A morning's birding with good friend Juan Perez on the Granada Coast.
Ebird List for the Coast.
Ebird List for Charca de Suarez.
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| Playa de Poniente, just after sunrise. |
I left home early and was down on the coast to do a sea watch with Juan by 08:30, on the way I saw good numbers of
Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) which were coming out of a roost somewhere nearby, I also picked up
Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto),
Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and
Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis). |
| One of the many Northern Gannets (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus) feeding off shore. |
Once I reached the coast I met Juan and the lovely Chika (Juan and Beatriz's Dog), we set up our scopes and started to scan the sea in front of us where we picked up good numbers of
Balearic Shearwaters (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus), Northern Gannets (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and
Yellow-legged Gull,
Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Thalasseus sandvicensis),
Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo),
Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba),
Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto),
Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula),
Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor)
and Common Starling (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris),
Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus),
White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and
Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis).
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| Looking back up to the Sierra Nevada from the Beach. |
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| Chika sticking her tongue out at me. |
At 09:30 we made a move to Charca, first we checked the small pool near the entrance, finding
Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca),
Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus),
Common Chiffchaff, Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada) and a flyover group of
Eurasian Siskin (Jilguero Lúgano / Carduelis spinus).
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| Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Mareca strepera) and a Hybrid Coot. |
As we moved on around to the southern hide overlooking Laguna
del Taraje we picked up more
Northern Shoveler, Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos),
Gadwall (Anade Friso / Mareca strepera),
Eurasian Teal,
Eurasian (Focha Común / Fulica atra) and
Red-knobbed Coot (Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata) and a
Hybrid,
Little Grebe (Zampullín Común /
Tachybaptus ruficollis), Common Kingfisher (Martin Pescador Común / Alcedo atthis),
Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti),
Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Grey (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and
White Wagtail,
Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and the first of several
Migrant Hawker (Aeshna mixta) with around 25 in total around the reserve.
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| Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata) into the sun. |
Around at the other end of the Laguna
del Taraje we saw no new species of birds, but we did find
Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa) and had a large Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus) run across the track in front of us. |
| Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo) fruit. |
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| Western Swamp-hen (Calamón Común / Porphyrio porphyrio). |
We walked across to the nearby hide which overlooks Laguna Alamo Blanco seeing a large fruiting Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo), from the hide we saw a single immature Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) and a few species we had already recorded then just outside in the Tamarisks we heard a slightly weird call from the first of at least 3 wintering
Eurasian Wryneck (Torcecuello / Jynx torquilla) and a heard only Eurasian Penduline Tit (Pájaro Moscón / Remiz pendulinus).On our way around to the main hide, we saw and heard Monk Parakeet, Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis) and European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).
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| Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo). |
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| Great Cormorants (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo). |
From the main hide overlooking Laguna de la Aneas we picked up Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus),
Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina),
Yellow-legged Gull,
Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), 2 more immature Greater Flamingo's, a single Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus) and a single
Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris).
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| Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus). |
On the way around to Laguna del Trébol we had a very nice
Monarch (Danaus plexippus) x1 which landed on a Purple Morning Glory (Ipomoea purpurea) flower and from in the hide we added the first of 4 Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca) 2♂ and 2 ♀,
Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus),
Common Snipe, and a ♀
Bluethroat (Ruiseñor Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica).  |
| Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca) and a Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos). |
We left the hide when quite a group of people arrived and walked around to the hide which looks over the other end of the same pool adding 2 pale morph Booted Eagles (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas), Long-tailed Tit (Mito Común / Aegithalos caudatus),
Stripe-less Tree Frog (Hyla meridionalis) heard, Small White (
Pieris rapae) x5 and
Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) x3.
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| Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca). |
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| Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca). |
Further around the reserve, we checked Laguna del Lirio where I saw my first Common Starling of the day and
European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola).
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| Gadwall (Anade Friso / Mareca strepera). |
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| Gadwall (Anade Friso / Mareca strepera). |
We made our way back around towards Alamo Blanco hearing Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) on the way,
where we met Beatriz and had a chat but also again heard the Eurasian Wryneck and Eurasian Penduline Tit but added a small flock of Red Avadavat (Bengali Rojo / Amandava amandava) which flew over.
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| European Turtle (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur) and Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto). |
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| European Turtle (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur) and Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto). |
Once I reach Huétor I decided to go and have a look to see if the late European Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur) was still around, when I arrived there weren't any
Doves around at all but after around 10 minutes several
Eurasian Collared Dove started to turn up and a few minutes later the
European Turtle came in and landed on the fence, then went down onto the ground and started to feed.
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| European Turtle (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur). |
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| European Turtle (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur) and Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto). |
Other species included
Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki),
Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata) and
Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).
