Balsa de Regidor and Rio Cacín south of the A92, Granada Province, Spain.

Out on a very wet Local Patch looking for Woodpeckers.

Ebird List for Balsa de Regidor.

Ebird List for Lower Cacín Valley.

 

Balsa de Regidor.

I headed out to Balsa de Regidor where after parking I checked the area to the NE of the pool where I saw a Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos) which was sat on a rock but was being mobbed by around 15 Western Jackdaws (Grajilla occidental / Corvus monedula) and at least 4 Eurasian Magpies (Urraca Común / Pica pica), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) and Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

I walked around to the concrete pier and on the pool I found 44x Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata), 4x Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), 19x Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), 4x Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), 12x Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), 13x Little (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and a winter plumage Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis).

Around the margins I added Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula) and Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).

♂ Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis).

♂ Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis).

I went back along the A92 to the Mesia Junction and then parked on the Southern side of the motorway on the service road, from here I walked out for about 1.5 KMS, on the way I saw Little (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta) and Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), 2x more Common Buzzard, Long-tailed Tit (Mito Común / Aegithalos caudatus), Eurasian Blue (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Europeo / Certhia brachydactyla), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), House (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris), European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and right at the end of the walk I heard a call I had been hoping for and then got brief but good views of a fine ♂ Lesser-spotted Woodpecker (Pico Menor / Dryobates minor).

Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major).

Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major).

Once I got back to the car I returned to Huétor where I had a coffee and lunch with a friend from Loja before doing a bit of shopping and heading home.