Charca de Suarez, Cerro Gordo, Camino de la Trinchera near Venta de Zafarraya, Granada Province, Spain.

Birding the Granada coast and Zafarraya Mountains.

Sue and Dave, Day three. 

Ebird List for Charca.

Ebird List for Cerro Gordo.

Ebird List for Ventas de Zafarraya.

Ebird List for  NW of Alhama de Granada.

 

Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) female.

We started the day by driving down to Charca de Suarez where we entered the reserve at just after 09:00 and checked the small pool near the entrance finding Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), a single Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi) and from the small screen Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) and a Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus) which sat amongst some reeds before flying across the pool.

Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata).

We walked out towards the Alamo Blanco Hide, on the way good friend Juan Perez joined us and we added an Iberian Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Ibérico / Phylloscopus ibericus) the 4th of the 5 endemic species for Spain along with a Cetti's (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), Western Bonelli's (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli) and a couple of Willow Warblers (Mosquitero Musical / Phylloscopus trochillus), Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major).

The Hide was busy with the Kingfisher photographers, the big lens and no bin's gang so we moved on to the hide over looking the northern end of Laguna del Taraje but the light was against us, however we still saw Red-knobbed Coot (Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata) and the Hybrid between it and the Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus) and European Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur).

We continued on around to the Main Hide, on the way we added European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis).

Western Swamp-hen (Calamón Común / Porphyrio porphyrio).

Western Swamp-hen (Calamón Común / Porphyrio porphyrio).

Western Swamp-hen (Calamón Común / Porphyrio porphyrio).

From the hide we added Gadwall (Anade Friso / Mareca strepera), Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Western Swamp-hen (Calamón Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus), Green (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) and Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Little Bittern (Avetorillo Común / Ixobrychus minutus), Black-crowned Night Heron (Marinete Común / Nycticorax nycticorax), Little (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta) and Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Common Kingfisher (Martin Pescador Común / Alcedo atthis), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Cecropis daurica), Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Common Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus) and House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus).

Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

From here we also saw Blue / Common (Anax imperator) and Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope), Red-veined (Sympetrum fonscolombii) and Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea), Small White (Pieris rapae) and Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa).

Around at the first of the hides overlooking Laguna del Trébol we found Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca), Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas) and Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada).

We popped into the other hide over looking the same pool but apart from better views of the Ferruginous Ducks we didn't add anything new so we moved to Laguna del Lirio but the results were the saw.

Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata) and Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus).

Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata) and Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus).

Our last stop was at Laguna del Taraje seeing Northern Shovelers (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata) and a flock of Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus) before we moved on and headed down the coast to Cerro Gordo.

Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus).

We checked out the area around the Torre finding Northern Raven (Cuervo grande / Corvus corax), Long-tailed Tit (Mito Común / Aegithalos caudatus), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Europeo / Certhia brachydactyla), Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra), Two-tailed Pasha (Charaxes jasius) and Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera).

We unfortunately didn't find the wanted White-rumped Swifts (Vencejo Cafre / Apus caffer) so we moved on again and headed inland to the disused railway line track near Venta de Zafarraya and did a short walk as it was already quite hot, we added White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Europeo / Merops apiaster), Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Common Whitethroat (Curruca Zarcera / Sylvia communis), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura), Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica) and Southern Gatekeeper (Pyronia cecilia).

Sue and Dave getting onto one of the Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura).

On our way back towards the house we crossed the fields between Zafarraya and the A-4155, on the way through the first area of Agricultural fields and limestone pavement we recorded Crested (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata) and Greater Short-toed Lark (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla), Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis), Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina), Pallid Swift, Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe) and just as we reached the top of the ridge we saw two immature Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus) sat out in one of the Ploughed fields. 

Just before we joined the A-4155 we checked out some large Almonds and some Olives where we found Eurasian Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus), Willow Warbler, Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and just across the road near a disused Cortijo lots more European Bee-eaters. 

On the drive back to the house along the A-4155 we picked up a Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus),  Short-toed Snake (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus) and Booted Eagles.