Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

A local MEGA and bird of the day, a 1st winter Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus).

Ebird List for Huétor Fiesta Ground.

Ebird List for Town Fields.

Ebird List for Lucerne Fields.

 

A very frozen car which didn't like starting this morning, reason 1 for the Mechanic's visit.

After checking the Moth Trap which was empty, which was no surprise really as it had dropped to -3 and it was covered in frost, as was the car.

1st winter Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus).

I headed down to what feels like my second home to book the car in for some more jobs, then went to Mercodona, the Builders Merchants and as I was heading up to the Town Fields I found the bird of the day, a 1st winter Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus) which was having a bath in the large puddles on the Fiesta Grounds car park, I think this is the first record for me in the Huétor area.

The Town Fields.

European Golden Plover (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia).

After watching this bird for a while I went and parked just out of town where I scanned the fields finding my first 3 European Golden Plovers (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia) of the year, several Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), good numbers of Eurasian Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata) and the Black-headed Gull which had followed me here.

The Dog Shit Track.

♂ European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).

♂ Bluethroat (Ruiseñor Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica).

Different ♂ Bluethroat (Ruiseñor Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica).

I walked around the edge of town and checked out the Dog Shit Track finding Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Eurasian Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris), Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis), European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra), 2 ♂ Bluethroat (Ruiseñor Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica) and 5 more European Golden Plovers which dropped in with the others and the all the birds got up and did a loop before dropping back onto the fields.

European Golden Plover (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia) and Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus).

European Golden Plover (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia) and Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus).

European Golden Plover (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia).

European Golden Plover (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia).

European Golden Plover (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia).

I returned to the car and went up onto the top Lucerne fields where I parked by the Walnut Trees and walked out as far as the gate and then back again, during the walk I picked up Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), the resident pair of Black-winged Kites (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus), 2 Little Owls (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) both warming up on different parts of the Cortijo roof, Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki) and Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus) which were all new for the day.

The Lucerne Fields.

Sierra Nevada off in the distance.

A couple of the massively depleted wintering flock of Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), this year's best count is just 11, hard to believe it used to be in the 100s, very sad what Agriculture has achieved.

The afternoon was moving on so I headed back to get the Log Burner going as it was going to be another damn cold night.