on the patch.

Ebird List for the Fields.

 

The start of more destruction.

I parked at my usual spot and walked the track along the fields to the point where the works in the Arroyo had started, on the way out I picked up Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Europeo / Merops apiaster), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Crested (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata) and Greater Short-toed Larks (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Willow (Mosquitero Musical / Phylloscopus trochillus), Sardinian (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala) and Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Grey (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), White (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Western Yellow Wagtails (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava) of various forms, European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis) and Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina).

I reached the Walnut trees but there was a large excavator working there, looks like there's going to be a major reshaping of the arroyo which I am sure won't do the local wildlife any good at all, the patch is getting a bit of a bashing at the moment as all the fields where the Montagu's Harriers (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus) bred have been cleared and covered with Olives, as if we needed more and I suspect the Lucerne may well disappear before too long.

I turned around and started to make my way back to the car and almost straight away I saw a medium sized Falcon drop onto the back Lucerne fields and when I got the bins on it I quickly realised that it was an adult dark morph Eleonora's Falcon (Halcón de Eleonora / Falco eleonorae) but as quickly as I got the ID sorted it was off and powering away to the west and was quickly out of sight.

Immature Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus).

I continued on seeing an immature Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Cecropis daurica), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops) and a calling Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos) in the Tamarisks near the car.

Immature Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus).

I returned to the house and then later went for a walk along the Rio Genil to the SW of the town to check the area where I had seen a male Lesser-spotted Woodpecker (Pico Menor / Dryobates minor), I didn't see or hear the Woodpecker but I did see several new species for the day including Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Thinornis dubius), Common Kingfisher (Martin Pescador Común / Alcedo atthis), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis) and Common Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus).

I returned to the house and then headed out for an evening of music with a friend from Loja, after having a few drinks we crashed at a friends house.