Osuna area, Sevilla Province, Spain.

Out birding with a group of friends from the Coast.

Ebird List for Osuna Fields.

Ebird List for Laguna de La Ballestera.

Ebird List for Laguna Calderón Grande.

 

Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus).

I started the day by driving over to Café Bar Las Vegas on the western side of Osuna, on the way I stopped off for coffee and Breakfast at Restaurante El Hacho II near Casariche where I bumped into Barbara and Derek Etherton, Andy Patterson, Luis Alberto and Mariaje, thanks to Luis for Breakfast.

We continued on and met the rest of the Group which included Ricky and Sonia Owen, Kevin Wade, Steve Powell, Hans Börjesson and Barbara and Jerry Laycock.

Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus).

After saying hello and getting sorted we headed off along the road that follows the railway line and out to the first of the bridges that cross the railway, on the way we started the day list off with House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) but our car missed it, Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real / Lanius meridionalis), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Curruca undata), Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra) and as we came up onto the bridge we had a couple of Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos) fly out of the Broom bushes, the first flock of Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis) we were to see lots and a couple of Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa).

From the bridge Hans found the first Great Bustard (Avutarda Euroasiática / Otis tarda) which was out on its own, but another group of 10 birds were soon found in another field.

In the same area we saw Red Kite, Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Northern Raven (Cuervo grande / Corvus corax), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Eurasian Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus), Crested (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata) and Calandra Lark (Calandria Común / Melanocorypha calandra), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris), Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina) and European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis).

Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Ganga Ortega / Pterocles orientalis).

Then Hans came up trumps again when he found a distant flock of around 24 Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Ganga Ortega / Pterocles orientalis) not a species that is easily seen in the area.

♂ Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus).

We dropped back down to the road seeing a very smart ♂ Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) on the way, we drove up towards the second bridge but stopped once we were level with the Sandgrouse where we counted them again, I think Derek found 31 birds in all.

Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus).

We went up onto the second bridge but continued on out on the tracks towards the Preformed Concrete factory a few Kms out, on this drive there was a second Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus), a big ♀ was seen sat on a pylon, but it was flushed before we got there by another car coming the other way, Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Common Starling (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola) and European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus). 

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

We reached the A-407 and crossed to the fields on the other side, after a few KMs we turned left and returned to the A-407, as we drove this section of tracks we 40 odd European Golden Plover (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia), 200+ Common Cranes (Grulla Común / Grus grus), Red-legged Partridge, Eurasian Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis) and Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis).

The Observatorio ornitológico de la laguna Ballestera.

Once we reached the A-407 again, we headed to Lantejuela and out the far side on the SE-8201 but before long we turned off and went to check the Observatorio ornitológico de la laguna Ballestera, on the approach we saw three trees full of the beautiful and very often underappreciated Spanish Sparrow, some of the ♂ birds were in nice plumage.

♂♀ Spanish Sparrows (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis).

♂ Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis).

On the lake we picked up Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Common Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Mareca strepera), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), another 19 Common Crane, Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Pied Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Red Kite, Crested Lark, Black Redstart, European Stonechat, White Wagtail, European Goldfinch, and over 500 Spanish Sparrows. 

♂♀ Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis).

♂ Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis).

We started to head back south towards Osuna but made a roadside stop on the A-351 at Laguna Calderón Grande, viewing is difficult, but we did find 20 odd Common Cranes, a Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) and ♀♀ of both Western Marsh and Hen Harrier (Aguilucho Pálido / Circus cyaneus).

We continued on down the A-351 and back to the cars at the Café Bar Las Vegas and then we all headed off after an excellent days birding in nice company.