Vega de Granada and Embalse de Cubillas, Granada Province, Spain.

Birding solo to start but later with good friend Juan Perez.

Ebird List for Vega de Granada.

Ebird List for Embalse de Cubillas (woods).

Ebird List for Embalse de Cubillas (woods with Juan).

Ebird List for the Embalse.

 

The tree and Stubble fields.

After getting some information from Juan I headed to a spot in the Vega de Granada looking for Brambling (Pinzón Real / Fringilla montifringilla) as it would put me on 348, just 2 short of my 350 species for the year target.

Brambling (Pinzón Real / Fringilla montifringilla).

I arrived on site and after putting on a couple more layers as it was piggin freezing I went for a walk along a nearby track and checked out a couple of trees and stubble fields where Juan had sent me a pin for.

Brambling (Pinzón Real / Fringilla montifringilla).

As I searched I found Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis), European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and in the top of the tree at least 2 possibly 4 stunning Brambling, thanks to Juan I am now just 2 short of 350.

Brambling (Pinzón Real / Fringilla montifringilla).

Brambling (Pinzón Real / Fringilla montifringilla).

My next stop was at the wood yard where I picked up a load of logs and then headed for Embalse de Cubillas where I parked on the roadside and scanned the bushes and trees adding Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius), Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki), Eurasian Blue (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Curruca undata), Common Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapilla), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Europeo / Certhia brachydactyla), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra). 

After a while I walked along the road and bumped into Juan a bit earlier than I had expected, we did a walk into the Pine Woodlands and followed the Rio Cubillas to a spot where Javier Gómez González had seen up to 3 Goldcrest (Reyezuelo Sencillo / Regulus regulus) a week or so earlier, as we walked out we saw many of the species I had already recorded but added Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), Long-tailed Tit (Mito Común / Aegithalos caudatus), Eurasian Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Redwing (Zorzal Alirrojo / Turdus illacus), Dunnock (Acentor Común / Prunella modularis), Hawfinch (Picogordo Común / Coccotraustes coccotrauetes), Eurasian Siskin (Jilguero Lúgano / Carduelis spinus) and a couple of calling Goldcrest which were difficult to see up in the tops of the pines but we did get good enough views of them through the bin's for an Id. 

We returned to the cars and went just up the road to a spot where we could see the Embalse well and spent a while scanning the water and the margins, along the shore we saw Greylag Geese (Ansar Común / Anser anser) domestic, a very nice female Eurasian Wigeon (Sibón Europeo / Mareca penelope) which is a species I have not seen in the province for a long time, Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Northern Pintail (Ánade Rabudo / Anas acuta), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Little (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta) and Great Egret (Garceta Grande / Ardea alba),

Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea). 

Further out on the water we saw more Common Pochard, a couple of Great Crested Grebes (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus) and loads / 100s of Eurasian Crag Martins (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris).

After we had checked the place out well we headed off to our homes, by the time I got back home it was raining, so I got a tad damp unloading the logs.