Fuente de Piedra, Laguna Dulce, Near Campillos in Malaga Province, Sierra de Loja and Huétor Fields in Granada Province, Spain.

Another day's birding with Nikki from the Netherlands.

Ebird List for Fuente de Piedra.

Ebird List for Laguna Dulce.

Ebird List for Sierra de Loja.

Ebird List for Huétor Fields.

 

Looking along the boardwalk back to the Visitor Centre.

I met Nikki at Loja Railway station and we made our way out to Fuente de Piedra but when we first arrived it was a tad foggy so we went to Bar Panymá for Coffee and a Mollete and then went down to the reserve where we parked and checked out the pool along the entry road and the boggy area on the opposite side of the road finding Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), a Common Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), a skulking Bluethroat (Ruiseñor Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) and a Water Pipit (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta).

Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs).

We walked the back track around to the boardwalk and then over to the track around to the Mirador, as we walked and crossed the Boardwalk we saw Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Western Jackdaw (Grajilla occidental / Corvus monedula), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), Cetti's (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis) and European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris).

We walked along the row of Tamarisks where we added Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis) and a group of feeding Spanish Sparrows (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis).

Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

From the Mirador we saw some Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) which was a new species for Nikki, we also saw Common Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Common Cranes (Grulla Común / Grus grus), Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus) and Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada) and European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula).

We moved around to the two hide behide the visitor's Centre, from Observatorio El Laguneto we saw Gadwall (Anade Friso / Mareca strepera), Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus).

From the Observatorio de las Palomas we saw the most unexpected species of the day when a Eurasian Curlew (Zarapito Real / Numenius arquata) flew over.

The metal work near the visitor centre.

and more.

We returned to the car via the Visitor Centre and then headed off across country to Laguna Dulce, on the way we checked the main laguna through the gap in the Tamarisks seeing Common Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus) and a smart Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real / Lanius meridionalis).

Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real / Lanius meridionalis).

Around at Laguna Dulce we picked up Common Shelduck, Mallard, Common Crane, Black-winged Stilt, Pied Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Greater Flamingo, Common Buzzard x2, Common Kestrel, Crested Lark, Common Chiffchaff, European Robin, House Sparrow, Squirting Cucumber (Ecballium elaterium) and Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus).

Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

Common Crane (Grulla Común / Grus grus)

Common Crane (Grulla Común / Grus grus)

Just up the road we stopped again and had great views of a stunning Long-eared Owl (Búho Chico / Asio otus) which I had seen a few days earlier with friends and was a lifer for Nikki.

 Long-eared Owl (Búho Chico / Asio otus).

 Long-eared Owl (Búho Chico / Asio otus).

We headed back out to the east and up Sierra de Loja as there were a few new species up there for Nikki, on the way up we had several Red-legged Partridges (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa) a target for Nikki, Common Woodpigeon, Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Eurasian Hoopoe, European Stonechat, Sardinian Warbler, Iberian Grey Shrike, Meadow Pipit and Thekla's Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae).

Thekla's Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae).

Thekla's Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae).

Around past Charca del Negro we checked the crags where we had the first Black Wheatears (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura), Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina), Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia) and Corn Bunting.

We drove down through the Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) trees and saw the first of around 23+ Ring Ouzels (Mirlo Capiblanco / Turdus torquatus), as well as a single Redwing (Zorzal Alirrojo / Turdus illacus), Black Redstart, Eurasian Blackcap and Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia).

After some time we decided that Nikki had more chance of seeing a Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius) up and around Granada so we headed down the hill to head off to Huétor Fields for species we still needed but on the way we had a group of male Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica), a pair of Peregrine Falcons (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus) and just before we reached the Pine Woodlands we picked up a male Blue-rock Thrush on the rocks below the crags.

Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica).

Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica).

Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica).

Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica).

Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica).

Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica).

Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica).

Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica).

On the fields we checked the Lucerne stripes near the town where we were pleased to find 200 odd Eurasian Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) which were a big target for Nikki, along with Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), European Golden Plover (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia), Meadow Pipit, Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and Small White (Pieris rapae) x2 before we moved up to the top Lucerne fields.

At the top fields we scanned the area hoping for Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) but we didn't have any luck and didn't add anything new, so I drove Nikki back to Loja Train Station where we said goodbye after a second good day's birding.