Sierra de Loja, Rio Genil, Huétor Fields and Cerro Hacho, Granada Province, Spain

A day's birding with Brian from the UK.

Ebird List for Sierra de Loja. 

Ebird List for the Rio Genil. 

Ebird List for Huétor Fields.

Ebird List for Hacho. 

 

I headed off to the Hotel Rural Llano Piña where I was meeting Brian, after I had some breakfast in the Venta del Piña I met Brian and we headed up to the start of the track up Sierra de Loja.

We made our way fairly quickly up along the crags where we started the list with Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

Up on the tops we came across a largish group of at least 15 male Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica) as well as the first Thekla's Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) and further along the track we had a small group of Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa).

Along the distant crags we saw the first of several Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura) and an Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real / Lanius meridionalis) both of which were new for Brian, Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia).

As we dropped into the area of Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) we saw the first of a good number of Ring Ouzels (Mirlo Capiblanco / Turdus torquatus) of both torquatus and alpestris races, a fly over Alpine Accentor (Acentor Alpino / Prunella collaris) which was calling and dropped onto a distant ridge where I got the briefest of views through the scope. 

Also seen in this area were a dozen or so Redwing (Zorzal Alirrojo / Turdus illacus), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Rock Sparrows (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia) none of which we saw well, Eurasian Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), White Wagtail, Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) and Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

On the way down the hill we made a few stops seeing Dartford Warblers (Curruca Rabilarga / Curruca undata) at two points but neither well, European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris) and Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina). 

At the Middle Quarry we had better views of a Dartford Warbler and heard but didn't see at least 2 more Alpine Accentors (Acentor Alpino / Prunella collaris), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Black Wheatear, Eurasian Wren (Chochin paleártico / Troglodytes troglodytes), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).

We drove down to the motorway and then moved on to Huétor Tajar making a stop along the Rio Genil where I had seen a female Lesser-spotted Woodpecker (Pico Menor / Dryobates minor) but today we only managed to hear the bird call but we also saw Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica) and Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), which were new for the day along with a good many of the species seen up the mountain.

Our next stop was at the town fields where we scanned the ploughed areas and the Lucerne strip finding a good number of Eurasian Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus) and Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata).

Up on the top fields we made a stop to look at a couple of Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) which were sitting in a distant fig tree and a Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) on the Cortijo wall before we drove around to the Walnut trees and then did a walk along the Lucerne fields picking up Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), 4x Green Sandpipers (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Eurasian Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild) and some very nice Eurasian Tree Sparrows (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus). 

Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis) winter male.

On the way off the site we did a short drive along the track going east finding several Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki), Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis) and the 347th species for my year list a female Common Reed Bunting (Escribano Palustre / Emberiza schoeniclus).

Our last stop of the day was up on Hacho where we checked the track out near the Puddle I usually visit and found Brian his first Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Europeo / Certhia brachydactyla) and several Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra).