Balsa de Regidor, Rio Genil East and the Lucerne Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

A morning's birding on a sunny but cool day in a brisk breeze.

Ebird List for Balsa de Regidor.

Ebird List for Rio Genil East.

Ebird List for the Lucerne Fields.

 

Looking south down the Balsa.

I popped down to Huétor first thing as I need a few bits from Mercodona, later I made my way out to Balsa de Regidor where there were good numbers of hirundines, the commonest being Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), along with Eurasian Crag (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum).

The other end of the Balsa.

On the water there we Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra) and Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis).

Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina) ♂♀.

Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina) ♂.

Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus).

Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus).

In the air and around the margins of the pool there were Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), Western Jackdaw (Grajilla occidental / Corvus monedula), 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), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), House (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina) and European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis). 

A very muddy Rio Genil, still taking away large amounts of topsoil.

Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki).

Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki).

Eurasian Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus).

One of three Bats seen out feeding along the Genil road.

My next stop was along the side of the Rio Genil to the east of the bridge into Huétor, as I walked I added Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki), Eurasian Blue (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Europeo / Certhia brachydactyla), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris) and European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus). 

Sierra Nevada off in the Distance.

Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis).

Water still flowing into the Arroyo from the flooded fields.

I returned to the car and then went up through town and out to the Lucerne fields where I parked at the Walnut Trees and walked right up along the Arroyo Vilano to the point where the farmers had dammed the water, during this walk new species included Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) x2, Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), a ♀ Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), just my second Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia guttata) for the patch, this time it was a white bird, probably a ♂ and a Comma (Polygonia c-album) which was my 3rd butterfly species of the year.

Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia guttata) ♂ probably.

Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia guttata).

I returned to the house and spent the rest of the day sorting old clothes and doing some batch cooking.