Golf Los Moriscos, Golf Los Moriscos 2, Punta del Santo, Playa de la Cagadilla, La Vinuesa near Charca and Playa de Carchuna, Costa de Granada, Granada Province, Spain.

A not so Wild ??? Goose chase down the coast.

Ebird List for Golf Los Moriscos.

Ebird List for Golf Los Moriscos 2.

Ebird List for Punta del Santo.

Ebird List for Playa de la Cagadilla.

Ebird List for La Vinuesa.

Ebird List for Playa de Carchuna west.

Ebird List for Playa de Carchuna east.

 

The Barnacle Geese (Barnacla Cariblanca / Branta leucopsis) heading along the coast.

As it was raining when I got up, which meant I didn't need the heater / blower which had not beeen working for a couple of days (but the damn thing was on full blast and wouldn't turn off) and the car started, I headed for the coast to try and see a couple of Barnacle Geese (Barnacla Cariblanca / Branta leucopsis) which had been knocking around for a few days, possibly first seen out east in Almeria or at least one of them was but where they actually came from is not known, possibly from a feral population from up in Northern Europe but at this point of unknown origin ??

Barnacle Goose (Barnacla Cariblanca / Branta leucopsis).

I arrived in the area early, it was still dark so I had some breakfast and coffee at bar Estrella del Mar before going along the coast to the larger of the Pools on the Golf Los Moriscos course but it was not light enough to see properly so I went for a bit of a walk.

Just as I arrived back and grabbed the bins I saw both of the Geese in flight and heading off east towards Charca, on the pool I did see a good number of Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), a single Egyptian Goose (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

Barnacle Geese (Barnacla Cariblanca / Branta leucopsis).

Barnacle Goose (Barnacla Cariblanca / Branta leucopsis).

As It had got a bit lighter, I moved down to the road to the other end of the golf course and checked out another pool where I found the Barnacle Geese again, which were feeding out on the fairway but soon moved one of the Grounds Staff came to rack the bunkers they were off, circled and dropped back in as far from them as possible.

Barnacle Geese (Barnacla Cariblanca / Branta leucopsis).

On and around the pool I also saw 2 ♂ Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata), Mallard, Little and Great Crested Grebe (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot, a fly over Common Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), good numbers of Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) and Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) which passed high overhead, Little (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta) and Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), a Common Kingfisher (Martin Pescador Común / Alcedo atthis), Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Cetti's Warbler, Grey (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and White Wagtail and lots of Meadow Pipits (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis).

Great Crested Grebe (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus).

As I walked back towards the car I went along the road checking the scrub where I added a calling Eurasian Wryneck (Torcecuello / Jynx torquilla), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Sardinian Warbler, Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Common Blackbird, European Robin, Black Redstart, Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild) and House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus).

Looking along the coast towards Motril Port.

When I got to the car I picked up the scope and went out to the beach at Punta del Santo where I did a sea watch for 3/4 of an Hour, during this time I recorded a good number of Balearic Shearwaters (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus), a few Northern Gannets (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus), a single Razorbill (Alca Común / Alca torda) which flew fast heading west, Great Cormorant, Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus), Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Yellow-legged and Lesser Black-backed Gull and Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Thalasseus sandvicensis).

Razorbill (Alca Común / Alca torda).

Razorbill (Alca Común / Alca torda).

On the rocks and around the beach I saw a small group of Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba), Feral Pigeon (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia) and Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata).

Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba).

Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba).

I decided to head just along the coast to Playa de la Cagadilla where after parking and walking to the beach I walked west as far as the Rio Guadalfeo, species added to the day list along here included Common Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), 2 Barn Swallows (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) which didn't look happy in the cold wind, European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola) and a Water Pipit (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta) which was feeding on the larger of the pools with White Wagtails.

Looking west along Playa de la Cagadilla.

A hazy view of Sierra Nevada from Playa de la Cagadilla.

As I walked back I didn't add any birds but along the track back from the beach to the car I could hear a couple of Stripe-less Tree Frogs (Hyla meridionalis) and saw a single Small White (Pieris rapae) my second butterfly species of the year, along with Yellow horned Poppy (Glaucium flavum), Bermuda Buttercup (Oxalis pes-caprae), Seaside Daisy (Asteriscus maritimus) and Purple Bugloss (Echium plantagineum).

Common Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula).

My next site was to be a bit further east along the coast at Carchuna but as I cut across country I stopped at a spot where I usually go for butterflies when I saw a dark morph Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas) in flight, whilst I was watching this I also saw another Barn Swallow and a mixed flock of both Spotless (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and Common Starling (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris).

Dark morph Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas).

Dark morph Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas).

I reached the western end of Carchuna beach, I walked a little to the east and down on the stony beach I had a group of 8 Kentish (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Anarhynchus alexandrinus) and a single Common Ringed Plover and a Sanderling.

Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Anarhynchus alexandrinus).

Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Anarhynchus alexandrinus) and a Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba).

Common Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula).

Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Anarhynchus alexandrinus).

Also seen were Yellow-legged and Audouin's Gull (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii), Great Cormorant and Northern Gannet (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus).

Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis).

I returned to the car and drove up to the eastern end of the beach and did another short walk but I didn't add anything new for the list, so I returned to the car and headed off toward home but took the old road seeing a couple of Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica) on the roadside, I planned to call and check on the White-throated Dipper (Mirlo Acuático Europeo / Cinclus cinclus) but it looked like the area has been totally gutted by the pipe laying works.

By now I was starting to flag from the early start, so I continued on home and chilled.