Contraembalse de Bermejalis, Granada Province, Spain.

Nearly 3 hours wandering around an almost empty reservoir.

Ebird List for the Contraembalse.

 

Looking North up the Valley.

I waited for it to warm up a tad and then had a drive down to the Contraembalse de Bermejalis for a walk, I parked near the southern end of the now almost completely empty Reservoir, the only water was from the Rio Cacín which flows in the southern end and out at the Dam.

Black-winged Stilts (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus).

Along the Rio I picked up Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus) x3, Common Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula) x2, Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) x5 and around the margins and in the reeds Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

Narrow-leafed Ash (Fraxinus angustifolia).

In the air, surrounding fields and woods I added Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), the first of at least 9x Western Marsh Harriers (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) but I think there were at least a couple more, 2x Northern Ravens (Cuervo grande / Corvus corax), Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), Cetti's (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra) and a singing ♂ Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteño / Emberiza cirlus).

Northern Goshawk (Azor Común / Accipitor gentillis).

I walked down the road to the south checking the trees and reed beds, here I saw and heard Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus) ♀, Northern Goshawk (Azor Común / Accipitor gentillis) ♂, Eurasian Wryneck (Torcecuello / Jynx torquilla), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula) and European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).

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

I walked back up towards the car and then onwards past it towards the bridge over the Cacín, on the way Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito ibérico / Picus sharpei), Thekla's Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Europeo / Certhia brachydactyla), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Field Marigold (Calendula arvensis), Cymbalaria-leaved Speedwell (Veronica cymbalaria) and White Wallrocket (Diplotaxis erucoides) were all seen.

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

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

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

Down by the bridge I spent a while checking the stuff flitting through the trees and added Eurasian Blue (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Eurasian Wren (Chochin paleártico / Troglodytes troglodytes), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and Eurasian Siskin (Jilguero Lúgano / Carduelis spinus).

Looking South up the Valley.

On the walk back towards the car I took the track down to the to of the dam as far as the gates, here there was a very skanky looking pool of water with 3x Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), 7x Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra) and a Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos).

Looking South up the Valley.

On the walk back up to the road and on to the car, Long-tailed Tit (Mito Común / Aegithalos caudatus) and Woodlark (Alondra Totovía / Lullula arborea) bought the list for the site up to a nice round 50.

After noticing that the electric was off at the house from feedback from the security system I headed straight back instead of calling in at another couple of places, when I got there I found that the fuse board had flicked off and that the fuse for the lights would not come back on, just one more bit of stress to add to the list after all the rain.