Golf Medina Elvira, Embalse del Cubillas and Balsa del Regidor, Granada Province, Spain.

Out for a morning's Birding with Beatriz, Juan and Chika.

Ebird List for Golf Medina Elvira.

Ebird List for Embalse del Cubillas.

 

Egyptian Geese (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca).

I drove up towards Granada and then North to the abandoned Golf Medina Elvira area where I was meeting Juan for a walk, I arrived early and as it was Piggin freezing I decided to put all the layers I had on and go to stand down by one of the man-made pools which was just about in the sun, whilst here I had a couple of Egyptian Geese (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca) do a flyover, a female (by the size of it) Northern Goshawk (Azor Común / Accipitor gentillis) which scattered the flock of Feral Pigeons (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia) off the abandoned blocks of apartments, Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), 2x drumming Great Spotted Woodpeckers (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

Egyptian Geese (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca).

Juan arrived and to my surprise Beatriz and Chika came as well, I really didn't expect Beatriz to come as I know she doesn't like the cold, and it was freezing with a damn nasty wind, it was great to see her and Chika as well who really enjoyed her walk.

Eurasian Wryneck (Torcecuello / Jynx torquilla).

As we walked near the pool we saw Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) and a rather unexpected Eurasian Wryneck (Torcecuello / Jynx torquilla) which showed well on the grass.

We walked past the pool to the woods and then turned to the North and walked up as far as the GR-3412 following the Rio Colomera adding Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki), Eurasian Blue (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Europeo / Certhia brachydactyla), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris) and European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis).

Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus).

We turned around and followed the Rio again all the way to the other end of the complex, as we walked we found a couple of pools, the larger of the pools had a few Mallards (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), 3x immature Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) which we had not expected, Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Long-tailed Tit (Mito Común / Aegithalos caudatus), Eurasian Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Eurasian Wren (Chochin paleártico / Troglodytes troglodytes), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Redwing (Zorzal Alirrojo / Turdus illacus), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and a couple of Hawfinch (Picogordo Común / Coccotraustes coccotrauetes).

By the time we got back to the cars it was time for Beatriz, Juan and Chika to head off home and for me to go up to the Embalse where I wanted to find a ♀ Eurasian Wigeon (Sibón Europeo / Mareca penelope), as I scanned the margins I found Mallard, Northern Pintail (Ánade Rabudo / Anas acuta), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), Eurasian Coot, Great Crested Grebe (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus), Great Cormorant, Little (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta) and Great Egret (Garceta Grande / Ardea alba), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and after a while I tracked down the Wigeon in a channel with feeding Herons and Egrets.

The Margins of Embalse del Cubillas.

As it was even colder here than it had been at the Golf Complex I decided to head off back towards home, on the way I called in at Balsa del Regidor but the light was all wrong and the sun was reflecting straight off the water making Identification of the Wildfowl difficult, however I did see but not count Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata), Mallard, Common Pochard, Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Little Egret, Western Jackdaw (Grajilla occidental / Corvus monedula), Eurasian Crag Martin, Common Chiffchaff, Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), Eurasian Blackcap and White Wagtail.

I was now starting to get quite cold, so I headed back home to get the Log Burner going and chill.