Huétor Fields and the Rio Genil East of the Bridge, Granada Province, Spain.

A morning on the patch, seeing some good birds and some sickening stuff. 

Ebird List for the Fields.

Ebird List for the Rio Genil.

 

A small break in the clouds, the first for a while.

I started the morning with a walk along the Lucerne fields, where even in the strong cold wind I managed to find the regular pair of Black-winged Kites (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus), Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) x12, Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), Western Jackdaw (Grajilla occidental / Corvus monedula), Eurasian Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis) and Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Cetti's (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Grey (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis) and European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).

Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax).

Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax).

Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax).

I was about to leave and head home, but I notice two cars arriving, both of which I have been seeing driving around the area with a Thermal Imaging camera, so I parked again and watched.

Unfortunately what I witnessed was truly sickening to me, I really don't understand the mentality of people who get joy from killing any form of defenceless wildlife, but It takes a really sick, perthitic person to bring their 4 young children to watch two dogs chase down and rip a beautiful Iberian Brown Hare (Liebre ibérica / Lepus granatensis) to bits.

I know that Hare coursing is still unfortunately legal in Spain under the umbrella of "its traditional" a term that's often used to cover up cruelty, but I just don't get what these "people" get from killing.

Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax).

Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax).

Anyway back to the birding, after they became aware I was there with binoculars and a camera they were off smartish, guessing the hunting is legal, but they were not for some reason, after they moved on I headed for the Rio Genil.

I parked just across the Rio on the eastern side of the bridge and walked for a short way but due to the wind I didn't see a great deal new, species did include Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki), Eurasian Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus), Eurasian Wren (Chochin paleártico / Troglodytes troglodytes) and European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula).

Somber Bee Orchid (Ophrys lupercalis).

I was feeling quite deflated after seeing what had witnessed earlier, I decided to head home and chilled for a while before I decided to have a drive up to Cerro Hacho to see if any of the Orchids had managed to flower even in this weather, Parked on the back half of the track and checked an area where I have seen early flowering Somber Bee Orchid (Ophrys lupercalis).

Giant Orchids (Himanthoglossum Robertiana).

Navelwort (Umbilicus rupestris).

There were loads of Rosettes, a few with well-developed spikes but just a single flowering spike, around the other side of the Quarry I checked on the Giant Orchids (Himanthoglossum Robertiana) but they still had some way to go before they were going to flower.

On the quarry side of the area it was very obvious the damage done by the strong winds of the last few days with several trees down in one area, I also saw Field Marigold (Calendula arvensis), Navelwort (Umbilicus rupestris), Common Fumitory (Fumaria officinalis), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra).