Embalse del Cubillas, Vega de Granada, Rio Genil at Purchil, Balsa de Regidor, Rio Genil East and Huétor Fields, Granada Provionce, Spain.

New Year's Day, getting the Year List underway.

Ebird List for Embalse del Cubillas.

Ebird List for Embalse del Cubillas Woodlands.

Ebird List for Vega de Granada.

Ebird List for Rio Genil at Purchil.

Ebird List for Balsa de Regidor.  

Ebird List for Rio Genil East. 

Ebird List for Town Fields. 

Ebird List for Lucerne Fields.

 

Great Egrets (Garceta Grande / Ardea alba) and lots of Grey Herons (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).

I started by driving up to Granada and then North slightly to Embalse de Cubillas where I parked and set up the scope to scan the NE corner of the lake where the Rio Cubillas enters, on the water I found 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), Great Crested Grebe (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo) and on the margins Little (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta) and Great Egret (Garceta Grande / Ardea alba) and Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).

In the air and the trees I added Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Iberian (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki) and Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), Western Jackdaw (Grajilla occidental / Corvus monedula), Eurasian Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Cetti's Warbler, Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), an unexpected Redwing (Zorzal Alirrojo / Turdus illacus) which sat for a moment in one of the Pine Trees, Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis) and European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).

After a while I went back along the road and did a walk into the woodlands, it was fairly quiet but new species included Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Long-tailed (Mito Común / Aegithalos caudatus) and European Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Lophophanes cristatus), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Europeo / Certhia brachydactyla), Eurasian Wren (Chochin paleártico / Troglodytes troglodytes), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Mistle (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus) and Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina), Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra) and a couple of Rabbits (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus).

Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) ♂.

Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) ♂.

Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) ♂.

I returned to the car and then headed off to the south a short way to check a spot I had visited last year in the Vega de Granada where I had with the help of friend Juan Perez seen a couple of Bramblings (Pinzón Real / Fringilla montifringilla), unfortunately I didn't find any today however I did pick up Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) and European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris).

Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus).

Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus).

I then started to make my way back towards the Local Patch but on the way I made a brief stop at a spot on the Rio Genil when as I drove by I saw a group of Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus) in total I saw 18 of them before I pushed on again to Balsa De Regidor.

Balsa de Regidor.

After parking, I set the scope up on the concrete pier and scanned the pool, there were a good number of Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris).

My next stop was along the Rio Genil to the East of the bridge, I didn't see anything new, so I again pushed on to the fields just out of town where there were a good number of wintering Eurasian Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) with well over a 100 birds being there, probably lots more as they were difficult to pick out.

I also had 3x Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus) before heading up to the Walnut trees on the Lucerne fields, after parking I walked the road towards the usual parking spot seeing Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) and what will be best bird of the day a fine ♂ Merlin (Esmerejón / Falco columbarius) which I watched for a couple of minutes chasing Meadow Pipits on the far side of the Lucerne stripes.   

Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus).

Heading back towards the car I picked up Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Eurasian Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops) before continuing on up the arroyo all the way to the Railway bridge.

Looking out to Sierra de Loja from the Arroyo Vilano.

During this part of the walk I found Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos) and several Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus).

By the time I got back to the car it was getting cold and I was starting to flag, so I headed back home and got the log burner going and made a coffee.