Huétor Fields and Sierra de Loja in Granada Province, Spain.

A cracking day birding with Barbara and Derek Etherton.

Ebird List for the Fields.

Ebird List for the Sierra.

 

First frozen windscreen of the winter.

I was up and getting a few jobs done before I headed down to meet up with Barbara and Derek, when I got out to the car I was surprised to find the car was frozen and needed defrosting.

The frozen windscreen from inside.

I met Barbara and Derek and we started the day in the Bar at Combustibles Gómez with some coffee and breakfast, we were soon out birding on a nearby area of fields and enjoying views of some of the wintering Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) x10, an impressive 277+ Eurasian Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) and the first Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus) of the winter.

Eurasian Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus).

Eurasian Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus).

In the same area we also saw Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Feral Pigeon (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis) and Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

The Town Fields.

Barbara and Derek enjoying the Eurasian Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus).

After a while we went up to the Lucerne fields, we parked at the usual spot where we added Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) x2, Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Eurasian Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild) and European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).

Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus).

Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus).

We drove slowly around to the Walnut trees where we stopped again and checked the fences and fields there, finding a decent sized flock of feeding Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus), more Northern Lapwings, Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris) and Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina).

On the way to Huétor we found a Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Curruca undata) amongst the Asparagus and a nice Bluethroat (Ruiseñor Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica) feeding in a dry channel before heading out to Sierra de Loja for some upland birding.

Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Curruca undata).

Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Curruca undata).

Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Curruca undata).

I left my car at the service area and we drove up into the Pine woodlands where we found Common Woodpigeon, Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), White Wagtail, European Robin and Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs).

Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops).

Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops).

Along the crags and out on the tops we added European Crested (Herrerillo Capuchino / Lophophanes cristatus) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), a Dartford Warbler which sat up in the top of an almond bush, Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Iberian Magpie, Eurasian Hoopoe, Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real / Lanius meridionalis), Little Owl, Thekla's Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) and a couple of late Northern Wheatears (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe).

Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe) male.

Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe) male.

Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe) male.

We continued out towards Charca del Negro and then along the far crags picking up Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), a good number of Black Wheatears (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura), Meadow Pipit, a group of Rock Sparrows (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), European Greenfinch and Corn Buntings.

Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).

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

Once we were around the crags we dropped down into the Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) trees and soon found a good number of Ring Ouzels (Mirlo Capiblanco / Turdus torquatus), Common Blackbird, Black Redstarts, Common Chiffchaff, Sardinian Warbler and a couple of fly over Eurasian Siskin (Jilguero Lúgano / Carduelis spinus) which called several times.

Ring Ouzel (Mirlo Capiblanco / Turdus torquatus).

Ring Ouzels (Mirlo Capiblanco / Turdus torquatus).

Ring Ouzels (Mirlo Capiblanco / Turdus torquatus).

We turned around and started to make our way back down the hill but spent a while parked by the puddle we stopped by on the way up but none of the Ouzels came down for a drink whilst we were there so we continued on, as we drove we saw our only Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia) of the day, a single Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica), Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus), as we dropped down the slopes off the tops we had a male Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius) down on the rocks below the track and our only butterfly of the day a Small White (Pieris rapae).

Looking out West from the Ouzel site.

Looking South to the Hawthorns.

Looking out west, one of my favourite views.

Further down on the way back to my car we saw lots of Late Crocus (Crocus serotinus) and a smart Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris), once we reached the service area I put my stuff into my car and then after saying goodbye to Barbara and Derek I headed off home.

The hat triplets.