El Temple, Cortijo Ochíchar, Contraembalse de Bermejalis, Moraleda Crags and Balsa de Regidor, Granada Province, Spain.

A day birding with Friends Barbara and Derek Etherton and Kevin Wade.

Ebird List for El Temple. 

Ebird List for Cortijo Ochíchar. 

Ebird List for Contraembalse de Bermejalis. 

Ebird List for Moraleda Crags.

Ebird List for Balsa de Regidor. 

 

Todays Gang, Kevin, Me, Barbara and Derek.

I met Barbara, Derek and Kevin at Venta Riofrio where we had some breakfast before dropping my car off at exit 203 and then heading out to the El Temple area.

We started to drive the tracks and began the day list with Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Eurasian Blue (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis) and European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).

Immature Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos).

Immature Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos).

Not far onto the site we made a stop and as we got out of the car we accidentally flushed an immature Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos) from a pine tree right next to us giving brilliant views as it flew off, we hoped it would turn and face us at least once unfortunately it didn't and continued to fly to a large distant rock where it sat for a while.

At this spot we also picked up Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real / Lanius meridionalis), Western Jackdaw (Grajilla occidental / Corvus monedula), Crested (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata) and Calandra Lark (Calandria Común / Melanocorypha calandra), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina) and Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

Happy after watching a very smart ♂ Hen Harrier (Aguilucho Pálido / Circus cyaneus).

We dropped further along the track and took a right turn to cross several agricultural stripes, we soon found a Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Eurasian Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) heard only at this point, a stunning ♂ Hen Harrier (Aguilucho Pálido / Circus cyaneus) which was sat on one of the fields and then it flew off south, a distant unseen Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius) which was calling from Almond trees, Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) and 3x Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Ganga Ortega / Pterocles orientalis) which unfortunately dropped behind some almonds before I could get the others on them.

Lesser Kestrel (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni) ♂.

Lesser Kestrel (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni) ♂.

Lesser Kestrel (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni) ♂.

We made our way down to the road and then went a short way along it before taking to the tracks again, we did a loop out to the solar panels, on the way we picked up another Eurasian Stone Curlew which Barbara picked up and gave us nice views, Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito ibérico / Picus sharpei), a nice group of Lesser Kestrels (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni), Eurasian Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis).

Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

We reached the solar panel area and then headed out towards Ventas de Huelma, on the way picking up another Great Spotted Cuckoo, Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki), Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis) and more Corn Bunting.

Sierra Nevada from El Temple.

After getting a coffee in Restaurante Casa Luciano we headed out toward the Cacín Valley, our first stop was at a view point where we looked of Raptors and were pleased to find another 3 Golden and 2 immature Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti) and a Common Kestrel.

Adult Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos).

Other species found here included Feral Pigeon (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia), our first Pallid Swifts (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) heard only, Common Kestrel, Iberian Grey Shrike, Eurasian Magpie, Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Western Jackdaw, Great Tit, Barn Swallow, Common Chiffchaff, Spotless Starling, Common Blackbird and Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia).

We continued on and dropped into the Cacín Valley and then up to the pretty much dry Contraembalse de Bermejalis, it was dry except for the Rio Cacín running through it where we found Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca) and Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus).

In the air and around the margins Common Woodpigeon, the 1st of 2 Northern Goshawks (Azor Común / Accipitor gentillis) which was seen over a ridge with 2 Western Marsh Harriers (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) the 2nd bird was seen displaying later down by the Rio Cacín Bridge, Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel, Cetti's Warbler, European Stonechat, Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi), Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa), Field Marigold (Calendula arvensis), White Rockrose (Helianthemum apenninum) and Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus).

The track to the Dam.

After a while we moved around to the track down to the dam, we first checked the bridge over the Cacín, here we saw Eurasian Blackcap, European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), the 2nd Northern Goshawk and my 1st Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni) of the year.

Along the track to the dam we recorded Long-tailed (Mito Común / Aegithalos caudatus), European Crested (Herrerillo Capuchino / Lophophanes cristatus) and Great Tit, Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Europeo / Certhia brachydactyla), Eurasian Wren (Chochin paleártico / Troglodytes troglodytes), Mistle (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus) and Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and the 2nd Brimstone.

We returned to the car and went up the valley to the crags at Moraleda where we made to stops to scan the cliffs adding Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), 2x Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius) and a pair of Black Wheatears (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura).

Balsa de Regidor.

Our final stop of the day was at Balsa de Regidor as we hadn't seen much in the way of water birds, here we picked up Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra) and Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis).

White Poplar (Populus alba).

We also saw Common Woodpigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, ♂ Western Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard, Iberian and Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Common Chiffchaff, Cetti's Warbler, Eurasian Blackcap, Sardinian Warbler, Song Thrush and Spanish Sparrow. 

Comma (Polygonia c-album).

We also found several Stripe-necked Terrapin and a Comma (Polygonia c-album) x1 before we returned to my car and we headed off home after a cracking days birding.

Later I went down to Sanchez Arcos cars where I collected my new to me motor, very sad to see the old Picasso go, hoping the 14-year younger model copes as well as it did, but I doubt it very much.